Tell us what your windows are actually doing, whether that is fogging between the panes, sticking in the track, or letting cold air past the frame. We match you with a local contractor who works on Utah homes, without the showroom pitch.
A window that fogs, a window that drafts, and a window that sticks are three different problems.
Pick the one that sounds like your house. If none of them do, call and describe it in your own words.
Old windows swapped for new ones, either full-frame down to the rough opening or as an insert inside the existing frame. We help you figure out which one your house actually needs before anyone quotes a number.
Learn more →Haze or fog trapped between the panes means the seal on that unit has failed, and no amount of cleaning brings it back. Sometimes the glass can be replaced on its own, and sometimes the whole window is the better call.
Learn more →Sliders, French doors, and entry doors are a related but separate job with their own problems: thresholds that leak, weatherstripping that has gone flat, and slabs that no longer sit square in the opening. We handle those too.
Learn more →Finished basement bedrooms have to meet code for the size of the opening and the well outside it. If yours was flagged during a sale or an inspection, this is the work that corrects it, well and drainage included.
Learn more →A sash that will not stay up, a crank that spins, a window painted shut. These are usually hardware or balance problems, not a reason to replace the whole unit. Worth checking before you buy anything.
Learn more →Fog between the panes, cold air at the frame, a sash that will not stay up. Each one points somewhere different.
Whether the existing frame and sill are sound decides between an insert and a full-frame replacement. That gets checked, not assumed.
Units are built to your openings, so there is a lead time. Installation is usually the short part of the project.
Window shopping gets confusing fast, because the sales sheet is full of numbers that sound important and are almost impossible to compare side by side. Here is the short version. A window has to seal against air, hold that seal through years of heating and cooling, and operate the way it is supposed to. Everything else sits on top of those three things. If a unit is set square in the opening, shimmed so the sash slides freely, flashed so water drains back out instead of into the wall, and the gap around the frame is insulated properly, you already have most of what you are paying for.
The parts you can judge for yourself are simple, and you do not need a spec sheet to do it. Open and close every window in the room and note which ones fight you. Look for fog or haze trapped between the panes, which means that sealed unit has failed. Run your hand along the frame on a cold morning and feel whether the frame itself is cold, since older aluminum frames conduct temperature noticeably and often collect water along the bottom rail. Then note which rooms face south or west. That short list tells a contractor more than any brochure will.
The swing between a Wasatch Front summer and a Wasatch Front winter is hard on anything sealed. Frames expand and contract, sealants get worked back and forth, and the sealed edge of a double-pane unit is where that stress eventually shows up. Sun load makes it worse on the exposures that get it most, so south and west windows usually look tired before the north side of the same house does. If you have a handful of failed units and they are all on one or two walls, that pattern is not a coincidence, and it changes how you prioritize which openings get done first.
The other half of the story is what happens on install day. A good unit set badly still leaks air, still sticks, and still lets water find its way behind the siding. Flashing that sheds water back out, insulation packed into the gap around the frame without bowing it, and shims placed so the sash operates smoothly are the difference between a window that quietly does its job and one you argue with every winter. When you compare quotes, ask about that work specifically. It matters at least as much as whatever is printed on the glass label.
No. When you see fog or haze between the panes, moisture has gotten inside the sealed unit itself, and the surfaces holding it are not reachable from either side. Cleaning the inside and outside glass does nothing, because neither surface is the problem. The fix is replacing the sealed glass unit or the whole window, depending on the condition of the sash and frame around it.
Not at all. Plenty of homeowners start with the worst openings, which are usually the failed units and the exposures that take the most sun, then handle the rest later. Doing them all at once can simplify scheduling and keep everything matching, but it is a preference, not a requirement. Tell the contractor you may phase it and ask them to price it that way from the start.
An insert, sometimes called a pocket replacement, sets a new window inside your existing frame, which stays in the wall. A full-frame replacement takes the old frame out down to the rough opening. Inserts are less disruptive and keep the interior and exterior trim intact, but you lose a little glass area. Full-frame costs more disruption and lets the crew see and correct what is behind the frame.
Often it is not. A sash that slides down on its own is usually a balance or spring problem, and a window painted shut is usually a sash that needs to be cut free and cleaned up. Both are hardware and repair work. It is still worth replacing if the unit is failed or badly deteriorated, but do not let a stuck sash by itself decide that for you.
Yes. Bedrooms need a window that someone can get out of and that a firefighter can get in through, and basement bedrooms carry the extra requirement of a well outside that is sized to allow it. Code sets minimums for the opening and the well, and those depend on the code your city has adopted. Confirm current requirements with your local building department before you commit to a plan.
Find out which one you have before anyone quotes a whole-house job.
Request a QuoteA few quick questions, then we match you with a contractor who works on Utah homes.
