Bay & Picture Windows in Raymond, Maine

Views are the reason most Raymond buyers choose a lot, whether it looks across Sebago Lake from Raymond Cape, down Panther Pond or over fields on the higher ground inland. A large picture window, or a bay that projects out to take in a wider sweep, puts that view in the main room. Facing the lake usually means facing open water and the wind that comes with it, so a fixed unit with good structural ratings and careful flashing is a sound choice for a shoreline wall. Picture windows can be flanked by casements for ventilation.

A bay adds its own roof and its own snow problem. With the Gray weather office recording about 84 inches of snow a year, the small roof on a projecting bay can load up, and where it meets the main wall is a classic spot for ice and meltwater to back up. Proper support under the seat, a well-flashed roof tie-in and an insulated floor keep a bay from becoming the coldest spot in the room. Low winter sun off the lake can be bright; glass coatings help control glare and heat without tinting the view.

Census estimates put Raymond at about 3,050 housing units with a median year built of 1976. About 15 percent predate 1940 and roughly 31 percent predate 1960, while another 23 percent went up between 1960 and 1979 and about 22 percent date from 2000 or later. Around 94 percent are single-family detached houses, and roughly 90 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied. The standout figure is seasonal use: about 1,010 units are held for seasonal or recreational occupancy, and the town comprehensive plan puts seasonal homes at over a third of the stock. That plan also notes the summer camps, cottages and lodges built along the lakes in the early and mid 20th century, older farmhouses at rural crossroads, and a wave of summer residents who began making Raymond their permanent home in the 1950s, which is why so many camps have been winterized and enlarged.

Raymond Village grew around Main Street and the Mill Street dam on Panther Run, and it keeps a set of 19th-century buildings, including the Raymond Village Community Church, found eligible for the National Register. East Raymond Village, along Route 85 and Webbs Mills Road, holds the E.R. Clough Store and the 1890 East Raymond Union Chapel, a listed building with Queen Anne and Gothic Revival touches. Raymond Cape and Raymond Neck reach into Sebago, and the Neck is the landing for the ferry to Frye Island. Summer camps such as Wohelo still own large shoreline parcels, and several old schoolhouses now serve as private homes.

Permits run through the Raymond Code Enforcement Office at the town office on Webbs Mills Road, which uses an online permitting system and books meetings by appointment. The town building code page lists building a deck as work that needs a permit, and says residing, reroofing and same-size window replacement do not, as long as no structure or required egress is changed. Allow about 48 hours for processing. Raymond enforces the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, including the 2021 IRC. Work within 100 feet of the high water mark should start with a call to the Code Enforcement Officer, since shoreland rules, and sometimes a state DEP permit, apply.

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