Full-Frame Window Replacement in Rochester, NY

What full-frame means

The sash, the frame, the trim, and often the sill all come out. We're looking at bare framing. Then we flash the opening, set the new window, insulate, and rebuild the trim inside and out.

It takes longer and it costs more per opening. What you get is a window installed the way a new-construction window would be, plus the chance to see and fix whatever has been going on behind the old frame.

When you need it

• Soft or spongy wood in the frame, sill, or the wall below the window
• Water staining on the interior trim or drywall under the opening
• Peeling paint and dark streaks on the siding beneath the window
• You want a bigger opening, a smaller one, or a different shape
• The frame is out of square enough that an insert would never seal

Why it matters more here

Rochester winters put water and ice against the outside of your house for months at a time, and freeze-thaw cycles work that water into anything with a gap. Older homes in this area often have decades of that behind the trim. Full-frame is how you actually deal with it instead of covering it.

What you gain

Full glass area, since the new frame isn't sitting inside an old one. A properly flashed opening. New interior and exterior trim. And on homes where the original windows were undersized for the room, the option to open the wall up and get more light in.

Not sure which one you need?

That's the normal starting point, and it's the single biggest factor in what your project costs. We wrote a plain comparison of the two on our installation techniques page, or we can just come look.