Bay & Picture Windows in Harpswell, Maine

Views are the reason many people live in Harpswell, and large fixed glass is how houses on Harpswell Neck, Great Island, Orr's Island and Bailey Island capture them. A picture window facing Casco Bay or the New Meadows River, or a bay that projects out to take in the water on three sides, changes a room entirely. The same walls, though, take the brunt of storm wind and salt, so these are the windows where frame strength, glass rating and flashing matter most.

Big glass on an exposed wall needs design pressure ratings to match the wind, and larger units may call for tempered or laminated glass. Low-E coatings reduce glare off the water and heat loss through winter nights, and a western or southern bay can overheat a room in summer without them. A projecting bay has a small roof of its own that collects snow and ice, so it needs proper flashing and solid support from brackets or a foundation. Enlarging an opening or adding a bay also changes the structure, and window replacement already requires a Harpswell permit, so both belong in the same application.

Census estimates count about 4,300 housing units in Harpswell with a median year built around 1979. Roughly one in five units predates 1940, about 29 percent predates 1960, around 22 percent was built between 1960 and 1979, and about 19 percent dates from 2000 or later. More than 91 percent of units are single-family detached houses, and about 83 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, both far above most Cumberland County towns. The most distinctive number is seasonal use: around 1,440 units, about a third of the housing stock, are held for seasonal or recreational use. That means cottages and camps that sit closed for months, next to year-round capes, farmhouses and larger newer homes on the water, often clad in cedar shingles or clapboard.

Harpswell was incorporated as a district in 1758 and as a town in 1775, and it became a shipbuilding center on Casco Bay in the 19th century. Its nine villages include Harpswell Center, Cundy's Harbor, Orr's Island and Bailey Island. The Harpswell Meetinghouse, built 1757 to 1759 with clapboard walls, is the oldest surviving meeting house in Maine. The granite cribstone Bailey Island Bridge was completed in 1928, and in South Harpswell the Auburn Colony preserves ten Shingle style summer houses rebuilt after an 1899 fire. Mitchell Field, a former Navy fuel depot, is now town parkland.

The Harpswell Code Enforcement Office requires a building permit to alter, repair, renovate or replace any existing structure. Its permit guide specifically lists decks, even when built off-site, and window and exterior door replacement. The permit must be posted before work starts, review takes about 14 business days, and an accurate plot plan is expected. Structures must stay within the building envelope: in shoreland zones, 75 feet from the highest astronomical tide and 25 feet from boundary lines. Permits run one year, or up to five with a substantial start, and inspections include a final.

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