What belongs in it, how it is priced, when to award it and how to phase it.
On a new development the windows are rarely bought one at a time. They are bought as a package: every opening in the building, priced, drawn, fabricated and delivered as one coordinated order. Getting the window package for a new development right is one of the decisions that most affects the facade schedule and the budget. This article explains what belongs in the package and how to buy it.
At its narrowest, the package is the residential windows. In practice a development has several glazing scopes, and the more of them that sit in one contract, the fewer gaps there are between trades.
Pricing starts with a takeoff from the window schedule and elevations: every unit counted by type and size, glass make-ups assigned, hardware and accessories listed. From that comes a base price, usually with alternates.
A quote at schematic design is a budget. A quote from construction documents is a price. A quote from approved shop drawings is a contract sum.
Savings on a window package come from a short list of moves that do not hurt the building:
Savings that cost more later: dropping the thermal break quality, the performance class or the field testing.
That sum is the latest date to award the package. On most developments it falls during foundations or the first floors of structure. Awarding late is the most common reason a building stands open through the winter.
A package for a large building is released in phases: by floor, by elevation or by building on a multi-building site. Each phase is fabricated, labeled and delivered just ahead of the installers, so the site is not storing three hundred windows. Phasing also lets the first floor serve as the mock-up: details are proven and tested before the rest is made.
Write a mock-up into the package: one or two typical windows installed in a sample of the real wall, with the flashing and sealant as detailed. The mock-up settles appearance and proves the details, and it is the unit that is water tested first. Add field testing of a sample of installed windows on each elevation. These items cost a small fraction of the package and protect all of it.
Drawings change after award. Protect the budget with unit prices for adding or deleting each window type, an allowance for field conditions such as out-of-tolerance openings, and a clear rule for who pays when the architect revises a size after fabrication has been released. Hold a modest contingency for glass breakage during construction, or cover it with attic stock ordered with the package.
A developer with a capable general contractor can buy the package supply-only and have the contractor’s installers fit it. That can save money, but it splits responsibility for leaks between two parties. A supply-and-install package costs more on paper and puts one company in charge of the finished opening. Whichever you choose, make the installer and the supplier agree the details on the mock-up before production starts.
The package should end with a close-out file: warranties for frames, glass seals, hardware and installation; maintenance and cleaning instructions for the building manager; as-built shop drawings; and the attic stock list. Record who to call for service. A window package is a thirty-year asset, and the building staff inherit it on day one.
All the windows for a building, and usually the doors, storefront and other glazing, priced, drawn, fabricated and delivered as one coordinated order.
Windows with screens and limiters, balcony and terrace doors, storefront, building entrances, any curtain wall, and often glass railings and interior glass, with or without installation.
Early, typically during foundations or early structure, so that shop drawings and fabrication are finished when the facade is ready.
Reduce the number of unique sizes, use fixed lites where possible, limit specialty glass to the elevations that need it and choose a standard finish.
Yes. Large packages are fabricated and delivered by floor, elevation or building to match the installation sequence.
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About this page. Written by Alex GC Inc. d/b/a Alex Glass Construction and reviewed before publication by Aleksandr Chernovolenko, Managing Partner, with our design and estimating lead and a field foreman. Our foremen hold the NYC DOB Site Safety Training supervisor card and our crews the 40-hour worker card; we are certified to fabricate, install and service Alutech and Everest aluminum systems. Facts are drawn from our own projects, manufacturer test data and the applicable codes; where we are giving an opinion, we say so. Last reviewed September 2026. Credentials
Send the window schedule, elevations or a simple list of sizes and quantities. We will price it, with or without installation, and confirm the lead time.
