Replace Original Wood Windows — Painted Sash and Storms Out for Good
The house still has its first wood windows: single-pane sash painted many times over, storms hung outside, and a draft you can feel from the couch.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
To replace original wood windows, JMB Builders measures every opening in person, helps you choose a replacement material (clad wood, composite or fiberglass, or vinyl), and removes the old painted sash and the storm windows in one trip. Each opening goes in as an insert or full-frame, sealed and trimmed. Twin Cities metro to St. Cloud. Priced per opening; send photos for a reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
- Priced per opening, windows supplied
- Old sash, weights and storms hauled away
- Insert or full-frame, decided per opening
Original wood windows show up on houses from every decade before vinyl took over: sash on cords and weights or on spring balances, single-pane glass in glazing putty, and a storm window outside doing most of the insulating. After decades of paint, many sashes are stuck, the sills are weathered and the storms rattle. This page is about taking them out and putting new windows in. Sometimes a repair is enough, and we will tell you.
The first decision is what goes in. Clad wood keeps real wood inside to paint or stain, with vinyl or aluminum outside. Andersen's 200 and 400 Series are wood with a vinyl exterior, and the E-Series is wood with aluminum cladding. Composite and fiberglass, such as Andersen's 100 Series in Fibrex, need no paint at all. Vinyl is the lowest-maintenance and usually the least expensive. We set the choices side by side by opening at the in-home measure.
The second decision is how each opening is done. An insert sets the new window inside the old frame and leaves the interior casing alone. Full-frame takes the old frame out to the studs and is the right call where the sill is soft or the opening is badly out of square. Either way the storms come off and are not needed again. 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
- Your choice of material, color inside and out, glass and grilles
- Which rooms you want to keep the existing interior casing in
- Clear access to each window: furniture pulled back about three feet
- Photos of each window inside and out, with a storm window in one shot
What JMB supplies
- In-person measure of every opening before anything is ordered
- One order for the whole house so colors and glass match
- A quote broken out by opening, easy to compare or phase
- Old sashes, weights, pulleys and storm windows removed and hauled away
- Empty weight pockets insulated and pulley holes sealed
- Sill pan and flashing on full-frame openings, foam and sealant on every one
- Interior stops or casing and exterior capping or trim
- Floors and furniture covered; each room closed up the same day
How it is priced: per opening
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Replacement material: clad wood, composite or fiberglass, or vinyl
- Insert or full-frame on each opening
- Rot found in the sill or frame once the old sash is out
- Exterior finish: aluminum capping over the old wood or new PVC trim
- Glass package, grilles and interior wood finish
- Number of openings and how many are upstairs or over a roof
Send a photo of each elevation of the house and one close-up of the worst sill. Tell us which rooms have casing you want kept.
How long it takes
Inserts: several openings a day; full-frame: fewer. Each room is finished and closed before we leave. 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
Clad wood inside, low-upkeep outside
For houses where the interior wood matters. The new sash is wood you paint or stain to match your trim; the outside is vinyl or aluminum that does not need paint.
Composite or fiberglass
No wood to paint inside or out, stiff frames and dark colors available on some lines. A good fit when the interior trim is already painted.
Vinyl
The lowest upkeep and usually the lowest price per opening. Interior frame is vinyl, so it reads differently next to stained wood casing.
Storms gone for good
Storm windows and their screws come off, holes are filled, and the outside frame is capped or trimmed. New insulated glass replaces what the storm was doing.
Replace Original Wood Windows — Painted Sash and Storms Out for Good: questions, answered
What should replace original wood windows?
It depends on the inside of the house. If you have stained or painted wood trim you love, clad wood windows keep wood on the room side. If the trim is painted and you want no upkeep, composite, fiberglass or vinyl all work. We go through the options by opening at the free in-home estimate.
Do I need storm windows after replacing my old wood windows?
No. A storm window was there to add a second layer to single-pane glass. New windows come with insulated glass, so the storms come off, the screw holes are filled and the outside frame is capped or trimmed.
Can old wood windows be replaced without tearing out the interior trim?
Yes, with insert windows. The new window sits inside the old frame and only the interior stops change, so the casing and the wall around it stay. Where a sill or frame is rotted, that opening goes full-frame and gets new casing in a stock profile.
Are my original single pane wood windows worth keeping?
Some are, if the sash and sill are sound and you are willing to keep up paint, putty and storms. Many are past that, with soft sills, broken cords and sashes painted shut. We look at each opening at the measure and tell you which ones are worth keeping.
Can I replace old wood windows a few at a time?
Yes. The quote is written line by line by opening, so you can do the worst side of the house first and the rest later. Ordering the same line and color each time keeps the house matching; we note the exact product on your quote.
How long does replacing original wood windows take?
Install runs room by room, and each room is closed up before the end of the day. Inserts go faster than full-frame openings. The longer wait is the order itself, which depends on the brand and is written on the quote.
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
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All windows pages
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