Double-Hung Window Types and Grille Options
Both sashes of a double-hung slide, so you can open the top, the bottom or both. A single-hung moves only the bottom sash. Everything else on a quote, from frame to glass to grilles, sits on top of that choice.
Tilt-In Vinyl Double-Hung Windows
Tilt-in sashes let you clean the outside glass from inside the room, which matters most on windows you can't reach with a ladder. On the second and third floors of a triple-decker, check the sill height. A low sill up there may need a guard or limiter under the fall-protection rule. Ask whether the unit you're quoted comes with sash limiters.
- Vinyl frames: about $350 to $1,500 per window installed in national data.
- What tilts: both sashes on most double-hungs; on a single-hung, only the lower one.
Wood and Clad Double-Hung Windows
A wood double-hung usually arrives unfinished and gets painted on site. A clad unit keeps the wood indoors and wraps the outside in a layer of aluminum for durability. National guides put wood windows at roughly $800 to $3,800 installed. If the original sash weights are still hanging in the jamb pockets, ask the crew to pull them out and fill the pockets with low-pressure foam made for windows, since high-expansion foam can bow the frame.
Single-Hung Windows
The top sash of a single-hung is fixed, so you can only open the bottom. That saves money. HomeAdvisor's averages are about $400 for a single-hung against $700 for a double-hung, and Fixr's 2026 range runs $250 to $700. The trade, as one guide lists it, is poorer ventilation and slightly lower energy efficiency. Single-hungs are also sold as basement units, where a prefab one costs about $100 to $400 before labor.
Grille and Divided-Lite Patterns
Grilles can be done four ways, and each one looks and cleans differently:
- Authentic divided lites: separate pieces of glass set between muntin bars, the traditional way.
- Grilles between the glass: sealed inside the insulated unit, so both glass faces stay smooth to clean.
- Simulated divided lites: bars bonded to both faces of the glass.
- Simulated divided lites with spacer bar: the same bars plus a spacer inside the glass, which comes closest to the authentic look.
On a building in the downtown district, the standards ask that the original sash type and the look of the muntin grid be kept, so check Historic Board review before you choose a pattern.
Why Lowell homeowners call Lowell Window Replacement
- One independent window contractor gets your request
- Ask for the HIC number: MA contracts must show it
- Written contract on any job over $1,000
- The call and the referral are free
Double-Hung Replacement Checklist for Older Lowell Houses
Frame condition first
If the jambs and sill are sound, an insert can go into the old frame; if they're rotted, the frame comes out too. Full-frame vs insert explains both methods and the building permit.Only the sashes are worn
A sash kit may be enough when the frame is good. Compare it on the sash replacement page before you buy whole windows.Lead paint
In a house built before 1978, ask how the crew will contain dust from the old sashes; the rules are on the lead-safe work page.Grille count on every quote
Write the pattern (six-over-six, two-over-one, none) and the grille type on each line, so two quotes price the same window.Stops and trim
Ask whether the interior stops will be reused or replaced, and who paints them.