Bay & Picture Windows in Bath, Maine

Census estimates put Bath's median home built around 1938, with about 58 percent of the housing predating 1940 and roughly 67 percent predating 1960, the oldest housing profile of any town in this service area. Bath's sea-captains' houses and worker cottages from the height of the Bath Iron Works and wooden shipbuilding era make up a large share of the city's stock, many carrying original wood clapboard behind one or more later layers of siding. Outside the historic core, Bath's newer neighborhoods, built through the mid-to-late 20th century, hold a smaller share of more ordinary capes and ranches.

Bath earned its nickname, the City of Ships, from Bath Iron Works, a major shipyard that has built Navy vessels on the Kennebec since 1884, and the city's downtown and residential streets grew up around that industry. The Bath Historic District covers much of the city's core, a dense collection of 19th-century sea-captains' houses, worker cottages and commercial blocks that reflects more than a century of shipbuilding wealth and labor. Bath's Planning Board reviews exterior modifications within the historic district, and the city notes that review can often be completed administratively in as little as three days.

Building permits in Bath go through the Code Enforcement Office at 55 Front Street, covering siding, roofing, window and deck work for the whole city. Because so much of Bath's core falls within the Bath Historic District, exterior modifications to buildings inside the district require Planning Board review, though the city notes that review is often completed administratively within about three days rather than requiring a full public hearing. Part of Bath's sewer system uses combined sewers that can overflow during heavy rain, a factor mainly relevant to site and drainage work rather than siding, roofing, window or deck permitting directly, but it does mean the city pays close attention to stormwater management on any project that changes how water sheds off a property.

Picture windows are large fixed units that frame a view and pour light into a room. Bay and bow windows project out from the wall, adding floor space and light from three or more directions. Both are heavier and more exposed than an ordinary window, so the structure, support, roof and flashing around them matter. The Cumberland Center colonial on this site received Andersen 400 Series bay, double-hung and picture windows.

• The opening, header and framing are checked; widening an opening may need a new header.
• Bay and bow units are supported with cables, brackets or a framed seat so they do not sag.
• The small roof over a bay is flashed into the wall and roofed or capped to match the house.
• Insulation goes into the seat and head so the projection is not a cold spot.
• Interior seat boards, casing and exterior trim are finished to match.

• A view you want to see more of from the main living space
• An old bay that sags, leaks at the roof, or feels cold at the seat
• Fogged glass in a large fixed unit
• A dark room that needs more daylight

• Size and configuration: picture, bay or bow, number of units
• Whether the rough opening changes size
• Support method and seat or roof finish
• Glass package and brand
• Interior finish carpentry

Every job is priced from a free on-site visit. Typical ranges for the trade are on our window replacement page, and the details of this service are on the bay and picture windows overview.

For a deeper walkthrough of materials, code details and photos, see our full Bay & Picture Windows: The Structural Support Most Homeowners Never See guide.

Back to the Bath exterior services overview, or see every town on our service areas page.