How to measure a window opening correctly
Two numbers are enough for an indicative price. You can take them yourself in five minutes with a tape measure and, ideally, a second pair of hands.
- Free measuring
- Free delivery
- Free installation
- Free disposal of the old window
In business since 1997. The quote is free.
What exactly you measure
You measure the opening, the hole in the wall, not the old window. The old frame can be several centimetres narrower than the opening, and if you order to the frame, the new window will be smaller than it could be.
To see the opening, open the sash and look for the rebate: the lip of masonry on the outside that partly overlaps the frame. That is what you measure to.
Width
- Measure between the side reveals at the top of the opening.
- Repeat in the middle and at the bottom.
- Take the smallest of the three.
Three measurements are not pedantry: in buildings more than thirty years old the opening is almost never a true rectangle, and a difference of a centimetre and a half or two between top and bottom is common.
Height
- Measure from the bottom of the opening to the top reveal at the left edge.
- Repeat in the centre and at the right edge.
- Again, take the smallest.
The bottom of the opening is the surface the frame sits on, not the top of the window sill. The sill usually sits 2–3 cm higher, and if you measure from it the window will come out too short.
What else helps
- The depth of the opening, from the inner wall face to the outer one. It determines the width of the window sill and how far the flashing needs to project.
- Which floor you are on and whether there is a lift. With a window unit weighing up to sixty kilograms, that matters.
- A photo of the window from outside and inside. It shows at a glance how it opens, the state of the rebate and whether there is a grille or an air-conditioning unit.
Why a fitter still comes out
Measuring yourself gets you a price, not an order. A tape measure cannot tell you whether the wall is straight, what condition the lintel is in, whether the opening needs widening or where the ventilation duct runs. A one-centimetre error at the factory means a window that will not go in.
So the final measurements are taken by our fitter, free of charge. And if you have no measurements at all, that is fine: just call.
Free measuring anywhere in Estonia: +372 5555 1682. Prices on the website already include installation, sill, flashing and disposal of the old window.