Window Replacement in Raymond, Maine

About 31 percent of Raymond homes were built before 1960 and the median house dates to 1976, so many still have original single-pane wood sashes with storm windows or early double-pane units whose seals have failed. Camps are the extreme case: some have windows that were never meant for winter use and leak air badly once a family starts staying past Columbus Day. Replacement windows in vinyl or in wood and clad units from Andersen, Marvin, Pella and Integrity cut drafts and condensation, and double-hung or casement styles can match the original openings.

Raymond's building code page lists replacing a window with no change in size as work that needs no permit, but it also says changing a required means of egress, such as a bedroom window, takes you out of that exemption. That matters when a camp bedroom is being made legal for year-round use or an opening is being enlarged. For houses built before 1978, federal EPA rules require lead-safe work practices whenever painted surfaces are disturbed by paid work, and old window trim is a common place for lead paint. An owner measures each opening and writes a fixed-price proposal.

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.

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