Window & Door Guide › Buying smart
Store-bought windows can look cheaper on the shelf. Here’s everything that goes into the real comparison.
Updated November 2026 · 6 min read
DIY can save on labor if you have the tools, time and skill. You also take on measuring, ordering, hauling, the permit, disposal, cleanup and any problems later. With Castle, one company measures, installs, cleans up and stands behind it with the transferable Castle Lifetime Guarantee.
| Castle | Doing it yourself | |
|---|---|---|
| Measuring | We measure every opening | You measure; a wrong size is your cost |
| Product | Made to measure for your openings | Stock sizes or special order |
| Permit | We pull the permits for you | You pull it as the owner |
| Tools & materials | Included | Buy or rent: foam, sealant, flashing, trim, tools |
| Old windows | We haul them away | You remove and dispose |
| Rot on the frame | Fixed free where the new window sits | Your cost, found mid-project |
| Price | Locked once signed* | Can change with every trip to the store |
| Wait | Typically 4–6 weeks from order | Stock: same day; special order varies |
| Time | Most jobs done in one day | Often a weekend or more, per window |
| If something goes wrong | Castle Lifetime Guarantee on windows and doors: install issues, defects and failures, plus accidental glass breakage; transferable | Manufacturer warranty on the product only; your own labor isn’t covered |
| Insurance | Licensed & insured, MA HIC #200323 | Your own risk |
The window is only one line. Add sealant, low-expansion foam, flashing tape, shims, exterior trim or capping, interior trim touch-ups, screws, a disposal plan for the old units, tool rental, and a truck to bring large windows home. See our DIY vs. installed cost builder for real store prices.
Replacement windows are sized to the existing frame. If a window is ordered too small or too large, it may not be returnable when it’s special order. We measure every opening ourselves, so a sizing mistake is ours to fix, not yours.
We’ll measure every opening and give you a written price. Free, no pressure.
Window and door replacement generally needs a building permit from your town. When a registered contractor pulls the permit, the homeowner keeps access to the state’s Home Improvement Contractor protections, including the Guaranty Fund, which requires that the contractor, not the homeowner, secured the permit. [2]
Rot often shows up only once the old window is out. On a DIY job, that repair is yours. With Castle, if we find rot on the frame where the new window will sit, we fix it free of charge, and your signed price stays locked (except in extreme circumstances).
Upper-floor windows mean ladders and heavy glass. Most Castle jobs are done in one day, with the area protected and cleaned up before we leave.
With DIY, the manufacturer covers the product under its own terms, and your labor is on you. With Castle, the Castle Lifetime Guarantee covers anything that goes wrong with the windows and doors we install, whether it’s install-related or a manufacturing defect or failure, plus accidental glass breakage.
The Castle Promise
One dedicated install crew does every Castle job.
We pull the permits for you.
Once your job is signed, the price doesn’t change.*
If we open up a window and find rot on the frame where the new window will sit, we fix it free of charge.
We haul away your old windows and doors.
Windows and doors: install issues, manufacturing defects and failures, plus accidental glass breakage. Transferable when you sell.
*Except in extreme circumstances. Typical wait from order to install is 4–6 weeks, depending on the product.
If you’re experienced, have the tools, and the opening is easy to reach, DIY can work. Just price in everything, including your time.
No. Castle installs the windows and doors we supply, so we can stand behind them with the Castle Lifetime Guarantee.
Start your project
Get a free in-home estimate and see exactly what’s included.
Call us (508) 425-4977
Email customerservice@setrocllc.com
No cost · No pressure
Free in-home estimate
Takes 30 seconds. Someone from our team will reach out by text, email, or phone to set a time.
We never share your info. Licensed & insured, MA HIC #200323.
