Drafty Apartment Windows — Sealing, Reinstalling or New Units
Tenants are taping plastic over the windows, running space heaters and calling about cold air at the sash or around the trim.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Drafty apartment windows get one of three fixes: new weatherstrip and latches, the frame re-sealed with foam behind the trim, or a new window. JMB Builders checks the units with complaints, finds where the air gets in, and quotes the smallest fix that stops it, starting with the worst stack of units. Twin Cities metro to St. Cloud. Priced per opening; send photos for a reply within one business day or book a free in-home estimate and walkthrough.
- Weatherstrip, re-seal or replace, per window
- Worst stack of units first
- Priced per opening
Window drafts come from three places. Between the sash and the frame, where weatherstrip has worn flat, a latch no longer pulls the sash tight, or a slider's interlock has opened up. Around the frame, where the gap between the window and the rough opening was never sealed or was stuffed with loose batt. Or through the window itself: a warped sash, a broken balance that lets the sash drop, a cracked pane. Each one has a different fix and a different price.
In a walk-up, windows stacked above each other on the windy side usually share the same problem, because they are the same window in the same wall taking the same weather. Fixing the worst stack or elevation first takes care of the most complaints for the money, and the rest of the building can be phased onto later quotes at the same spec.
When the leak is around the frame, the casing comes off, the gap is filled with low-expansion foam, backer rod and sealant go on, and the casing goes back or new casing goes up. Every replacement window gets the same seal. Painting is quoted as a separate line, or the trim is left primed and caulked for your painter.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- The units and windows tenants have complained about
- Unit access and the notice your leases and Minnesota law require
- Which side of the building takes the wind, if you know
- Your budget for this year so the work can be phased by stack
What JMB supplies
- A walkthrough of complaining units, each window marked by where it leaks
- Weatherstrip, latches and balances where the window is otherwise sound
- Casing pulled, frame gap foamed and sealed, casing reset or replaced
- Replacement windows measured in person and ordered as one package
- A line-item quote by opening, grouped by stack and floor
- Floors covered and debris hauled off daily
- Photos of each finished window in your job folder
How it is priced: per opening
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Fix per window: weatherstrip and hardware, re-seal at the frame, or replace
- Casing that comes off clean or has to be replaced
- Exterior gaps that need sealant or new capping
- Number of windows in each stack done in one visit
- Upper-floor exterior access
- Replacement windows: style, frame material and glass
Send the complaint list by unit and a photo of each window with the trim showing. Mark the windy side of the building.
How long it takes
Weatherstrip and re-seal work typically covers several windows a day. Replacement typically runs one to two working days per unit; lead time depends on the brand and is written on the quote.
How your project works
- 1
Walk the complaints
We open each complaining window, check the weatherstrip, latch and balances, and pull a piece of trim where the leak seems to come from around the frame.
- 2
Sort the fix per window
Weatherstrip and hardware, a frame re-seal, or replacement, written on the quote opening by opening.
- 3
Worst stack first
The windiest side or the stack with the most complaints is done first, so tenants on that side get relief this season.
- 4
Phase the rest
The rest of the building stays on the quote at the same spec, so later phases match what is already in.
Drafty Apartment Windows — Sealing, Reinstalling or New Units: questions, answered
What should I do when a tenant says the windows are drafty?
Ask where the cold air comes from: the sash, around the trim, or the glass. Check whether the window closes and latches tight. Then have a contractor look at that window and the ones stacked above and below it, since the same windows in the same wall usually share the problem.
Why is cold air coming in around closed apartment windows?
Either the weatherstrip and latch no longer seal the sash to the frame, or the gap between the frame and the wall behind the trim was never sealed. The first is fixed with weatherstrip and hardware. The second needs the casing removed and the gap foamed and sealed.
Can drafty apartment windows be fixed without replacing them?
Often, yes. Worn weatherstrip, a loose latch, a broken balance or an unsealed frame gap can be fixed on a window that is otherwise sound. Replacement is the answer when the sash is warped, the frame is aluminum and frosting, or the glass has failed.
Which apartment windows should be fixed first?
The stack or side of the building with the most complaints, usually the side that takes the winter wind. Fixing those first handles the most calls for the money. The rest can be phased at the same spec.
Is plastic window film enough for drafty apartment windows?
It is a stopgap for one winter. It blocks air at the room side but does nothing about a gap behind the trim or a sash that will not close. Tenants also tend to leave the tape residue on the trim.
Do drafty windows mean the whole building needs new windows?
Not by themselves. If the drafts come from worn weatherstrip and unsealed frames, the windows can stay. If the windows are also fogging, frosting on the frame or hard to operate, replacement for the building is worth pricing next to the repair.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All apartment buildings pages
Where we work
Apartment & Multifamily Window and Door Projects near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: