Can the glass in an arched window be replaced on its own?

In most cases, yes. The sealed unit sits behind stops like a rectangle's, so a fogged or cracked arch is replaced while the frame and trim stay, using a template of the exact curve.

How is a half-round window measured?

Width across the bottom and height at the centre give a first quote. Because many half-rounds aren't a true half circle, the pro then traces a template of the opening or the old unit and marks the outside face.

How do pros reach a two-storey foyer window?

It depends on which side the glass comes out. Some foyer units are changed from inside, from the landing or a scaffold on the stairs; others need a tall ladder, staging or a lift outside. Ask what access the quote allows for.

Why does shaped glass cost more than a rectangle?

Each unit is made to a template, with spacer and grilles bent to the arc, so it takes more work than a rectangle of the same area. Grilles, glass, height, access and frame condition set the rest.

Is an arched window made of curved glass?

Usually not. Most arched house windows use flat glass cut to a curved outline, replaced as a template-made sealed unit. Glass that is itself bent is a specialty item made on a form, with fewer suppliers. A crack in either is replaced, not repaired.

Can a new half-round unit match my sunburst grilles?

Yes, if the pattern is recorded carefully: spokes, hub, outer arc, bar width, profile and colour. A square-on photo helps. Check the grille details on the written quote before the unit is ordered.

Shaped and high glass

Replacing arched, half-round and two-storey foyer glass

Many Markham homes from the 1990s and 2000s have glass that isn't a rectangle or isn't in reach: a half-round over the door, an eyebrow arch, a tall stairwell pane. When one of those sealed units fogs or cracks, the window around it is usually fine. The fix is a new unit made to the exact shape, grilles lined up, trim undisturbed. We connect you with an independent local glass professional who does shaped and high glass in homes and starts from your photos.

Custom shapes made to a template
Grille and sunburst patterns matched
Access at height planned first

Get a free quote 905-201-8120

A cardboard template traced for a new arched unit.

Name the shape

The shapes: half-rounds, eyebrows, quarter-rounds, transoms and tall foyer units

Half-round

A half circle over a door or a pair of windows, often with sunburst grilles fanning from a hub.

Eyebrow

A shallow arch, flatter than a half circle, spanning a wide window.

Quarter-round

A quarter circle, usually paired either side of a centre unit or up a gable.

Transom

A rectangle or arch above a door or window. For glass in the door itself, see door glass replacement.

Tall foyer and stairwell units

Large panes in a two-storey entry, handled like a big picture window but at height.

Made to measure

Why shaped glass is a template job, not a stock size

A rectangle can be ordered from a width and height; a curve can't. Glass, spacer and grilles all follow the arc, and arches that look alike often differ in radius.

So the pro traces a cardboard template of the opening or old unit, marked with the outside face, and the new unit is built to it. That's why shaped glass is measured in person, even when the first quote comes from photos, and takes longer to arrive.

A sticker on the spacer can identify the maker, which helps match coatings and grille colour.

Height

Working at height on two-storey foyer and stairwell glass

Tall glass is rarely hard to replace once someone can reach it safely.

Inside or outside
Stops inside mean working from the foyer or landing; outside means a ladder or platform.
Plan the access
A foyer over stairs may need scaffolding set on the treads; a high exterior unit may need a lift. Ask what the quote includes.
Protect the house
Floors, treads, railings and trim are covered, and the trim stays in place.

Grilles

Matching grilles and sunburst patterns

Grilles are what people notice from the street. In Angus Glen, where homes were designed to look historic, the effect depends on them lining up.

Sunbursts and spokes

Spoke count, hub size and any outer arc must match. A photo taken square to the glass lets the pro count them.

Lines that continue

Grid lines in a half-round should meet those in the window below, an alignment easily lost when one unit changes.

Bar profile and colour

Flat or contoured, narrow or wide, often different colours inside and out.

Glass or window

Replace the glass or the whole unit?

A shaped frame is built into the wall, the brick and the interior trim, so replacing it is the bigger, more disruptive job. If the frame is sound, a new sealed unit keeps the arch exactly as it was; our foggy window page explains why seals fail.

A full replacement is worth weighing when the frame is rotting or leaking at its joints, or when the windows around the entry, perhaps above a bay, are all failing together. Our repair-or-replace guide walks through that decision.

What affects the quote

What goes into a shaped-glass quote

Shaped units are custom by nature. The quote depends on:

Shape and size, and whether a template can come from the old unit
Grilles: sunburst, colonial or none, plus profile and colour
Glass: double or triple pane, low-E, tint, obscure or laminated
Height and access: ladder, scaffold or lift
Frame condition around the arch

Photos inside and out, one square to the glass, are enough to start.

Get a shaped-glass quote

Free to request. Quotes come in writing.

Heritage homes

Arched windows on heritage homes: curved-head storms and wood replicas

Arches are old in Markham too. The Unionville district plan notes segmental-arched windows are common on its brick buildings, with round, Gothic or ogee arches as accents in gables. The plans ask owners to repair these original wood windows.

Markham Village's guidelines say curved heads should get custom-made wood storms, interior plexiglass or interior metal storms. A sash beyond repair is normally replicated in wood, which needs a heritage permit. Our heritage district guide covers the permit and the City's 2026 heritage grant, which asks for two professional quotes for the same scope.

Questions

Shaped and foyer glass questions

Explore your options

Local pros replace shaped and high glass across Markham, including Angus Glen, Cornell, Cathedraltown, Berczy Village and Box Grove.

Send photos of the shaped window

Photograph it inside and out, one shot square to the glass, plus any sticker on the spacer. We pass it to a local glass pro who makes and replaces shaped units and follows up to measure, template and quote in writing.