Lower City · Downtown
Glass help for Downtown, Beasley and Corktown
Beasley and Corktown are two of Hamilton's first four neighbourhoods, so downtown is where the housing runs oldest. One block can hold a brick rowhouse with its original sash, a tower full of balcony sliders and a shop door on King Street, each with its own rules. We don't fix glass ourselves. Tell us what broke and roughly where, and we'll connect you with an independent pro who takes on jobs downtown.
At a glance
- Housing
- Some of the city's oldest brick homes, alongside towers
- Heritage
- The MacNab-Charles heritage conservation district and designated buildings
- Main streets
- James Street North, King Street and the LRT corridor
- Common jobs
- Sash repair, storefront glass, balcony sliders
Old brick homes and original sash
If your rowhouse still has its tall wood sash, it usually fails in small ways. A cord snaps and the window won't stay up. Putty dries and falls out, and the pane rattles. Water sits on the sill until the bottom rail goes soft.
Those are repairs, not reasons for a new window. A pro who works on old sash can re-cord it, reglaze it and patch the wood. The City's heritage staff take the same view: their heritage windows guidance favours repairing originals, with storms for the drafts.
Where an earlier owner put in vinyl, the usual complaint is a foggy window. The sealed unit, the glass part some Hamiltonians call a thermopane, has lost its seal, and it can often be replaced in the frame you have.
MacNab-Charles and the LRT corridor: what needs approval
Heritage. MacNab-Charles is one of the City's heritage conservation districts, and other downtown buildings are designated on their own. On those properties, replacing a window or door, or even a removable storm, needs a Heritage Permit first. There's no fee, but any building permit waits for it. A repair to broken glass usually needs no Heritage Permit. Our heritage district windows guide walks through the steps.
The LRT corridor. Near the King Street LRT line, the City says Metrolinx may need to approve work before a building permit is issued. That matters most for permit work, like a new or bigger opening. On or near King, ask the City or the pro to check before the work is booked.
Apartments and condos: balcony doors and sealed units
About a third of Hamilton households rent, and plenty of people live in towers. In a suite, the usual jobs are a balcony slider that drags or won't latch, a foggy sealed unit and a torn screen.
Check who's in charge of the glass first. In a rental building, start with management. In a condo, the corporation may control the windows and balcony door, so read your declaration or ask the board before anyone quotes. Once you're cleared, a dragging slider often needs rollers or an adjustment rather than a new door; see sliding door repair.
Storefronts on James Street North and King Street
James Street North's galleries have hosted a monthly Art Crawl from 2005 on, and like the shops on King Street, they sell from behind a lot of plate glass. When a shop window breaks:
- Keep people back and leave large pieces where they are.
- Photograph everything for your insurer before it's swept up.
- Get the opening boarded or temporarily glazed.
- Have the permanent glass measured. Glass in doors must be safety glass under the building code, so it's made to order.
Storefront glass repair covers frames and closers too. Planning a bigger façade change? Look at the City's commercial incentive programs first.
Jobs we match downtown
- Wood window repair: cords, putty and soft sills, without changing the look from the street.
- Broken window glass: a cracked pane in a house or shop, usually with no Heritage Permit needed.
- Balcony sliders: rollers, tracks and latches, once management or the board agrees.
- Foggy sealed units: new glass in a sound frame.
Send the request with a photo and your nearest cross streets.
Downtown questions
Is every old downtown house covered by heritage rules?
No. Only houses designated on their own or inside the MacNab-Charles district are covered. Plenty of downtown houses are neither, and the City's heritage map shows which applies to your address. If yours is covered, new windows, doors or storms need the permit before work starts, while reglazing or new cords usually don't.
Our MacNab-Charles house has a cracked sash pane. Do we call the City or a glass pro first?
Usually the glass pro. The City treats repairing broken window glass as work that normally doesn't need a Heritage Permit. Replacing the whole window, the sash or a storm is different, and that's when the City comes first. Ask the pro to keep the existing sash and match the old glass as closely as they can. Broken window glass explains how a single pane is replaced.
My place is on King Street by the LRT. Does Metrolinx get a say?
Possibly. The City says that along the corridor, Metrolinx may have to approve the work before a building permit is issued, so it matters most for work like a new or enlarged opening. For anything else near King Street, ask the City or the pro who quotes before booking. Other Lower City pages are on our service areas list.
Our James Street North shop window was smashed. What comes first?
Clear the sidewalk and doorway, then photograph everything before it's swept up, because your insurer will want the pictures. Get the opening boarded or temporarily glazed, then have the permanent glass measured. Send us the address and photos, and we'll find you a pro who handles storefront glass.