Bay & Picture Windows in Frye Island, Maine

The reason to own on Frye Island is the lake, and a picture window framing Sebago is the upgrade many owners want most. A large fixed unit flanked by casements gives both the view and cross-breezes on a summer evening, while a bay or bow projecting toward the water widens the view up and down the shore.

Size and exposure need careful thought. Sebago is a large lake, so the wind that reaches a shoreline wall has built over miles of open water, and big glass needs a design pressure rating to match and a frame anchored into solid structure. A projecting bay needs real support below and a small roof that is flashed and underlaid against ice, because snow will sit on it all winter with no one there to clear it. Tempered or laminated glass adds a margin against branches in storms. West-facing glass over the water collects intense afternoon sun, so a low-e coating chosen to limit heat gain keeps a summer room usable. Large units also have to fit on the ferry and be carried to the house, which sometimes shapes the maximum size.

Census estimates for Frye Island are rough, because so few people live there year-round, but the picture is clear. The survey counts about 575 housing units with a median year built of 1990, and almost all of them, about 560, are held for seasonal or recreational use. The 2020 census counted just 32 residents. Nearly every unit is a single-family detached house, none of the counted stock predates 1960, about 28 percent went up between 1960 and 1979, and about a third date from 2000 or later. On the ground that means wooded lots of summer cottages and camp-style houses, a steady stream of newer and larger seasonal homes, and a lot of houses that have been enlarged since they were first built.

Frye Island is named for Captain Joseph Frye, and the land was part of the 1750 grant that became Standish before the island seceded to form its own town. Twin 65-foot car ferries make a roughly seven-minute crossing, every half hour through July and August and less often in spring and fall. Once across, golf carts are the usual way around, on roads with a 20 mph limit. The island has a golf course, two marinas and recreation facilities, and its town hall sits on Fairway Lane. Houses are scattered along the shore and through the woods.

Permits go through the Frye Island Code Enforcement Office in the new Town Hall at 10 Fairway Lane, open Tuesdays and Thursdays. The town posts separate applications for building and construction, electrical, plumbing, septic and tree removal. Completed forms go in the town office drop box or by email, and the officer sets the fee after review. Any tree over 4 inches in diameter needs a free tree removal permit before it is cut, which matters when clearing space for a deck. Since February 2024 an impact fee applies to new dwelling units. Sebago is a great pond, so state shoreland zoning rules apply near the water.

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