Window Replacement in Harpswell, Maine

Harpswell's older houses and cottages often still have original wood sashes, and many camps were built with simple single-pane windows never meant for winter. On the weather side of a waterfront house, those windows let in wind-driven rain and drafts, and salt film etches old glass. Windows in homes built before 1978 may also carry lead paint, and federal EPA work-practice rules apply when it is disturbed during replacement. Newer homes from the 1980s and 1990s often have insulated units whose seals have failed and fogged.

The town's permit guide specifically lists window replacement as work that requires a building permit, so any window project here starts with an application to the Code Enforcement Office. Vinyl replacement windows resist salt corrosion and suit year-round houses and cottages alike, while wood and clad windows from Andersen, Marvin, Pella or Integrity fit older houses where sash proportions matter; on the shore, clad exteriors hold up better than bare painted wood. Choose units with good water and air ratings for the exposure, and check hardware and screens for corrosion resistance. Bedrooms may need code-compliant egress openings, which is worth reviewing during the in-home measure.

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.

A new window is only as good as the way it is set into the wall. Replacement windows go in either as inserts inside the existing frame or as full-frame units after the old frame comes out; the right choice depends on the condition of the frame, the trim you want to keep, and the siding around it. The site lists vinyl replacement windows and wood or clad units from Andersen, Marvin, Pella and Integrity, in double-hung, casement, picture, bay, sliding and awning styles.

• Each opening is measured and checked for rot in the sill, jambs and framing.
• Old sashes or whole frames come out; damaged wood is repaired before the new unit goes in.
• Units are set level, plumb and square, shimmed, and fastened as the manufacturer requires.
• Low-expansion foam and backer rod seal the gap without bowing the frame.
• Flashing, exterior trim or capping and interior casing are finished so the opening sheds water.

• Fog or condensation between the panes of insulated glass
• Sashes that stick, will not stay up, or let in drafts
• Soft or rotted sills and frames
• Single-pane glass or storm windows you take on and off every year
• Frost or ice on the inside of the glass in winter

• Number of windows, their sizes, and any custom shapes
• Vinyl versus wood or clad units, and the brand and series
• Insert versus full-frame replacement
• Glass package and grille options
• Interior and exterior trim work, and whether siding is open around the opening

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 window replacement overview.

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