Bay & Picture Windows in North Yarmouth, Maine

In North Yarmouth the view is usually across land: hayfields, pasture edged in stone walls, the Royal River valley or the long slope off Walnut Hill. A large picture window facing that view, or a bay off a living room that catches low winter sun, changes how a house feels more than almost any other exterior project. On a south-facing wall, a big fixed unit also brings in passive heat on clear January days.

Hilltop and field-edge houses catch strong winter wind, so big glass needs a proper structural header, flashing tied into the housewrap and a unit rated for the exposure. A bay or bow window carries a small roof that collects snow and meltwater against the wall; it needs its own ice barrier, sound support from below or cables from above, and insulation under the seat so it does not become the coldest spot in the room. Because a new or enlarged opening is a structural change, the town's permit guide calls for a building permit. Cardinal Exteriors installs picture, bay, bow, casement and awning units and prices framing and trim in the written proposal.

The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey estimates about 1,600 homes in North Yarmouth, with a median year built of 1983, a decade newer than Yarmouth next door. About 94 percent are single-family detached and about 87 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, and only about a dozen units are held for seasonal use. Roughly 13 percent of homes predate 1940 and about 21 percent predate 1960, while about 24 percent date from 1960 to 1979 and about 23 percent from 2000 or later. The 2018 comprehensive plan counts 319 homes built in the 1990s alone, the town's peak decade, and notes that more than 135 houses shown on an 1871 town map are still standing, many of them restored farmhouses and capes along the old roads.

North Yarmouth calls itself the town where others began. Walnut Hill grew around the crossroads of Routes 9 and 115, where a store has stood since before 1841; the c. 1853 Walnut Hill General Store building is now Stones Café. The 1839 First Congregational Church stands where Routes 115 and 231 meet, and the Old Town House dates from 1853. Three of the oldest buildings in the village center are private homes, including the 1781 Jeremiah Buxton Tavern, known as the Red House. Stone walls still line the roads between old farms, and the Royal River and Chandler Brook cut through the town.

The North Yarmouth Code Enforcement Office at the Town Office, 10 Village Square Road, issues building permits and runs an online permitting portal. The town's permit guide lists a building permit as required for a deck, an addition, demolition and any structural change, and asks owners to call the office about work not on the list. Demolishing a building constructed before 1900 requires written notice to the North Yarmouth Historical Society at least 30 days ahead. Near the Royal River, Chandler Brook, Knight's Pond and the Deer Brook wetland, the Land Use Ordinance's Residential Shoreland and Resource Protection districts add structure setbacks.

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