Replace Double Hung Windows With Casements — Opening by Opening
The sashes rattle, the bottom one has to be forced up, and the wind finds the meeting rail every January.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
To replace double hung windows with casements, JMB Builders measures every opening in person, picks the hinge side for each one, checks bedroom windows for egress, orders the casements through ABC Supply in one order, then sets them in a sill pan or the old frame and trims both sides. Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud. Priced per opening; photos get a reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
- Priced per opening, casements supplied
- Hinge side chosen for each opening
- Egress checked on every bedroom window
A double hung has two sashes that slide past each other, and every place they meet is a seal that relies on weatherstrip rubbing on a track. A casement has one sash hinged on the side. When you crank it shut and throw the lock, the sash pulls into the weatherstrip on all four sides. That is why people trade double hungs for casements: less air at the meeting rail, a sash that opens with one hand from behind a counter or a couch, and the whole width open for a breeze.
Not every double hung opening becomes one casement. A tall, narrow opening usually takes a single casement. A wide one often takes two casements mulled together, or a casement beside a fixed picture unit, so the sash is not too wide to support. The hinge side is decided for each opening: which way the breeze comes, which way the sash should swing away from a deck, a walkway or a shrub.
Bedrooms get a separate check. A casement opens its full width, so it often gives more clear opening than a double hung the same size. We measure what the new window will give before anything is ordered, and the line-item quote shows each opening so you can do the whole house at once or phase it. Painting is quoted as a separate line — or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself.
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
- Which double hungs you want changed, and which rooms are bedrooms
- Your pick of color, glass and grille pattern (grilles can keep the double hung look)
- Which way you want each sash to swing, or let us suggest it at the measure
- Photos of each window inside and out, and a wide shot of each side of the house
What JMB supplies
- One in-person measure of every opening before anything is ordered
- The casements, single or mulled, in one order through ABC Supply so color and glass match
- A line-item quote by opening, so you can compare or phase the job
- Old sashes and frames removed and hauled away
- Sill pan, flashing tape, low-expansion foam and sealant
- New stops or casing inside, exterior trim or capping outside
- Photos of the finished windows 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:
- One casement vs. two mulled casements or a casement and picture unit in a wide opening
- Insert in the old frame vs. full-frame tear-out
- Size, frame material, color, glass package and grilles
- Bedroom openings where egress changes the size or layout
- Rot in the sill or framing once the old unit is out
- Exterior finish around the opening: siding, stucco or brick
Send each window from inside and outside, tell us which rooms are bedrooms, and say whether anything outside sits in the swing path.
How long it takes
Lead time depends on the brand and is written on the quote. Once the casements arrive, a few openings a day full-frame, more as inserts; each opening is closed up before we leave that day.
How your project works
- 1
Photos or free in-home estimate
Send photos and we reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate. Either way you get a line-item quote by opening.
- 2
One measure, one order
We measure every opening in person, set the hinge side and check bedroom egress, then place one order through ABC Supply so color and glass match.
- 3
Room by room install
Floors and furniture covered, one room at a time. Old units out, opening checked for rot, casements set in a sill pan, foamed and sealed. No opening is left open overnight.
- 4
Trim and walkthrough
Inside stops or casing and outside trim finished. We crank every sash with you, show you the locks, and put photos in your job folder.
Situations and options
Grilles that keep the old look
A casement with a horizontal grille bar at mid-height reads like a double hung from the street. Useful on the front of the house when you want the crank only where you live.
Wide opening, two casements
A wide double hung becomes two casements mulled together, hinged on the outside edges so they open like a pair of shutters. Trimmed as one unit inside and out.
Casement plus picture unit
One casement for air and a fixed unit for the view. Fewer moving parts, more glass, and a lower count of sashes to crank.
Replace Double Hung Windows With Casements — Opening by Opening: questions, answered
Can you replace double hung windows with casements in the same opening?
Yes, in most openings. The casement is ordered to the existing opening, and a wide opening may take two casements mulled together or a casement beside a fixed unit. Bedroom windows get an egress check first. The swap does not need new framing unless you change the opening size.
Are casement windows less drafty than double hungs?
Usually, yes. A casement sash pulls into its weatherstrip on all four sides when it is locked, while a double hung relies on weatherstrip sliding along the tracks and the meeting rail. How well either one performs also depends on the install: a square frame, a sill pan, foam and sealed joints.
Which side should a casement window hinge on?
Hinge it so the open sash catches the breeze toward the room and swings away from anything outside, such as a deck rail, a walkway or a shrub. In a pair, the hinges usually go on the outside edges. We mark the hinge side for each opening at the measure.
Will a casement still meet egress in a bedroom?
Often it does better than the double hung it replaces, because a casement opens its full width. We measure the clear opening the new casement will give before ordering. If an opening falls short, you see the options on the quote, such as a larger casement or a resized opening, before anything is ordered.
Can casement windows look like my other double hung windows?
Yes. A grille bar across the middle of the glass makes a casement read like a double hung from the street, and the exterior color and trim can match the rest of the house. Many people switch the back and side windows and keep the front looking the same.
Do I need to replace every double hung at once?
No. The quote lists each opening on its own line, so you can do the windows you use most now and the rest later. Ordering them together keeps color and glass matched and means one install visit. Sometimes a repair is enough on a window you are keeping, and we will tell you.
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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