New windows
New windows for a Hamilton home: permits, ratings and the right installer
Sometimes the window really is done: the frame is soft, the sash won't close square, and new glass or parts would only buy a season. The City's heritage guidance leans toward keeping old windows where it can, and so do we, so rule out a new sealed unit first. If replacement it is, we connect you with an independent installer in Hamilton, Ontario who measures, quotes and does the job.
- Permits and heritage rules explained
- Honest about which rebates still exist
- Matched with an independent installer
Is it done?
Signs the whole window, not just the glass, is finished
Fogged glass, a stripped crank or a draft don't mean replacement on their own; the windows page covers those fixes. These do:
Soft wood at the sill or corners
Push a screwdriver into the sill. If it sinks in, rot has got into the frame, and new glass won't fix that.
A frame that's split, bowed or pulling away
When the frame has moved, the sash can't seal, and water finds the gap.
Water coming in around the window
Stains on the wall below or the trim beside mean the problem is the frame or the flashing, not the glass.
Everything failing at once
Several fogged units, worn hardware and no parts left: at that point, repair costs add up past a new window.
Permits
Permits in Hamilton: same-size swaps vs new, bigger or moved openings
Hamilton's rule is simple. The City's building permit page says replacing existing windows at the same size and in the same location doesn't need a building permit, unless a fire-resistance rating applies to that wall. Creating an opening, making one bigger, moving one, or repairing the lintel above it does need a permit, and that includes enlarging a basement window for a bedroom.
The same rules apply in the former towns like Dundas; Burlington and Grimsby have their own permit offices.
Heritage districts and designated homes need a Heritage Permit first
If your house is individually designated, or sits in one of Hamilton's heritage districts (seven long-standing ones, plus Melville-Park West in Dundas, designated in 2026), replacing windows needs a Heritage Permit before anything else. That includes removable storm windows and doors. There's no fee, and any building permit waits for it. The City's heritage windows guidance prefers repair and asks that true replacements match the originals. Our heritage district guide shows how to check your address.
Two ways to install
Insert vs full-frame installation
Both are same-size replacements. The difference is how much of the old window stays.
Insert, sometimes called retrofit
The old sash and glass come out and the new window fits inside the existing frame, which is trimmed and capped. It's quicker and leaves inside trim and plaster alone, but it needs a dry, solid old frame and gives up a little glass.
Full-frame
Everything comes out to the rough opening. The installer can see any rot, then insulate and seal around the new frame properly. More work and more disruption inside and out, and the right choice when the frame itself is the problem.
Reading the label
Reading the label: ENERGY STAR Canada is one national standard
Some window ads still quote regional ratings. Starting in 2020, ENERGY STAR Canada moved to one national standard for windows, the same in Hamilton as anywhere else. A certified window has been tested against it, and the label or the NRCan listing shows the rating.
Ask for the certification on the exact product being quoted, not the brand in general. If someone promises a window will cut your heating bill by a set amount, ask what it's based on; real claims rest on tested ratings.
Double or triple pane? Certified double-pane windows meet the standard. Triple pane adds weight, cost and some comfort near the glass, and can be worth pricing for an exposed bedroom on the Mountain. Get both quoted and compare the ratings.
Rebates
Rebates in 2026: what exists and what has closed
Short version: there's one program, it's modest, and it has conditions. Ontario's Home Renovation Savings program, run by Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy, pays back per rough opening for ENERGY STAR certified windows and doors. It's listed among rebates that need an energy evaluation of the home and two or more upgrades, so windows alone may not qualify. Check the program page before you sign anything.
The federal home retrofit grant has closed. The City's Better Homes Hamilton loan pilot never covered windows and has ended, and there's no City program for ordinary window replacement. Designated heritage homes are the exception: the City offers heritage grants and interest-free loans for work on them, which can include restoring windows. See its heritage windows page for current terms.
What affects the quote
What drives the price of replacement windows
There's no honest per-window price without seeing the house. These are what move it:
- How many windows, and their sizes and styles
- Insert or full-frame installation
- Frame material, glass and whether the product is ENERGY STAR certified
- Shapes, grilles, colours, or matching originals on a heritage house
- The state of the opening: rot, a lintel or a sill that needs work
- Access, such as upstairs windows or a tight side yard
- Permit work if an opening changes size
A list of rooms and rough sizes is enough for a first conversation with an installer.
Before you sign
Comparing quotes and your rights under Ontario's Consumer Protection Act
Most complaints about window companies aren't about windows. They're about quotes that grow at the door, unexplained lump sums, and calls that stop once the deposit is paid.
Get at least two written quotes that list each window by room and size, the product and its rating, insert or full-frame, trim and capping, disposal of the old windows, and who handles any permit. Ask what could change after the final measure. If a patio door is going too, have it quoted at the same time. Still weighing repair? See the repair-or-replace guide.
Ontario law helps too. If you sign a contract at home, you generally have a cooling-off period to cancel it without giving a reason, starting when you receive your written copy. And a final bill can't run far over the written estimate unless you agree to the new price. Keep the estimate.
Questions
Window replacement questions
Explore your options
Related window and door options
Installers work across the city and the former towns, including the Mountain, Stoney Creek, Durand, Dundas and Ancaster.
List the windows you want replaced
Rooms and rough sizes are plenty to start, plus whether you're in a heritage district if you know. We pass it to an independent installer who covers your part of the city, and they arrange a time to measure and quote.