For custom home window selection, the best time to choose windows and doors is before framing, with the builder and the homeowner in the same room. Settling selections early leaves time to confirm sizes, keeps the budget conversation in one place, and lets the homeowner see options they may not know exist.
On a custom build, window choices can easily get made in pieces. The builder works from the plans, the homeowner has their own picture of the finished house, and the window supplier hears from each of them separately.
Jonathan Harvey, one of HarLand’s two owners, would rather start with one meeting. The builder, the homeowner, and HarLand sit down together before framing, while products are still being chosen.
This post is for custom home builders. It covers what that meeting does for the build and why custom home window selection is worth handling early.
Framing sets the openings
Once the walls are framed, every opening has a size. Any window or door picked after that has to fit the hole that’s already there, and if it doesn’t, someone is reordering or reframing.
Sizes are where this tends to surface. Every product line has its own minimum and maximum sizes, so a style that works in one opening may not be made for the next one.
If a homeowner falls for a style that isn’t made in the size the plans call for, it’s much easier to learn that at a table than on the job site.
Reason 1: Everyone hears the same thing
Jonathan’s main reason for the joint meeting is expectations. When the builder and homeowner hear the options and the tradeoffs together, nobody has to pass it along secondhand later. Communication through the rest of the build tends to go more smoothly.
It also helps because builders and homeowners ask different questions.
Builders usually want to know how easy a window is to install, what service looks like if something breaks, and what the lead times are. Homeowners are more likely to ask whether they can get black windows, how vinyl compares to aluminum clad, or what a double-hung window actually is.
With both in the room, both sets of questions get answered once.
Reason 2: The budget stays in one conversation
A selection meeting does give the builder a chance to offer upgrades, and some homeowners will want them. Jonathan is careful to work inside the budget the builder and client have already discussed. Upgrades come up as options the homeowner can take or leave.
Part of the job is helping people see the difference between what they want and what the house needs. That’s an easier conversation to have once, with everyone present, than in separate calls.
Reason 3: Homeowners see choices they didn’t know they had
Many homeowners don’t realize they can choose how a window opens. People in the window business tend to assume casement, slider, and double-hung are common knowledge. For a lot of homeowners, they aren’t.
Casements are a good example of why this matters. Jonathan has watched them become much more common in Atlanta custom homes over the last ten years. In homes priced at about $1.5 million and up, his estimate is that casements make up about three out of four windows chosen.
They don’t have to look modern, either. A casement can carry a traditional colonial look. Like any window with moving parts, it has weak points, so product quality matters.
Why the showroom helps
When selections happen at a kitchen table, a salesperson has to narrow the choices to whatever is sure to fit. That can leave better options off the table.
Jonathan prefers bringing people into the showroom and design studio, where they can see what’s available with the project’s measurements in mind. It works for custom builds and remodels alike.
A house built around its openings
Jonathan has a simple view of this. Architecturally, he thinks a house should be built around its openings.
Windows and doors are where daily life happens. People look through them and walk through them every day. They deserve more attention than “just a hole in the house” or an egress box to check off.
That’s why he wants the window conversation to start before the walls go up.
How HarLand fits into a custom build
HarLand supplies and installs windows and doors for custom and production builders, from specification through install. We order the product, and our own crews install it, so the selections made in that first meeting are the ones our crews put in the wall.
We work with about a dozen manufacturers, including Windsor, Western Window Systems, ProVia, Therma-Tru, Simpson, and YKK AP. That range lets us match each opening to the right product: energy ratings, style, size limits, and the look the homeowner wants. Options depend on the manufacturer and product line.
Your next step
If you have a custom build coming up, bring the plans and, if you can, the homeowner. We can meet at our Roswell showroom by appointment, before framing, and go through the openings, sizes, and options together.
Builders and architects can start on our For Pros page. Homeowners planning a custom home can ask their builder to bring HarLand in early, or book an in-home consult.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should windows be chosen on a custom home?
Before framing, while products are still being selected. Once the walls are framed, the openings are set, and a window chosen later has to fit them. Choosing early leaves time to confirm that each style comes in the size the plans call for.
Who should be at a window selection meeting?
The builder, the homeowner, and the window supplier. Having the builder and homeowner together means both hear the same options and tradeoffs, and the conversation stays inside the budget they’ve already discussed.
Do casement windows only work on modern homes?
No. A casement can carry a traditional colonial look. In our experience, casements have become much more common in Atlanta custom homes over the last ten years.
Is it better to choose windows in a showroom or at home?
In our experience, a showroom gives you more to look at. At a kitchen table, the choices often have to be narrowed to whatever is sure to fit. Our Roswell showroom and design studio is open by appointment, and we can review options there with your project’s measurements in mind.