1970s House Window Replacement — Every Original Window at Once
The house was built in the seventies and so were the windows: cranks that slip, storms you take off every spring, and a slider that never closed right.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
1970s house window replacement usually means wood casements or double hungs with aluminum combination storms, early aluminum sliders, and sills soft from fifty winters. JMB Builders replaces the whole house as one job across the Twin Cities metro: one measure, one order, storms removed, sills repaired, new windows set and trimmed room by room. Priced per project with each opening listed. Photo reply within one business day, or a free in-home estimate.
- Wood, aluminum and early vinyl replaced
- Storms off, sills checked and repaired
- Priced per project, line item per window
Houses built in the 1970s around the Twin Cities often came with a mix: wood casements with roll-out cranks, wood double hungs behind aluminum triple-track storms, and aluminum sliders in the basement or the back bedrooms. Single glass with a storm was normal. Fifty years later the cranks strip, the storm tracks are full of grit and the bottom sills are soft.
These houses usually have plain drywall returns or simple casing inside and wood or hardboard siding outside, so most openings can take either an insert in a sound frame or a full-frame window where the sill has rotted. We decide that opening by opening at the measure, not house-wide, and the quote shows which is which.
The 1990s builder-grade page covers houses one generation newer, where the windows are vinyl and the problem is failed seals. Here the problem is the wood and the single glass, and the whole house is usually ready at once.
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
- Photos of a few typical windows inside and out, plus any with soft sills
- Choices on style: keep casements, switch some to double hungs or sliders
- Color, glass and grille choices before the order
- Window coverings taken down on install days
What JMB supplies
- One measure of every opening before ordering
- Aluminum storms and old units removed and hauled away
- Sills and rough openings checked; rot repaired and quoted first
- Windows ordered as one package through ABC Supply
- New windows set, foamed and sealed; exterior capping or trim
- Interior returns or casing finished; painting a separate line or yours
- Floors covered and each room closed before the next
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- How many windows, and how many are full-frame vs. insert
- Rotted sills or framing found under the old storms
- Changing styles, such as casement to double hung
- Second-story access on two-story 1970s houses
- Exterior capping vs. new wood or composite trim
- Window line, color and glass package
A photo of the bottom corner of a few windows, inside and out, tells us most about the sills.
How long it takes
Lead time depends on the brand and is written on the quote. Once the windows arrive, most 1970s houses take about one to two weeks on site.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
1970s House Window Replacement — Every Original Window at Once: questions, answered
Are 1970s windows worth repairing or should they be replaced?
If the sash wood is sound and only a crank or a storm is broken, a repair can buy time. Once there is single glass, soft sills and cranks failing across the house, replacement is usually the better spend. We look at every opening at the measure and tell you which ones are which.
What happens to the aluminum storm windows?
They come off and get hauled away with the old windows. The new windows are double or triple glazed, so a separate storm is not needed. The screw holes left in the exterior trim are covered by new capping or trim.
Do the sills on 1970s windows usually need repair?
The bottom sill and the corners are where water sits, so some sills on most houses this age are soft. We find them at the measure where we can and confirm when the old window is out. Repairs are listed and approved before the new window goes in.
Can I change my 1970s casements to a different style?
Yes. Casements can become double hungs, sliders can become casements, and so on, as long as the opening size works and bedroom windows still meet egress. Each change is checked before ordering.
Insert or full-frame for a 1970s house?
It depends on each frame. A sound wood frame can take an insert, which keeps the inside trim. A rotted frame, a window being restyled or one with a leak history goes full-frame. Most 1970s houses end up with some of each.
Can you replace all the windows in a 1970s two story house?
Yes. The upstairs is done from ladders, roof brackets or a lift depending on the wall, and the house is worked room by room with every opening closed the same day.
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 whole-house projects pages
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