Replacement windows
New windows for Markham homes, when repair no longer adds up
Replacing a window is the right call when the frame is failing, not just the glass. Done well, the new window sits square in the brick, its grille lines match the rest of the house, and the glass area stays close to what you had. We connect you with an independent local replacement pro for an in-home measure and a written quote, and we'll be straight with you when a glass swap would do instead.
- Insert or brick-to-brick, explained plainly
- Permits, heritage rules and condo approval
- An honest word on the Ontario rebate
Signs
Signs the whole window needs to go (not just the glass)
Fog or a crack alone rarely justifies a new window; the windows overview sets out the smaller fixes. These do:
The frame is soft or split
Press a screwdriver into the wood at the sill and lower corners. If it sinks in, or a vinyl corner has cracked open, the frame is failing.
Water is getting in
Stains on the drywall under the window, swollen trim or a wet sill after rain point to leaks around or through the frame, not the glass.
Several problems at once
Fogged units, worn cranks and drafts on the same window, repeated around the house, add up. There's a point where a string of repairs stops making sense.
The sash no longer fits
A warped sash that won't close tight or lock, even after hardware work, usually means the frame itself has moved.
Two methods
Insert versus full-frame replacement
There are two ways to fit a new window, and the quote should say which one you're getting.
Insert (retrofit)
The old sash and glass come out and a new window is fitted inside the existing frame, which stays in the wall. It's gentler on the brick and trim. The trade-off is glass area: the new frame sits inside the old one, so you lose a strip of glass around the edges. Ask to see the frame width before you sign.
Brick-to-brick (full-frame)
The whole window comes out, frame and all, down to the rough opening. The opening can be checked and insulated properly, and the new frame uses its full size. Interior trim usually comes off and is refitted or replaced. It suits rotten frames, and anyone who wants every bit of glass back.
Permits
Permits in Markham: none for same-size, but heritage and condo rules apply
Three checks before you order.
Same size: no building permit
The City of Markham doesn't require a building permit to replace windows or doors when the rough opening stays the same size. Enlarging an opening, putting a door where a window was or altering a structural wall does need one. See the City's building permit process.
Heritage districts: heritage permit first
Every property in Unionville, Markham Village, Thornhill and Buttonville needs a heritage permit before exterior changes, windows included, and the district plans favour repair and matching materials. Our heritage district guide walks through it.
Condos: board approval
In a condo, and in townhouses that belong to a condo corporation, windows are usually common elements. Changing them generally needs the board's approval and a written agreement before work starts, so talk to management first. The towers in Markham Centre are the plainest example.
Materials
Choosing frames and glass
Vinyl, wood and hybrid
Vinyl needs little upkeep and suits most subdivision houses. Wood suits older homes and is what the heritage districts expect on original buildings. Hybrids pair a wood or composite interior with a harder-wearing exterior. Vinyl windows goes deeper on the everyday option.
ENERGY STAR ratings, one standard nationwide
ENERGY STAR certification for windows uses a single national standard with no climate zones, so a certified window here meets the same threshold as anywhere else in Canada. Compare the U-factor or Energy Rating on the label, and confirm the product is certified, since that's what the rebate checks.
Matching the look
Matching grilles and proportions on Cornell, Angus Glen and Cathedraltown facades
Cornell, Angus Glen and Cathedraltown were planned to look like older towns, with traditional fronts and garages on rear lanes. Much of that look rests on the windows, so one plain pane on the front shows from across the street.
Send the pro a photo of the front of the house. Grilles can sit between the glass or be applied to both faces to read as separate panes, and bar width and colour matter as much as the pattern. On a front elevation it's usually worth doing the whole side together.
If only one or two units have fogged, a glass-only swap that keeps your existing grilles may be the better route.
Quotes and contracts
Estimates, contracts and your rights in Ontario
A good replacement quote is written and specific. It says whether each window is an insert or brick-to-brick, the frame material, the glass and any grilles, how the gap around the frame is insulated and sealed, what happens to the interior trim and exterior caulking, and who takes the old windows away.
Ontario's consumer rules give you a cooling-off period on a contract signed at home, and a final bill can't climb far past a written estimate unless you agree to the change. Ontario's door-to-door restrictions don't cover windows, so take your time with anyone selling at the door. What drives the price:
- Insert or brick-to-brick installation
- Frame material, colour and style
- The size, shape and number of openings
- Glass package, grilles and any safety glass the code requires
- Brick, trim and interior finishing around each opening
Ask each pro to quote the same scope so the numbers compare fairly.
Rebates
The Home Renovation Savings rebate and its assessment
Ontario's Home Renovation Savings program, run by Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy, offers a rebate on ENERGY STAR certified windows and doors, counted per rough opening. Windows generally sit in the program's assessment pathway: a home energy assessment before the work, usually alongside at least one other upgrade, and a follow-up assessment after. A new sealed unit in an old frame won't qualify.
Rules change, so confirm eligibility on the program site before you sign, keep the product paperwork, and ask the pro for the product details the application needs.
Pacing it
Replacing in phases
You don't have to do the whole house at once. Starting with the worst windows, or the side that takes the most weather, and doing the rest later is a sensible plan; doing a full elevation together keeps grilles and colours consistent. One project for everything means a single disruption. Either way, ask for a full-house quote broken down by opening so you can see what each phase would cost.
Install day
What happens on install day
The installer's team lays drop sheets and removes one window at a time, so the house is never open for long. Each new window is set level and square on shims, fastened, insulated around the frame and sealed outside, and the old windows leave with them.
Before they go, open, close and lock every window, check the caulking outside and look for gaps in the trim. Note anything that isn't right on the paperwork.
Questions
Replacement window questions
Explore your options
Before you decide
Replacement pros work across Markham's neighbourhoods, including Cornell, Angus Glen, Cathedraltown, Milliken Mills and Thornhill.
Get matched for an in-home measure and quote
Tell us how many windows, roughly when the house was built and what's wrong with them. We'll pass it to a local replacement pro who will measure and quote in writing. Where a window only needs glass, the pro should tell you.