Window & Door Contractor Insurance

Every window you install is a hole in a building's rain armor. In Western Washington — 37 to 60 inches of rain a year — that makes flashing the highest-stakes detail of your trade. One bad flashing job channels water behind the siding, and by the time stains reach the drywall, the hidden rot can cost $10,000 to $50,000 per opening to fix.

Washington's carriers remember why. The condo water-intrusion lawsuits of the 2000s — hundreds of millions in claims statewide — put window and flashing defects at center stage, and helped shape the state's six-year defect statute (RCW 64.50). That history means underwriters look hard at window installers: your flashing methods and quality control affect both whether you get quoted and what you pay.

The physical work adds its own claims. Upper-story installs mean ladders, scaffolds, and lifts — fall exposure at every opening. The units themselves are heavy and fragile: a vinyl double-hung runs 40 to 60 pounds, and a sliding glass door can hit 400. Awkward, breakable weight on a ladder is a recipe for injuries and busted product both.

There's a product angle too. When a window fogs, warps, or fails, homeowners tend to name everyone — manufacturer and installer alike. The factory carries the product defect, but your GL answers the door first and pays the early defense costs. Installing per manufacturer spec, and documenting that you did, is what keeps those claims short.

Washington requires L&I registration, a $15,000 specialty bond, and general liability. The policy that actually protects a window contractor is built around completed operations with a six-year envelope tail and no water-damage surprises in the exclusions. That's what we place — with carriers that know this state's claim history and price careful installers accordingly.