Window Replacement in Raleigh, NC

Windows are fogging, sticking, or letting a draft through that you can feel from across the room. You have started getting quotes and the numbers are all over the place. A good part of that spread comes down to one thing that rarely gets explained, which is whether a quote is for an insert replacement or a full frame replacement. They are different jobs.

When To Replace a Window

Fog or haze between the panes means the seal has failed and the insulating gas is gone. It cannot be cleaned and it cannot be repaired. Drafts you can feel near the frame. Condensation running down the inside of the glass. A room that is consistently several degrees off from the rest of the house. Windows that stick, will not stay up, or will not lock properly, which usually means the frame has racked out of square.

Also replace when there is rot in a wooden sash or sill, when you can see daylight around the frame, or when the glazing is cracked or missing. And if you are still living with single pane glass anywhere in a Raleigh house, that window is costing you money every summer regardless of whether anything about it is obviously broken.

Insert Versus Full Frame

An insert replacement, sometimes called a pocket replacement, sets a new window unit inside your existing frame. The old sashes come out, the new unit goes in, and the exterior trim and interior casing stay untouched. It is faster, cheaper, and less disruptive, and it is the right answer when the existing frame is square, solid and dry.

A full frame replacement takes everything out down to the rough opening, including the frame and the sill. It costs more and it is the only correct answer when the frame has rot, when it has racked out of square, when there is water damage in the surrounding wall, or when the existing flashing was done badly and needs rebuilding. Doing an insert into a rotted frame hides the problem behind a nice new window, and in a few years you have paid for the window twice. We check the frame before quoting and tell you which one you actually need, including when the honest answer is the more expensive one.

Window Replacement Cost in Raleigh

Price per window depends on size, frame material, glass package, whether it is insert or full frame, and how many you are doing at once, since there are real efficiencies in doing a batch rather than one at a time.

You do not have to do the whole house. Replacing the worst four or five now and the rest later is a completely reasonable plan and we will help you sequence it, usually starting with the west and south-facing windows since those are where a Raleigh summer does the most damage to your bill.

Why Choose Us

An insert quote will always beat a full frame quote, which is why some contractors only offer one.

We are fully insured with general liability and workers' compensation, and we hand you proof of it along with your estimate. Bryan owns this company and has spent 14 years in the trades, so the read you get comes from someone who has done this work himself. Estimates are free and we can usually be out within one to three days. Your price is written down before anything starts, your workmanship warranty runs 2 to 12 years depending on the project, in writing, and financing is available.

Related services

Which One Do You Actually Need?

Free measurement, and we will check the frames and tell you straight. Call (984) 370-4330.