Bay & Picture Windows in Brunswick, Maine

Brunswick's water views are mostly on the south and west sides of town, where Mere Point, Maquoit Bay and Middle Bay open up toward Casco Bay. A large picture window or a projecting bay on those houses frames the water, but it also faces the prevailing storms, so glass size, frame strength and a tight installation matter more than they would in town. Low-E glass helps with summer glare off the water and with heat loss through a big expanse of glass in January.

Away from the shore, a bay window in a Federal or Greek Revival house downtown or a picture window overlooking the fields toward Durham is often about light rather than view. A projecting bay has its own small roof that collects snow and ice, so it needs proper flashing where it meets the wall and support underneath, whether from brackets or a foundation. On a house in the Village Review Overlay District, adding a bay or enlarging an opening changes the exterior and would need review before work starts. Picture, bay, sliding and awning units can also be combined, with operable windows beside a fixed center pane for ventilation.

Census estimates put Brunswick at roughly 9,500 housing units with a median year built of about 1982, so the typical house here is younger than in Portland but the range is wide. Close to one in five units dates from before 1940 and about 31 percent from before 1960, including the houses of the downtown and the Bowdoin neighborhoods. Another 16 percent or so went up between 1960 and 1979, and roughly 27 percent is from 2000 or later. About 71 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, and only about half of all units are single-family detached houses, which reflects the apartments, student housing and multi-unit buildings near the college and Maine Street. Seasonal homes are a small share, about 165 units. Expect clapboard Federal, Greek Revival and Colonial Revival houses in the historic districts, and vinyl-clad capes, ranches and colonials farther out.

Brunswick grew on the river. The Androscoggin falls about 41 feet in three stages here, and the town once had as many as 25 sawmills and, in 1809, Maine's first cotton mill. Bowdoin College, chartered in 1794, anchors the Federal Street Historic District, listed in 1976, with Federal, Greek Revival and Colonial Revival houses, First Parish Church and the Harriet Beecher Stowe House. Pennellville, on Middle Bay Cove, preserves ship captains' houses built between 1794 and 1860. Other neighborhoods include Cooks Corner, Mere Point, Bunganuc Landing and Brunswick Landing, the former Naval Air Station that closed in 2011.

Building permits in Brunswick go through the Planning and Codes Office at Town Hall, 85 Union Street, on paper or through the online permit portal. Maine's building code moved to the 2021 International Residential Code on April 7, 2025. Much of the historic core lies in the Village Review Overlay District, where the Village Review Board issues a Certificate of Appropriateness for alterations; the town notes that replacing windows, facades and ornamentation with identical styles and materials is not subject to review, and staff can approve minor work not visible from a public way. Waterfront lots within 250 feet of tidal areas also fall under shoreland zoning.

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.

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