Window Replacement in Kennebunk, Maine

Census estimates put Kennebunk's median home built around 1983, with about 19 percent of the housing predating 1940 and roughly 30 percent predating 1960. The town's oldest and most architecturally significant houses cluster along Summer Street and in the village center, where 18th- and 19th-century sea captains built grand Federal and Greek Revival homes on shipbuilding wealth. Toward Kennebunk Beach and Lower Village, shingle-style cottages and early-20th-century summer homes take over, while the rest of town, further from the water, holds a larger share of capes, colonials and contemporary homes built from the 1970s onward as Kennebunk grew as a year-round community.

Summer Street's collection of Federal and Greek Revival homes, many built by 18th- and 19th-century shipbuilders and sea captains, made up the first historic district in Maine listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Lower Village and Kennebunk Beach, closer to the water, hold a more casual mix of shingle-style cottages and beach houses that grew up as a summer destination starting in the late 1800s. The town center around Main Street retains its brick commercial blocks from Kennebunk's mill and shipbuilding years on the Mousam River, and newer residential growth has filled in the areas further from both the historic district and the beach.

Building permits in Kennebunk go through the Code Enforcement Office in the Community Development Department at Town Hall, covering siding, roofing, window and deck work. Because Kennebunk has both river and ocean frontage, Maine's Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act applies along the Kennebunk and Mousam Rivers and the town's Atlantic coastline, including Kennebunk Beach, Gooch's Beach and Mother's Beach. Exterior work on a Summer Street Historic District property adds a layer of design review that a house elsewhere in town does not face, so that approval is worth confirming before materials are ordered.

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.

For a deeper walkthrough of materials, code details and photos, see our full Window Replacement: U-Factor, ENERGY STAR, and Full-Frame vs. Insert in Maine guide.

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