How early should contractors order doors and windows for a remodel?

For stock items, a week or two is often enough depending on the supplier. For special order or custom products, plan for six to twelve weeks or more. The safest approach is to confirm availability before demo starts so the lead time does not drive the job schedule. If something is special order, place the order before framing is complete, not after.

What is the correct way to measure a rough opening for a door or window order?

Measure width at the top, middle, and bottom of the opening and use the smallest number. Measure height on both sides and the center, again using the smallest measurement. Note the wall depth for jamb sizing. On exterior openings, also note the sill condition and whether the opening is plumb and square. Bring all of those numbers to your supplier before placing the order.

When does a non-standard opening need a custom door vs. a modified stock door?

A supplier with an on-site custom shop can often modify a stock door to fit an opening that is close to but not exactly standard. This is faster and less expensive than a full factory custom order. True custom builds make sense when the opening is significantly non-standard, when structural conditions require it, or when the design calls for something that cannot be achieved with a stock modification. Ask your supplier which path fits your situation before you assume the longer timeline.

What Are the Most Common Door and Window Mistakes Contractors Make on Remodels?

January 20, 2026

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The most common door and window mistakes contractors make on remodels come down to four things: ordering too late, measuring wrong, picking the wrong material for the climate, and treating every situation like a stock job when it is not. Most of these are easy to avoid once you know where the problems show up. This post walks through each one so you can catch them before they cost you.

Remodels have a way of surfacing problems that new construction does not. The framing is not always square. The openings are not always standard. The client picked a door from a photo, and it may or may not match what is actually in the space.

On top of that, doors and windows have longer lead times than most other materials on a job. When something goes wrong, you find out at the worst possible moment.

Exterior doors and windows are where most of the painful mistakes happen. Not because contractors do not know better, but because the pressure of a busy schedule makes it easy to skip steps that feel like double-checking. Here is where those skipped steps show up.

Why Do Door and Window Orders Go Wrong More Often Than Other Materials?

Most materials on a remodel have a margin for error. You can trim a piece of trim. You can cut flooring. You can adjust. Doors and windows do not work that way. They are sized to specific rough openings. They have to seal correctly. They need to be right before installation starts, not after. And if the order is wrong, you are looking at days or weeks before you can get the right product, depending on whether it is a stock item or a special order. Custom doors and windows can take anywhere from six to twelve weeks from order to delivery. Some specialty items take longer. That window means a mistake made on day one of a project may not show up until well into the schedule, by which point your options are limited. The National Association of the Remodeling Industry notes that material delays are among the leading causes of project overruns for residential contractors. Most of those delays are preventable. They trace back to a handful of recurring mistakes that show up across job types and experience levels. These types of issues are some of the most common door and window mistakes contractors run into on remodels.

What Happens When Contractors Order Too Late?

This is the single most common source of schedule problems on remodel jobs that involve doors or windows. The instinct is to wait until framing is done before placing the order. That makes sense on the surface. You can verify the rough opening. You know exactly what you need. But by the time framing is complete, you may already be behind if the product requires more than a week to arrive. Stock doors and windows can often ship the same week or be picked up the same day from a supplier with solid inventory. That part of the equation is fine. The problem is when a job calls for something that is not stock, and the contractor did not find out until they tried to order it. The pattern that works better is front-loading the materials conversation. Before the demo starts, check availability on everything that has a longer lead time. Doors and windows are at the top of that list. Find out whether what you need is in stock or special order. If it is a special order, place it early enough that the arrival date does not drive the job schedule. Ordering too late is one of the most preventable door and window mistakes, but it continues to impact project timelines every day.

What Goes Wrong With Measuring and Why Does It Keep Happening?

Measuring mistakes are responsible for more reorders than most contractors want to admit. And the reason they keep happening is not carelessness. It is that measuring a rough opening looks simple, but it is not always simple, especially on older homes.

A few things that trip people up:

Measuring the door instead of the rough opening. These are different dimensions. A supplier needs the rough opening to match you to the right product. Giving the wrong number gets you the wrong door.
Taking one measurement and assuming it is consistent. Rough openings in older homes are often not square or plumb. Measuring only at the top, or only at one side, can give you a number that does not reflect the actual constraint.
Not accounting for wall depth. The jamb width matters, and it varies. Assuming a standard depth on a home that was renovated or added onto is a common way to end up with a door that does not fit the wall profile.
Forgetting about the sill and threshold. On exterior openings, the condition and height of the existing sill affect what will actually close and seal correctly. This is easy to overlook when you are focused on width and height.

Measuring errors like these are some of the most expensive door and window mistakes because they almost always require a full reorder.

The fix is slowing down on measurement and writing everything down before you order. Width at three points. Height at two points. Wall depth. Sill condition. Bring those numbers to your supplier, not a description of what you think you need.

How Does Picking the Wrong Material Create Problems Later?

Material selection is where the aesthetic decision and the practical decision sometimes go in different directions. When those two things are not reconciled before the order, the result shows up after installation.

North Georgia’s climate puts real pressure on exterior materials. Hot, humid summers. Occasional freezing winters. Materials that perform well in a dry or moderate climate may not hold up the same way here.

Fiberglass doors, for example, handle the heat and humidity in North Georgia without the upkeep that wood demands. Wood is not a wrong choice, but it requires consistent maintenance to stay in good shape in this climate. When a client chooses wood based on the look without understanding that trade-off, and it is not flagged during the material conversation, the callback comes back to the contractor.

Vinyl windows are a common and practical choice for the same reason. They do not warp with moisture changes, they do not require repainting, and they hold their seal well over time in this environment. The issue is when a client has a preference for a different window type, and the contractor does not walk through what that means for upkeep and performance in the local climate.

The contractor’s job is not to override client preferences. It is to make sure the client understands the trade-off before the order is placed. That conversation is easier to have before installation than after a callback.

What Is the Stock vs. Custom Mistake and How Do Contractors Fall Into It?

There are two versions of this mistake, and they work in opposite directions.

The first is assuming everything is stock when it is not. A contractor sees a door style they have ordered before, assumes availability, and puts it on the job schedule before confirming. The product turns out to be a special order. The timeline takes the hit.

The second is assuming a non-standard situation requires a full custom order when it does not. Some openings that look custom are actually within the modification range of a stock product. A supplier with an on-site custom shop can trim or adjust a stock door to fit an opening that is close to but not exactly standard. That path is usually faster and less expensive than a full factory custom build.

The fix for both versions is the same: have the conversation with your supplier before you make the assumption. Ask whether a specific product is in stock right now. Ask whether a non-standard opening can be handled with a stock modification. A supplier who knows their inventory can answer both questions quickly and save you from building a schedule around incorrect information.

What Does Good Ordering Practice Actually Look Like?

Experienced contractors who run clean jobs on door and window work tend to do a few things consistently.

They get measurements before the demo starts, not after. They check availability before they commit to a delivery date with the client. They know the difference between what is on the shelf and what is on a factory timeline. And when something is not standard, they ask about options before they assume the worst case.

They also work with suppliers who can answer these questions clearly. Availability, lead times, modification options, and alternatives if something sells out. A supplier who cannot tell you whether a product is in stock right now is not a supplier who can help you hold a schedule.

The Liquidators Company works with contractors across North Georgia on exactly these kinds of situations. If you have an upcoming job with doors or windows that feel complicated, stop by the showroom or reach out before the order goes in. That conversation takes a few minutes and can prevent a lot of the problems covered in this post. Avoiding common door and window mistakes starts with having the right conversations early in the project.

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