Doors and windows: what actually needs replacing
Replacing a window that did not need replacing is an expensive way to not fix a draught. Here is how to tell the difference before you buy eight of them.
What a cold window usually is
The gap around it, not the glass
In most older houses the draught comes from the space between the window frame and the rough opening — stuffed with fibreglass decades ago, which stops almost no air. Sealing that gap properly with foam and trim often fixes the complaint entirely, at a fraction of replacement cost.
We check that before quoting units
It is a ten-minute check and it changes the whole conversation. If the sashes are sound and the frame is solid, we will tell you to seal rather than replace.
Retrofit or full-frame
Retrofit: faster, cheaper, right when the frame is sound
A retrofit insert fits inside the existing frame. The interior trim and exterior siding stay untouched, the job takes a fraction of the time, and the result is a modern window in an old opening. The trade-off is slightly less glass.
Full-frame: the only honest option with rot
When the sill or frame has gone, a retrofit just hides the problem. Full-frame takes it back to the rough opening so the damage can be repaired. In older Springfield and Holyoke houses we find this more often than people expect, and we show you what we are looking at rather than asking you to take our word.
Exterior doors in a New England climate
The threshold matters more than the door
Water that gets under a badly set threshold rots the framing beneath the floor, and by the time it shows inside it is no longer a door job. A proper sill pan and a pitched threshold are what keep that from happening.
A door hung in July fits differently in January
Sixty degrees of seasonal swing moves both the door and the opening. We set the gap for the season it is hung in and tell you what to expect when the weather turns.
What it costs and how long it takes
Most windows are a day or less each
A straightforward retrofit is well under a day per opening. Full-frame with repairs takes longer and the repair cannot be priced blind — we quote the known work and give you a clear rate for what is found.
Order lead time is the real schedule
The install is quick; the wait for the units is not. We order first and schedule the work around the delivery rather than the other way round.
Keep reading
- Small repairs: what to batch and what to call about
- Interior painting: 3 pro secrets that DIY skips
- How to choose a contractor: 7 red flags to watch for
We do this work in Westfield, Agawam and 17 more towns across Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut.
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