Box Grove · Markham
Box Grove: newer homes around an old hamlet
Box Grove's name is older than almost all of its houses. The hamlet, first called Sparta, took its present name in 1867, and its general store, church and schoolhouse from the 1860s and 70s still stand. The homes around them are far newer: residential building began in the late 1990s and hasn't stopped. One street can have a fogged sealed unit while the next has glass only a few seasons old. We connect you with an independent local glass pro who suits the job, whichever end of that range your home is on.
At a glance
- Location
- Southeast Markham, around 14th Avenue and Ninth Line
- Housing
- Late-1990s homes through to current builds
- Hamlet
- General store, church and schoolhouse from the 1860s and 70s
- Common jobs
- Fogged sealed units, patio door adjustments, screens
Late-1990s homes: seals and hardware
The first homes of modern Box Grove, like those of Cornell, have reached the age when the edge seals on sealed units give out. The sign is a milky film or beads of water trapped inside the glass, out of reach of a cloth. The frame can normally stay while the unit is remade; our foggy window page sets that beside the other options.
Hardware from the same years wears too: casement cranks that strip, locks that no longer catch, hinges that sag. Those are parts, and window repair covers them without a new window.
Newer builds: breakage and adjustments
On the newest streets, glass trouble tends to be accidental or mechanical rather than a matter of age: a pane cracked by a ball, a door that has shifted slightly out of adjustment, a screen that never quite fit. These are small, specific jobs, and they're worth asking about on their own rather than bundled into a bigger quote. If the home is recent, look through the builder's paperwork first, since some items may still be covered.
Patio doors and screens
- Sliding door repair: a patio door that won't latch, drags or lets in a draft usually needs an adjustment, rollers or a new keeper, not a new door.
- Window screens: torn mesh replaced in the frame, or new frames made for casements.
- Door glass: a cracked or fogged panel in a patio door replaced in the door you already have.
- Screen doors: a sliding screen that keeps jumping its track, repaired or rebuilt.
Getting a quote: photos and window labels
A good request can save a visit. Send:
- An inside shot showing all of the window or door.
- A close-up of the problem, and one of a frame corner.
- Any sticker on the frame, or the maker's name stamped on the metal strip inside the glass.
- A rough width and height, if you can measure.
From these, the pro we pass your request to can often tell whether you need a repair, a new sealed unit or a new window, and what the quote will depend on. Start the request when you're ready.
Box Grove window and door questions
Why would a late-1990s window fog up?
Moisture has got past the edge of the sealed unit. Each unit has an edge seal and a drying agent between the panes. After many seasons of warming and cooling, the seal can give way and the drying agent fills up, so moisture condenses inside. It isn't a sign the window was badly made, and the frame is often fine, so a new unit is usually the first thing to price.
Is a fogged window in a Box Grove home a problem, or only cosmetic?
Mostly it's a matter of view and insulation, not an emergency. Once the seal fails, the unit insulates less well, and mineral staining can build up on the inner glass. The window is otherwise sound and can wait for a convenient time. If several are fogging, pricing them together makes sense. The repair or replace guide helps you weigh a new unit against a new window.
My patio door won't latch or close all the way. Does it need replacing?
Rarely at first. A door that won't latch has usually drifted out of line with its keeper, has worn rollers letting the panel sag, or has a track clogged with grit. An adjustment, new rollers or a new lock typically fixes it. A new door makes sense once the frame is bent, the glass unit has failed or the sill is rotting. Send a photo of the lock side and the track.
Can screens be replaced on newer windows?
Yes. Screens for casement and sliding windows can be rescreened in their frames or made new to size, including when a builder's screen went missing or never fit well. A photo of the window, the screen if you have it and any label on the frame helps the pro match the fit and the mesh. Our window screen page explains rescreening and new frames.