Cathedraltown · Markham
Cathedraltown: keeping Georgian-style windows looking the part
Cathedraltown was designed to resemble Regency and Georgian architecture: tall, evenly spaced windows, multi-pane patterns and fanlights over front doors. Its first residents moved in by 2006, so the glass here is younger than much of Markham's. The typical job is an early seal failure, a cracked pane or door glass, not a house full of new windows. We connect homeowners with independent local glass pros, and the pro we match you with inspects, quotes and does the work.
At a glance
- Built
- A small planned neighbourhood; first residents by 2006
- Style
- Regency and Georgian-inspired fronts, multi-pane windows, fanlights
- Common jobs
- Early seal failures, cracked panes, sidelight and transom glass
- Landmark
- The Cathedral of the Transfiguration, near Major Mackenzie and Highway 404
Newer homes with a period look
A Georgian front depends on proportion: windows that line up floor to floor, evenly divided panes, glass over the door that echoes the windows beside it. Change one element carelessly and the whole front reads differently. So glass work here is mostly about consistency: the same grille pattern, frame colour and sightlines, meaning the visible width of frame and bars.
Divided-lite looks and grilles
A true divided-lite window is made of many small panes held by bars. Homes built in the 2000s usually get the same look another way: grilles sealed between the layers of glass, or bars fixed to the outside and inside faces. Grilles between the glass are rebuilt inside the replacement unit; surface bars are matched and refitted. Fanlights and other curved units have their own page: arched and transom glass.
Early seal failures and breakage
A sealed unit can fail well ahead of its neighbours, from a flaw in the edge seal or a knock during construction. Fog between the panes means a new sealed unit, made to size with your grille pattern, while the frame stays. A crack from a stray ball or a slammed sash is usually the same job; broken window glass covers what to do first.
Doors, sidelights and transoms
- Door glass: a cracked or fogged panel in a front or garden door replaced in the door you have.
- Sidelights: the narrow glass panel next to the front door is normally its own unit. Ontario's building code requires safety glass in a sidelight broad enough that someone could take it for the door itself, so expect tempered or laminated glass.
- Fanlights and transoms: half-round glass over the door, made to the arch and its bars.
- Garden doors: rollers and locks before a new door.
Warranty paperwork: what to find before you call
Before you pay for a fogged unit, check:
- The window maker's name, on a frame sticker or along the edge strip inside the glass.
- Any window warranty in your closing documents or the builder's homeowner package.
- Whether you're the first owner, since some warranties don't transfer.
If a warranty might apply, contact the maker first. If not, send the photos anyway; the pro can explain what the replacement involves.
Cathedraltown window questions
Only one window in my Cathedraltown house has fogged. Can that unit be replaced alone?
Yes. Each pane in a modern window is its own sealed unit, and a fogged one can be replaced without touching the others or the frame. The new unit is made to your size and grille pattern. Ask the pro to confirm the glass type too, so the new unit's tint sits well beside the older ones.
How do I find out whether my Cathedraltown windows are still under warranty?
Start with your closing documents, the builder's homeowner package and any booklet from the window maker. Then look at the window: a sticker on the frame or lettering inside the edge of the glass often names the maker. Terms vary, and some don't transfer to a second owner, so confirm with the maker. The pro can quote the repair either way.
Can sidelight glass be replaced on its own?
Usually, yes. The glass beside a front door is normally a separate unit that can come out while the door and frame stay. Wider ones must be safety glass. A photo of the whole entrance and a close-up of the damaged panel let the pro say what's involved. The door glass page has more on door and sidelight panels.
A pane cracked in my Georgian-style window. Can the glass be replaced and the window kept?
In most cases, yes. A crack usually affects only the glass, so the existing frame takes a new sealed unit with its grilles rebuilt to match. Until then, tape the crack from inside to slow it spreading, and keep people away from any sharp edges.
Will a replacement unit keep the divided-lite look of my front windows?
It should. If your grilles sit between the panes, they are rebuilt inside the new unit in the same pattern and colour. If the bars are fixed to the glass surfaces, they are matched and refitted. A close-up of a grille bar where it meets the frame tells the pro which kind you have; ask how the match will be checked before the unit is ordered.