Window Repair vs. Replacement: What Saves Rochester Homeowners Money

A ball finds the picture window. Or you notice one cold morning that the glass in the back bedroom has gone milky, and no amount of wiping clears it. A patio slider won't roll, or the screen has torn at the corner. You call a window company, and the number that comes back may cover a whole new window: frame, sash, installation, all of it.

Most of the time, you don't need one.

A broken pane in an otherwise sound window can be repaired. So can a fogged double-pane, a torn screen or a patio slider that won't roll. We've run our own window and screen repair shop for Rochester-area homeowners for more than twenty years, and most of what comes through the door goes home repaired.

The decision starts with the frame. For glass work, the sash and window frame need to be sound; for screen work, the screen frame needs to be straight enough to hold new mesh and hardware.

When a Window Screen Can Be Repaired

A straight screen frame can hold new mesh after the old mesh and spline come out. We install the screening you choose and replace worn pins, wheels, handles, pull tabs or latches as needed.

We rescreen window screens, screen doors, patio sliders, porch panels and storm door inserts. Fiberglass is the standard low-cost option, while aluminum, pet-resistant mesh, high-visibility mesh and other materials suit different openings and households.

When there is no screen to repair, or the old frame is bent beyond use, we build a new aluminum screen to size and fit it with compatible hardware. The existing window stays in place.

When a Cracked Window Pane Is a Repair, Not a Replacement

A window is two parts. The sash holds the glass, and the frame holds the sash. Glass is meant to come out when it breaks.

If the frame and sash are still square and solid, replacing the glass is shop work. We take out the old glass and glazing, cut a new pane to the opening, and reglaze the sash. Single strength, double strength, 1/4", tempered, laminated and Low-E are all available, so you can put back what was there or upgrade while it's open. A few things tell you the frame is probably fine:

• The window still opens, closes and locks the way it always did.
• The wood at the corners and along the sill is hard, not soft or spongy.
• You don't see daylight or feel a draft around the sash when it's shut.
• The break is confined to the glass itself.

If all four are true, you need a pane rather than a whole window. Owner Ned Green says that's most of what lands on the counter: "People bring in a sash with one broken pane and they've already gotten a quote for the whole window," he says. "The sash is fine. It's the glass that broke, and glass comes out."

Before you drive over, know which counter you want. If you only need a flat piece of glass and plan to set it yourself, that's our glass cut to size service, and most cuts take a few minutes while you wait. If the sash needs work, or the glass is a sealed thermal unit, that goes to the repair shop instead. Bring the piece in either case and we'll point you to the right one.

Why Your Double-Pane Window Looks Foggy, and What Fixes It

Haze between the panes of a double-pane window means the seal failed and moisture got in. The condensation is sealed inside the unit, so cleaning won't touch it. Neither will a dehumidifier or a stretch of dry weather.

The two panes and the spacer between them make up an insulated glass unit, and that unit is replaceable. We replace it and leave the existing frame and sash in place, which costs far less than a new window. Low-E and argon-filled units are available, along with tinted glass. If you've been told a fogged pane means buying the window over again, get a second look before you agree to it.

What Window and Screen Repair Costs vs. Replacement

Repair pricing here is fixed, set by the size of the piece and the parts it needs, not by the hour. A basic rescreen on a small window screen starts at $17.64, and basic window glass repair on a small window starts at $39.48. On most glass, the cutting is free and you pay for the material. Larger screens, thermal pane work, specialty glass and jobs that need new hardware cost more, which is why we price the job from the actual item rather than a description of it.

"We quote it at the counter, off the actual piece, before anybody touches it," Green says. "Nobody leaves here guessing what it's going to cost." If we open something up and find more damage, we call with a quote and wait for your approval.

Full window replacement is a different category of spending because it can include the window, labor, trim, interior and exterior finish work, and a lead time measured in weeks. Replacing a damaged screen frame costs much less because the window stays in place. Bring the item in and we'll quote it free before any work starts.

When Replacement Is the Right Call

Repair isn't always the answer, and pretending otherwise would waste your time. Replacement makes sense when:

• The window frame or sill has rotted. Soft, crumbling wood won't hold a sash square or hold glazing. New glass in a rotted frame fails again.
• The sash is broken, racked or coming apart at the joints. Once the sash itself lets go, new glass has nothing sound to sit in.
• The screen frame is bent or broken beyond repair. New mesh needs a straight, solid frame, so we build a replacement screen to fit the existing window.
• The window no longer operates or seals even after hardware and weatherstripping are addressed.
• You're upgrading the whole house for efficiency. If most of the windows are original single-pane and you're planning the project anyway, replacing them as a set makes sense in a way that replacing one doesn't.

With a failed screen frame, we build a new screen to fit the opening while the window stays in place. Rot or structural damage in the sash or window frame may justify replacing more.

Our shop handles the full range, up to a whole new window when there's nothing left to save. For wood, we work with local woodworkers who build custom window and screen inserts and mill replacement pieces to match an original profile when a frame has rotted, and we install and paint them to match what's already there. That's the part a big-box counter can't do, and it's why people with 1920s Park Avenue windows end up here.

Green would rather see the item first. "Bring it in before you sign a replacement contract," he says. "Ten minutes at the counter has saved people a lot more than that."

How the Repair Works at Weiders

The same basic process covers window glass and screen repair. No appointment is needed.

1. Drop off. Bring the window, sash or screen to any Weiders location. Bring the item itself rather than a measurement, since we need the frame. We quote it from its size and the parts it needs, write it up, and take payment. Thermal pane work, wood sash repair and tempered glass take a few extra steps, so ask an associate about your specific item.
2. Repair. Our technicians work on it in our shop. Most screens are done in about a week.
3. Pickup. We call as soon as it's ready.

For large or heavy items, patio sliders especially, we offer pickup and delivery for an additional fee. Window and screen repair runs out of all three stores and serves communities across the Rochester area.

Bring It In and We'll Quote It

You don't have to settle the repair-or-replace question before anyone has looked at the actual window or screen. Bring the sash, pane or screen to any of our three stores and we'll tell you what it needs and what it costs before any work starts.

More on what our shop handles is on the window and screen repair page. Find a location or contact us with a question about your window or screen.