Window Replacement in Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis has some of the oldest housing stock we work in, with more than four in ten homes built before 1940 and original wood windows still in the walls.
Run by Rick, who has personally installed more than 10,000 windows over 24 years in Minnesota. Licensed residential contractor, MN Lic. BC809328. EPA Lead-Safe Certified firm.
Original wood windows are the rule here, not the exception
The median Minneapolis home was built in 1951, and 42.8 percent of the city's 209,080 housing units were built before 1940. Wikipedia puts the same figure at 43.7 percent. Add the 1940s (6 percent), 1950s (8.2 percent), 1960s (7 percent) and 1970s (8.2 percent), and 72.2 percent of the city predates 1980. The newer layers are thin by comparison: 6.6 percent from the 1980s, 3.7 percent from the 1990s, 6.4 percent from the 2000s and 9.4 percent from the 2010s. Fewer than half of the city's homes, 47.7 percent, are owner-occupied, so we work with homeowners, landlords and small building owners alike.
In a pre-1940 Minneapolis house, the original windows are wood double-hungs. The sashes hang on cotton cords or chains running over pulleys to cast-iron weights hidden in pockets beside the frame. There is often an exterior storm window, sometimes an aluminum triple-track, sometimes wood storms that come down every fall. Layers of paint have sealed some sashes shut. The sill, which has been catching water since before the Second World War, is frequently soft. The glass is single-pane. These windows are beautiful, and they are also the coldest part of the house.
Around the city's outer edges, the postwar 1940s and 1950s homes are one-story or one-and-a-half-story houses, common enough that the city publishes a zoning handout on half-story homes. Their windows are a younger version of the same wood double-hung story, plus large picture windows in the one-story ramblers. Scattered 1960s and 1970s homes carry first-generation aluminum sliders and early wood casements.
Lead-safe work on pre-1978 homes
Almost three-quarters of Minneapolis homes were built before 1978, which means the paint on and around the windows may contain lead. The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces in a pre-1978 home to be certified and trained. The Window Guys is an EPA Lead-Safe Certified firm with certified renovators. On every pre-1978 Minneapolis job, we set up containment around each opening, control dust while the old window comes out, and clean the work area to the federal standard before we move on. This is not an add-on and it does not change your schedule. It is how the work is done.
It matters most in the pre-1940 stock, where the original sash, frame and trim have been painted many times over. A full-frame replacement in one of those homes removes a great deal of old painted wood, and it has to be done right.
Why full-frame is usually the right call in Minneapolis
Full-frame replacement takes the entire old window out, frame, sill, weight pockets and all, and rebuilds the opening with a new frame, insulation, flashing and interior trim. Insert replacement leaves the old frame in place and fits a new unit inside it. In a 90-year-old Minneapolis house, the frame is rarely worth saving. The sill is soft, the weight pockets are empty cavities that leak air straight into the wall, and the frame is often out of square. Full-frame lets us insulate those pockets, correct the opening and give you a window that seals and operates properly.
Inserts still make sense in the smaller share of Minneapolis homes from the 1980s onward, where frames are sound, and occasionally on a sheltered elevation of an older home. We check every opening during the in-home visit. That describes our recent full replacements in south Minneapolis, where the interior finish work is a large part of what makes those jobs look right.
The Minneapolis permit rule for windows and doors
The city's Windows and Doors handout lays it out in a table. Replacing a window, "full frame and pocket windows," in an existing wall opening requires a permit. So does replacing an entry door in an existing opening, or a skylight in an existing roof opening. No permit is needed for storm doors, storm windows, replacing insulated glass, weatherstripping an existing sash, or replacing glass, screens, wood parts and other minor repairs. Inspections are required for all permitted work, and the city specifies that installation must follow the manufacturer's written instructions.
Our office pulls the permit under license BC809328, provides the documentation and schedules the inspection. In a city of 83 neighborhoods and 70 neighborhood organizations, the process is the same at every address.
Interior trim that matches an old house
The part of a Minneapolis full-frame job that homeowners notice most is not the window. It is the wood around it. The jamb, casing and stops in a pre-1940 house were milled to profiles that are not always on the shelf today, and a replacement that ignores that looks wrong from across the room. Our crews do the interior wood trim and the exterior aluminum wrapping, and Rick has personally installed more than 10,000 windows over 24 years, a great many of them in exactly this kind of house. Matching the existing trim, or replacing it with something that fits the period, is a normal part of how we quote.
ProVia is our main window line, and it offers profiles and exterior colors that sit well on an older home. Andersen and Marvin are also available when a project calls for them.
Getting a price from anywhere in the city
The Window Guys is run by Rick and based in East Bethel, about 45 minutes from downtown Minneapolis via I-35W; north Minneapolis is a shorter drive than the south side. We serve nine counties and work throughout Hennepin County. Start with our Quick Price tool to get a working number online, then we schedule an in-home visit to measure and write a firm proposal.
Most Minneapolis homes take one to two days, but full-frame replacement with new interior trim on every window takes longer, and that describes a lot of the city. We tell you the schedule before we order. Whether you are near the Chain of Lakes, along Lake Street, up by the Mississippi riverfront or down by Minnehaha Falls, call (612) 408-0569 or email rbarton@windowguysmn.com with questions.
Minneapolis window questions we hear most
Do I need a permit to replace windows in Minneapolis?
Yes. The city's Windows and Doors handout requires a permit for replacing full-frame or pocket windows in an existing opening, with an inspection. Storm windows, insulated glass replacement and minor repairs are exempt. Our office pulls the permit and schedules the inspection.
My Minneapolis house is from the 1920s. Do the weight-and-pulley windows have to go?
They do not have to, but by the time most homeowners call us the sills are soft, the sashes are painted shut or rattling, and the weight pockets are leaking cold air into the wall. A full-frame replacement removes all of that and lets us insulate the pockets. We match the interior trim so the new window fits the house.
How do you handle lead paint in a pre-1940 Minneapolis home?
The Window Guys is an EPA Lead-Safe Certified firm with certified renovators. We set up containment at each opening, control dust during removal, and clean to the federal standard before moving on. It is standard on every pre-1978 job, and nearly three-quarters of Minneapolis qualifies.
How long does a window replacement take in a Minneapolis home?
One to two days for most homes, longer for full-frame replacement with new interior jamb, casing and stops on every window, which is the typical Minneapolis job. A large two-story with many openings takes longer than a one-story postwar home. We give you the schedule before the windows are ordered.
Ready to price your Minneapolis windows?
Get a real number online first, then book an in-home visit when you are ready. No pressure and no sales games.
Also serving nearby: St. Paul, Edina, Roseville, Brooklyn Park, Bloomington.