American Foursquare Window Replacement — Tall Double Hungs, Dormers
Your foursquare has two full floors of tall double hungs, a dormer in each side of the hip roof and a front porch full of windows, all on ropes and weights.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
American foursquare window replacement covers the whole box: tall double hungs on both floors, the attic dormer windows and often a row of enclosed porch windows. JMB Builders measures each opening, orders the house as one package, pulls out the weights and pulleys, insulates the pockets and installs room by room across the Twin Cities metro. Priced per project with each window listed. Photos get a reply within one business day; free in-home estimates too.
- Double hungs, dormers and porch windows
- Weight pockets emptied and insulated
- Line-item quote by opening
A foursquare is a square two-and-a-half-story house with a hip roof, a dormer or two in the attic and a full-width front porch. Most were built in the early 1900s. The windows are tall wood double hungs on sash cords and weights, the walls are plaster, and the porch was often enclosed later with its own row of smaller windows.
As a whole-house job, it splits into three kinds of work. The main and second floor are the bulk: weights and pulleys out, pockets insulated, and a new double hung set as an insert that keeps the wide original casing, or full-frame where the sill has rotted. The dormers are reached from the roof or from inside. The porch windows are their own small project, often a different style.
Everything goes on one order so the double hungs match top to bottom. The bungalow page covers one-story houses of the same age; a foursquare adds the second floor, the dormers and a lot more openings.
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 each side of the house, the dormers and the porch
- A choice on grilles: none, top-sash only, or a pattern to match the house
- Interior and exterior colors and glass choices
- Rooms cleared back from the windows on install days
What JMB supplies
- One measure of every opening, including dormers and porch
- Windows ordered together through ABC Supply
- Sash weights, pulleys and cords removed; pockets insulated
- Inserts that keep the original casing where the frame is sound
- Full-frame where sills or frames are rotted, flashed and sealed
- Ladders, roof brackets or a lift for the upper floor and dormers
- Plaster protected; floors covered; old windows hauled away
- Painting as a separate line, or left primed for you
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Number of windows, including dormers and porch
- Insert vs. full-frame for each opening
- Access to the second floor and the dormers
- Grille pattern and glass package
- Rotted sills or frames found when sashes come out
- Exterior trim covered with capping vs. kept and painted
- Porch windows changed to a different style
Tell us if the porch is heated; it changes what goes in those openings.
How long it takes
Lead time depends on the brand and is written on the quote. On site, most foursquares take two to three weeks, with the porch and dormers adding time.
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.
American Foursquare Window Replacement — Tall Double Hungs, Dormers: questions, answered
Can I keep the original trim when I replace foursquare windows?
Usually, yes. An insert window goes into the old frame after the sashes, stops and weights come out, so the wide original casing stays. Where a frame is rotted it goes full-frame, and the trim around that opening is removed and reset or replaced.
What happens to the sash weights in an old foursquare?
The cords are cut, the weights pulled out of the pockets and hauled away, and the pulleys removed. The empty pockets are filled with insulation before the new window goes in, which stops a big source of drafts.
How are the attic dormer windows replaced?
From inside when the window allows it, or from the roof using roof brackets and planks. The flashing at the bottom of a dormer window is lapped onto the roofing so water runs out over the shingles.
Should the enclosed porch windows be replaced with the house?
If they are the same age and drafty, putting them on the same order is the easiest way to match colors. If the porch is unheated, the window choice can be different from the house. We quote the porch as its own group so you can decide.
Will new windows look right on an early 1900s foursquare?
The things that matter most from the street are the sash proportions, the grille pattern and the exterior color. A double hung with a narrow frame and a grille pattern in the top sash usually reads right. We go over the options with you before ordering.
Do I need a permit to replace windows in an old house?
It depends on the city and whether openings change size. A same-size replacement often does not need one. When a permit is required, JMB pulls it.
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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