Modern Farmhouse Window Replacement — Black Frames, Simple Grilles
A 1990s or 2000s house with white vinyl windows and colonial grilles, and you want it to read as modern farmhouse from the street.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Modern farmhouse window replacement turns a newer house's white builder windows into the look people ask for: black exterior frames, no grilles or a simple pattern, and casements or double hungs sized to the wall. JMB Builders measures every opening, orders the house as one job and installs room by room across the Twin Cities metro. Priced per opening; photo reply within one business day, or a free in-home estimate.
- Priced per opening, windows supplied
- Black outside; white, black or wood inside
- Sliders can become casements
This page is for newer houses getting the modern farmhouse look, not old farmhouses. The usual starting point is a two-story or rambler from the 1990s or 2000s with white vinyl sliders or double hungs, grilles in every sash and a light siding color. The goal is a cleaner face: dark frames, bigger-looking glass and a simpler pattern.
Three choices make the look. Frame color: black outside, with white, black or wood inside. Grilles: none, top sash only, or a simple two-wide pattern instead of a full colonial grid. Style: casements read as one tall pane, so many people swap sliders for casements and keep double hungs only where they already work. Black is sold only on certain lines; Andersen's 100 Series lists Black in Fibrex composite, and other makers offer black in fiberglass, clad wood or capped vinyl. We confirm the line with our ABC branch before the quote is final for any brand other than Andersen.
The windows are half the look; the trim is the other half. Outside, the old frame is wrapped in black coil or trimmed in PVC, and some owners pair the job with board and batten or new siding. Inside, wide flat casing finishes the style. 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
- Exterior and interior frame colors, and the grille pattern for each elevation
- Which openings switch style, such as sliders to casements
- Whether the front door and garage service door change color too
- Photos of each side of the house and of the main rooms
What JMB supplies
- In-person measure of every opening before anything is ordered
- One order for the house so the black and the glass match on every opening
- A quote by opening, easy to phase front elevation first
- Old windows removed and hauled away
- Sill pan, flashing, low-expansion foam and black exterior sealant
- Exterior frames wrapped in black coil or trimmed in PVC
- Interior stops or flat casing, primed and caulked
How it is priced: per opening
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Frame line and material that comes in black
- Black outside only vs. black both sides vs. wood inside
- Style changes, such as sliders to casements
- Grille pattern or no grilles
- Exterior trim: coil wrap vs. new PVC trim
- New interior casing vs. new stops only
Send a photo of each side of the house and tell us which windows you want to change style.
How long it takes
Most inserts: several openings a day. A whole house is a few days of install after the windows arrive. Lead time depends on the brand and is written on the quote.
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
Black outside, white inside
The most common pick. Reads black from the street, keeps rooms bright and matches white trim and walls.
Black both sides
Frames the view like a picture inside. Works best with flat, painted casing and lighter walls.
Black outside, wood inside
Clad wood lines put stainable or paintable wood on the room side. A softer take on the look.
Front elevation first
Do the windows that face the street now and the rest later from the same line and color, written on the quote so the second phase matches.
Modern Farmhouse Window Replacement — Black Frames, Simple Grilles: questions, answered
What windows go with a modern farmhouse look?
Black exterior frames, casements or double hungs, and either no grilles or a simple pattern. Casements read as one tall pane of glass, which suits the style. The color inside can be white, black or wood.
Do modern farmhouse windows have grilles?
Many have none. Others use grilles only in the top sash of a double hung, or a simple two-wide pattern. A full colonial grid in every sash reads more traditional than modern farmhouse.
Can I change sliding windows to casements for a farmhouse look?
Yes. A casement can usually go into the same opening as a slider when the width suits a single or paired casement. For a bedroom, the new casement has to keep the egress opening; we check that at the measure.
Should I get black windows on a white house?
Black frames on white or light siding are the core of the modern farmhouse look. Pick the trim color with it: black or white trim both work, and the caulk matches the frame so the joint disappears.
Can I keep my white windows and just paint them black?
Painting a white vinyl frame is not the same as a frame made in black, and makers do not cover it the same way. If you want black, order a line that sells black. We can phase the job to spread out the cost.
What trim goes with modern farmhouse windows?
Outside, black coil or PVC trim around the window. Inside, wide flat casing with a thicker head is the usual match. Interior casing is priced on its own line and can be done with the windows or later.
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.
Related jobs we do
Black Window Replacement — Black Exterior or Interior Frames Installed
You want black windows, and you have heard that dark frames warp, fade or look wrong next to white trim. Most of that is decided at the order and the install.
Read moreGrille Patterns for Replacement Windows — Colonial, Prairie, SDL, GBG
The order form asks for a grille pattern and a grille type, and getting either one wrong is permanent. This is how we help you fill in those two boxes.
Read moreModern Farmhouse Window Trim — Wide Flat Casing With a Thick Head
Wide, plain, square-edged boards around the window with a head that reads thick and nothing fancy anywhere. The trim on most new farmhouse-style builds, put on straight and flush.
Read moreOld Farmhouse Window Replacement — Out-of-Square Openings Set Right
A farmhouse that has settled for a hundred years: no two windows the same size, none of them square, and cold air coming from inside the walls.
Read moreWhite, Black or Bronze Replacement Windows? Picking the Frame Color
Every sample board has white, black and a bronze that looks brown in the showroom and grey on the house. Here is how we help you choose before the order goes in.
Read more1.5 Story Dormer Window Replacement — Upstairs Knee Wall Bedrooms
The upstairs windows in the dormers are drafty and hard to reach, and the bedrooms up there are the coldest rooms in the house.
Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All windows pages
Where we work
Window Replacement & Installation near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: