A sealed pane
A sealed pane
Fog or a crack in the glass can be a new sealed unit. The sash stays if it still closes square.
Window repair
Some windows need a part, not a new unit.
A crank that spins, a lock that misses the keeper, or one fogged pane in a frame that is still square is often a repair. We look at the window in the house and tell you if a part will do it.
If the sill is soft or the sash no longer closes, replacement is the honest recommendation. We would rather sell you a lock than a window you do not need.
Windows • Repair
Sash and hardware on an existing window.
The symptom
Calls that are often a repair.
The first question is whether the frame still has life in it. A failed part in a sound window is a different job than a frame that has let go.
Fog between the panes
Moisture trapped in the glass means that sealed unit is done. If the frame and sash are still square, the glass can often be replaced on its own.
A crank, lock, or operator
Hardware wears out before the frame does. A spinning crank or a lock that will not catch is usually a part, not a new window.
A sash that will not stay up
On a double-hung, tired balances or a broken cord let the sash drop. That is a repair when the frame is still straight.
A screen or a track full of grit
Torn mesh, a bent screen frame, or a slider that drags because the track is packed can be put right without touching the glass.
The window you have
We start with the unit that is already in the wall.
These are ordinary house windows, not a catalogue. The repair depends on which part failed, and whether the frame around it is still doing its job.
A sash that slides
A sash that slides
Sliders usually fail in the track, the lock, or the rollers. Those are parts. A bowed frame is not.
A crank-out sash
A crank-out sash
Awning and casement windows live on the operator. A worn crank is a repair when the hinge side still pulls in tight.
The work
What we can usually put right.
We carry or order the common parts for residential windows we see in Niagara houses. If a part is discontinued, we say so instead of forcing a match.
Sealed glass
When the frame is still sound
A fogged or cracked pane can be replaced as a sealed unit. The sash and the frame stay. We measure the glass at the house.
Hardware
Locks, cranks, operators, and keepers
We match the hardware to the window that is there. If the maker no longer sells that operator, we tell you before anything is ordered.
Screens and balances
Mesh, frames, and sash support
Screens are rescreened or replaced. Balances and cords are swapped so a hung sash stays where you leave it.
Repair or replace
When we will tell you to replace it.
A repair is the right spend when the frame is solid and one part has failed. It is the wrong spend when the wood is soft, the sash is racked, or you are about to pay for a part on a window that will need replacing next season.
We do not keep a scoreboard of brands. If we can get the part and the window is worth keeping, we repair it. If we cannot, the quote says replacement instead.
A soft sill or rot
If the sill or the lower frame gives under a screwdriver, a new crank will not fix the draft. That opening wants a new window.
A sash that is no longer square
A sash that binds at the corners, or a frame that has bowed, will not seal just because the lock was replaced.
A room full of tired windows
One fogged pane is a repair. A wall of single-pane or failed units is usually replacement, because the parts add up past a new window.
A repair that costs too close
If the part and the labour land near the price of a new unit, we put both numbers in front of you and let you choose.
Process
From the sticking sash to the part that fits.
Operate the window
We open it, lock it, and look at the frame. The symptom you called about is not always the part that failed.
Name the part
Glass size, hardware, or a balance goes on the quote. If the window should be replaced, that is what the quote says.
Get the part
Some hardware is on the truck. Sealed units and odd operators are ordered to the measurement, then we come back to fit them.
Fit it and test it
The part goes in, the sash is operated, and we leave the window locking the way it should.
Questions
Before you book the repair.
- Can you just replace the glass?
- Often, yes, if the sash and frame are still square. We measure the sealed unit at the house. A crack in the frame, or rot under the pane, is a different conversation.
- Do you repair every brand?
- We see the residential windows that are common in Niagara houses. If the maker has discontinued the operator or the balance, we say so. We do not invent a match.
- How long does a repair take?
- A lock, a crank, or a screen is often done on the visit. A sealed glass unit is measured, ordered, and fitted on a second visit. We tell you which one it is before we leave.
- What about a torn screen?
- If the window is fine and only the mesh or the screen frame is the problem, that is its own visit. See screen repair
- Do you service windows you did not install?
- Yes. Most repair calls are on windows that were already in the house. We do not need to have sold the original unit.
- What if you get there and it needs replacing?
- We stop and say so. The quote for a new window names the style and how it will be installed. You are not talked into a part that will fail with the frame. See window replacement
Trust
The people who measure the windows are the ones who install them.
A replacement window stays in the wall for a long time. You should know who is doing the work, and that they are still in the Niagara Region after the job is finished.
30+ years on residential work
Windows, doors, and restoration in houses across the region, not a crew brought in for the week.
Fully insured
Insured for the residential work we do on your home.
Measured at the house
Openings are measured on site, then the windows are ordered to those sizes.
Warranty in writing
The manufacturer warranty and what we stand behind on the installation are on the quote.
Energy performance
ENERGY STAR certified windows for this climate.
Niagara winters are the test. The replacement windows we supply include ENERGY STAR certified models rated for Climate Zone 2, the zone used for homes in southern Ontario.
That rating covers the whole window: frame, glass, and spacer. We name the certified model on the quote. If a room does not need that package, we say so instead of adding it anyway.
Climate Zone 2
The performance level used for this part of Ontario, including the Niagara Region.
Certified as a unit
The frame, glass, and spacer are tested together. A coating on the glass alone is not the same thing.
Named before it is ordered
You see the certified product on the quote, not a generic efficiency claim after the fact.
Tell us what the window is doing.
A room, a symptom, and whether it is one window or a few. We will come out, operate it, and tell you if it is a part or a replacement.
If the honest answer is a new window and spreading the cost out would help, ask about financing when we review the quote. See financing