Window Repair vs. Replacement: What Actually Saves Rochester Homeowners Money

Window Repair vs. Replacement

A ball finds the picture window. Or you notice one cold morning that the glass in the back bedroom has gone milky, and no amount of wiping clears it. You call a window company, and the number that comes back covers a whole new window: frame, sash, installation, all of it.

Most of the time, you don't need one.

A broken pane in an otherwise sound window is a repair, not a replacement. The same goes for a fogged double-pane, a torn screen, or a patio slider that won't roll. We've run our own window and screen repair shop for Rochester-area homeowners for more than twenty years, and most of what comes through the door goes home repaired.

The difference comes down to the frame.

When a Cracked Window Pane Is a Repair, Not a Replacement

A window is two parts. The sash holds the glass, and the frame holds the sash. Glass is the part that breaks, and it's meant to come out.

If the frame and sash are still square and solid, replacing the glass is shop work. We take out the old glass and the old glazing, cut a new pane to the opening, and reglaze the sash. Single strength, double strength, 1/4", tempered, laminated and Low-E are all available, so you can put back what was there or upgrade while it's open.

A few things tell you the frame is probably fine:

• The window still opens, closes and locks the way it always did.
• The wood at the corners and along the sill is hard, not soft or spongy.
• You don't see daylight or feel a draft around the sash when it's shut.
• The break is confined to the glass itself.

If all four are true, you need a pane.

Owner Ned Green says that's most of what lands on the counter. "People bring in a sash with one broken pane and they've already gotten a quote for the whole window," he says. "The sash is fine. It's the glass that broke, and glass comes out."

Before you drive over, know which counter you want. If you only need a flat piece of glass and plan to set it yourself, that's our glass cut to size service, and most cuts take a few minutes while you wait. If the sash needs work, or the glass is a sealed thermal unit, that goes to the repair shop instead. Bring the piece in either case and we'll point you to the right one.

Why Your Double-Pane Window Looks Foggy, and What Actually Fixes It

Haze between the panes of a double-pane window means the seal failed and moisture got in. The condensation is sealed inside the unit, so cleaning won't touch it. Neither will a dehumidifier or a stretch of dry weather.

Seal failure doesn't mean the window is finished. The two panes and the spacer between them make up an insulated glass unit, and that unit is a replaceable part. We replace it and leave the existing frame and sash in place, which costs far less than a new window. Low-E and argon-filled units are available, along with tinted glass.

If you've been told a fogged pane means buying the window over again, get a second look before you agree to it.

What Window Glass Repair Costs vs. Full Replacement

Repair pricing here is fixed, set by the size of the piece and the parts it needs, not by the hour. A basic rescreen on a small window screen starts at $17.64. Basic window glass repair on a small window starts at $39.48. On most glass, the cutting is free and you pay for the material. Larger openings, thermal pane work and specialty glass cost more, which is why we price the job off the actual item rather than a description of it. If we open something up and find more damage, we call with a quote and wait for your approval.

"We quote it at the counter, off the actual piece, before anybody touches it," Green says. "Nobody leaves here guessing what it's going to cost."

Full window replacement is a different category of spending: the window, the labor, the trim, the interior and exterior finish work, and usually a lead time measured in weeks. We won't put a replacement number in this post, because it depends on the house and the contractor. If the frame is sound, repairing glass, screening or hardware costs far less than a full window replacement.

Bring the piece in and we'll quote it, free, before any work starts.

When Full Window Replacement Really Is the Right Call

Repair isn't always the answer, and pretending otherwise would waste your time.

Replace the window when:

• The frame or sill has rotted. Soft, crumbling wood won't hold a sash square or hold glazing. New glass in a rotted frame fails again.
• The sash is broken, racked or coming apart at the joints. Once the sash itself lets go, new glass has nothing sound to sit in.
• The window no longer operates or seals even after hardware and weatherstripping are addressed.
• You're upgrading the whole house for efficiency. If most of the windows are original single-pane and you're planning the project anyway, replacing them as a set makes sense in a way that replacing one doesn't.

Even then, that doesn't mean starting over with a contractor. Our shop handles the full range, up to a whole new window when there's nothing left to save. For wood, we work with local woodworkers who build custom window and screen inserts and mill replacement pieces to match an original profile when a frame has rotted, and we install and paint them to match what's already there. That's the part a big-box counter can't do, and it's why people with 1920s Park Avenue windows end up here.

Green would rather see it first. "Bring it in before you sign a replacement contract," he says. "Ten minutes at the counter has saved people a lot more than that."

How the Repair Works at Weiders

Three steps, no appointment needed.

1. Drop off. Bring the window, sash or screen to any Weiders location. Bring the item itself rather than a measurement, since we need the frame. We quote it from its size and the parts it needs, write it up, and take payment. Thermal pane work, wood sash repair and tempered glass take a few extra steps, so ask an associate about your specific item.
2. Repair. Our technicians work on it in our shop. Most screens are done in about a week.
3. Pickup. We call as soon as it's ready.

For large or heavy items, patio sliders especially, we offer pickup and delivery for an additional fee.

Window and screen repair runs out of all three stores, covering Brighton, Fairport, Perinton, Pittsford, Penfield, Webster, Henrietta, Honeoye Falls, Mendon and Rush.

Bring It In and We'll Quote It

You don't have to settle the repair-or-replace question before anyone has looked at the actual window. Bring the sash, the pane or the screen to any of our three stores and we'll tell you what it needs and what it costs, at the counter, before any work starts.

• Brighton. 1800 Monroe Ave, Rochester, NY 14618. (585) 270-6035
• Fairport / Perinton. 585 Moseley Rd, Fairport, NY 14450. (585) 302-2070
• Honeoye Falls. 166 W Main St, Honeoye Falls, NY 14472. (585) 412-2403

More on what our shop handles is on the window and screen repair page. Find a location or contact us with a question about your window.