Picture Window Types and Combinations
A picture window is a fixed pane that doesn't open. With no moving parts, it's simpler to build than an operable window and usually cheaper at the same size, and it's built to give you as much light and view as the opening allows. You give up ventilation, and the outside face is harder to clean.
Large Fixed Picture Windows
Large picture windows usually go in living and dining rooms, where the view matters most. Frame material moves the price:
- Vinyl: about $200 to $900 installed.
- Aluminum: about $250 to $875.
- Fiberglass: about $550 to $1,600, with narrower frames for more glass.
- Wood: about $600 to $2,000.
A big pane may have to be tempered or laminated glass, depending on its size and where it sits.
Picture Windows With Operable Flankers
Flankers are operable windows set on each side of the fixed pane. Casements are a common pairing, since they crank open and seal tight against the frame. Awning windows set under the pane do the same job from below; see awning windows for that layout. When you compare quotes, check that each one prices the whole unit (center pane, both flankers and the mulls that join them) and not just the glass.
Transom Windows Above Windows and Doors
A transom sits above a door or another window. In older houses it was there to move light and air between rooms with the doors shut, and it's often rectangular or semicircular. This Old House puts transom installation at about $200 to $650. Arched and round-top shapes are covered on the custom-shape windows page.
Direct-Set vs Sash-Set Fixed Glass
There are two ways to build a fixed window:
- Direct-set: the glass is glazed straight into the frame with no sash. The frame can be narrow, the unit can be built much larger, and the shape options go beyond rectangles.
- Sash-set: the glass sits in a sash inside a separate frame, the way it does in an operable window. Sash-set units are usually smaller, and very large ones get expensive fast.
In small sizes a direct-set unit can cost less than a sash-set one, so ask for both prices. For a wide wall of glass, direct-set is often the only practical option. Either way, ask that the frame profiles match the other windows in the room and on the outside wall.
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
Picture Window Replacement: What Moves the Price
Square footage
The price climbs with the area of glass. A small 24 x 36 inch unit is about $120 to $300 installed; a 72 x 72 inch one is about $720 to $1,800.Frame repairs
If the old frame is rotted, expect frame repair of about $150 to $600 per window on top of the swap.Labor
About $100 to $500 per window, and more for a very large pane that needs extra hands.Glass package
Fixed windows rank as the most energy-efficient style because they don't open. Low-E coatings and gas fill change the price; the energy code U-factor sets the floor.Sun on the glass
A large pane in full sun can overheat a room. Ask about the coating before you order.Downtown buildings
In the downtown historic district, replacement windows have to match the originals in size and fill the whole opening, and any exterior change there needs Historic Board approval before work starts. Talk to the board's staff before you order a bigger pane.