Window Replacement in Westbrook, Maine

A city where roughly 37 percent of homes predate 1960 still has plenty of single-pane wood sashes, old aluminum storms and early replacement windows with fogged glass. In the mill-era houses and early twentieth-century homes, drafty windows are often the largest heat loss in the building. Any home built before 1978 may contain lead paint, and the city's Code Enforcement Department points owners to the federal EPA rules for work that disturbs painted surfaces, which include window trim and sashes.

The right window depends on the building. Vinyl replacement windows are a cost-effective upgrade for rental units and the city's 1970s and 1980s houses, while wood or clad units from Andersen, Marvin, Pella or Integrity keep the sash proportions on older homes. Double-hung windows match most original openings, casements suit kitchens and newer designs, and sliding or awning units work in basements and small spaces. Bedroom windows should meet egress requirements where the opening allows, which matters especially in upstairs apartment bedrooms. Replacing windows is also the time to re-flash the openings and seal gaps around the old frames.

The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey estimates about 9,580 housing units in Westbrook, with a median year built of 1975. The stock splits into two eras. About a quarter of homes were built before 1940 and roughly 37 percent before 1960, while close to a quarter were built in 2000 or later, reflecting the city's recent growth. Only about 44 percent of units are single-family detached houses; the rest are duplexes, apartment buildings, condominiums and other attached housing. Around 61 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied. The older layer includes the mill housing inside the Cumberland Mills Historic District and wood-frame homes like the 1914 Vallee Family House on Monroe Avenue, a clapboard American Foursquare with a hip roof and full front porch.

Originally called Saccarappa, Westbrook was incorporated in 1814, took its current name in honor of Colonel Thomas Westbrook, and became a city in 1891. The S.D. Warren paper mill on the Presumpscot River at Cumberland Mills was once the largest in the world, and the mill complex and its nineteenth-century worker and management housing make up the Cumberland Mills Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1974. Residents still name neighborhoods such as Cumberland Mills, Prides Corner, Frenchtown, Deer Hill and Woodland. Other listings include the Federal-style Nathan Harris House on Main Street, the Warren Block, Walker Memorial Library and the Old Westbrook High School.

Westbrook's Code Enforcement Department at City Hall, 2 York Street, issues building permits. The department publishes a building permit application specifically for basic renovations, alterations, sheds and decks, and enforces the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code: the 2021 International Residential Code and the 2021 International Existing Building Code. Inspections should be booked 48 to 72 hours ahead, and a permit lapses if work does not start within six months. The city also has a Flood Hazard Permit for work in mapped flood zones, and lots near the Presumpscot River may fall within Maine's mandatory shoreland zone, which covers land within 250 feet of a river.

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