Bay & Picture Windows in Falmouth, Maine

Big glass earns its place in Falmouth where there is something to look at: Casco Bay from the Foreside, the estuary and Portland skyline seen from Tidewater Farm, Highland Lake from the west side of town, or open fields along the rural roads. A fixed picture window gives the widest unbroken view, and flanking casements or awning units can add fresh air without breaking up the center pane.

A bay or bow window projects from the wall, so its roof and its seat carry loads a flat window never sees. The small roof above it has to shed snow and needs flashing that ties into the main wall, or meltwater will find the gap. Supports underneath must be sized for the unit's weight. On bay-facing walls, the combination of wind and salt argues for clad exteriors and careful sealing, while east and northeast exposures take the hardest storm-driven rain. South and west glass gains winter sun but can overheat a room in summer, so low-E coatings should be chosen by orientation. Because Falmouth requires a permit for replacement windows, a larger or projecting opening is also reviewed for framing and headers.

Census estimates for 2020 to 2024 count about 5,300 housing units in Falmouth, with a median year built of 1986. Roughly 14 percent went up before 1940, about 16 percent between 1960 and 1979, about 31 percent in the 1980s and 1990s, and about 27 percent in 2000 or later. Around 84 percent of occupied homes are lived in by their owners, and about 81 percent of all units are single-family detached houses; the town's 2024 comprehensive plan notes that fewer than 10 percent sit in buildings of three or more units. An older layer runs underneath the subdivisions: a 1992 to 1993 survey recorded 985 buildings from before 1945, including farms, schools and summer homes in colonial, Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate and Romanesque styles. About 190 units are held for seasonal use.

Incorporated in 1718, Falmouth grew from a rural farming community into a summer destination and then a Portland suburb once trolley service reached the Foreside in 1898. The Portland Yacht Club has been in town since 1885, and the Norton House Historic District sits on Foreside Road. Mackworth Island, given to the state by Governor Percival Baxter, keeps the Baxter Summer Home. Gray Road carries Hall's Tavern and the Falmouth House, while Mast Road has the Elisha Purington House. Gilsland Farm, Tidewater Farm and the Town Landing keep open land and shore access among the neighborhoods.

Permits come from the Community Development Code Enforcement Division at 271 Falmouth Road. The town enforces the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, which means the 2021 International Residential, Building, Existing Building and Energy Conservation Codes. Its permit guidance says work that alters or repairs a structure needs a building permit, and it specifically requires one for replacement windows so egress can be checked. Painting and similar finish work is exempt; roofing, siding and decks are not on the exempt list. Shoreland zoning covers land within 250 feet of Casco Bay, the Presumpscot River, Highland Lake and qualifying wetlands, and within 100 feet of designated streams.

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 Falmouth exterior services overview, or see every town on our Cumberland County service areas page.