Replace Aluminum Windows With Vinyl — Old Sliders and Single-Hungs
The aluminum sliders in your 1960s or 70s house frost over in January, drip on the sill and rattle in the wind.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
To replace aluminum windows with vinyl, JMB Builders measures each opening, orders insulated vinyl windows, cuts out the old aluminum frames (usually nailed on through a fin under the siding or set in a wood buck), repairs any rotted sill framing, and sets the vinyl units in a sill pan with flashing and new trim. Across the Twin Cities metro. Priced per window, quoted from photos, with a reply within one business day.
- Priced per window, vinyl windows supplied
- Aluminum frames cut out, not covered over
- Sill rot repaired before the new window
Aluminum windows went into a lot of Twin Cities ramblers and split-levels in the 1960s and 70s: horizontal sliders, single-hungs, sometimes a picture window with sliders on each side. Aluminum carries cold straight through the frame. In winter the inside of the frame frosts, the frost melts, and the water runs onto the sill and down the wall. Years of that leaves black stains, peeling paint and soft wood under the window.
Most of these frames were nailed on through a flange, a fin, that sits under the siding, or set into a wood buck. An insert can go inside the old aluminum frame, but the aluminum stays in the wall and stays cold around the new window. In most cases we cut the old frame out completely: siding or trim opened around the window, the fin nails cut, the frame removed, the sill and framing checked.
The new vinyl window goes in on a sill pan with flashing tape lapped into the wall, foamed with low-expansion window foam, then capped or trimmed outside and trimmed inside. Rot found under the old window is repaired before the new one goes in, and it is shown to you and quoted first.
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 window inside and out, plus a close-up of a sill and any water stains
- Your vinyl window style, color and glass choices
- Furniture pulled back from the windows and window coverings down
What JMB supplies
- In-home measure before anything is ordered
- The vinyl windows, ordered to the measurements
- Old aluminum frames cut out and hauled away
- Sill and framing checked; rot repaired and quoted first
- Sill pan, flashing tape, low-expansion foam and exterior sealant
- Exterior capping, PVC trim or siding patch around each window
- Interior jamb extensions, stool and casing, or drywall returns patched
- Painting quoted as a separate line — or leave it primed and paint it yourself
How it is priced: per window
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Window size and style: slider, single-hung, casement or picture
- How the aluminum frame was set: nail fin under siding or a wood buck
- Siding or stucco that has to be opened around the frame
- Rot in the sill, framing or drywall under the window
- Interior finish: new jamb extensions and casing or patched drywall returns
- Glass package and exterior color on the vinyl
- How many windows in the same job
Send a close-up of the worst sill and any stained or soft drywall under a window.
How long it takes
Most aluminum-to-vinyl full-frame swaps run one to three windows a day, depending on siding and rot. Each opening is closed up the same day.
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.
Situations and options
Full tear-out
The aluminum frame and its fin come out of the wall. The new vinyl window is flashed in on a sill pan. This is what most of these windows need.
Insert into a wood buck
When the aluminum sits inside a sound wood frame, the aluminum can be removed and a vinyl insert set in the wood. It keeps more of the outside trim.
Change the style
A slider can become a slider, a casement, or a picture with an opening unit. Bedroom windows are checked against egress before the style changes.
Replace Aluminum Windows With Vinyl — Old Sliders and Single-Hungs: questions, answered
Why do my aluminum windows sweat and frost on the inside?
Aluminum carries cold through the frame, so in winter the inside face of the frame is close to the outdoor temperature. Moisture in the house condenses and freezes on it, then melts onto the sill. Better glass alone does not fix it because the frame itself is the cold spot.
Can a vinyl insert go inside my old aluminum window frame?
Sometimes, but the aluminum stays in the wall and stays cold around the new window, and the frame is often bent or pitted. In most cases we remove the aluminum frame completely and set the vinyl window in the opening on a sill pan. Where the aluminum sits inside a sound wood buck, an insert into the wood can work.
Do you have to remove siding to take out aluminum windows?
Usually around the window, yes. Most aluminum frames were nailed through a fin that sits under the siding or trim. We open the siding or trim around the window, cut the nails, remove the frame and close it back up with capping, PVC trim or a siding patch.
Are vinyl windows better than aluminum in a Minnesota winter?
For a house, yes. Vinyl does not carry cold through the frame the way aluminum does, so the inside of the frame stays warmer and frosts far less. The glass package and the install, with foam in the gap and a flashed sill, matter as much as the frame.
Will the water stains and rot under my aluminum windows be fixed?
Rot in the sill or framing is found when the old window comes out, shown to you and repaired before the new window goes in. Stained or soft drywall under the window is cut out and patched, or covered by the new jamb extensions and casing, depending on how far it goes.
Can I keep sliders or switch to a different style?
Either. Many people keep sliders because the rooms were laid out around them. Others switch to casements, which seal tighter. Bedroom windows are checked against egress before the style is changed.
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 windows pages
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