Prior Lake, Minnesota
Honest Window Replacement in Prior Lake, MN
Half the lake houses we quote in Prior Lake have three or four window vintages in one building: a few original cabin units at the back, a 1980s addition with aluminum sliders, and a newer great room with picture glass. They are three different jobs, and a quote that treats them as one number is a quote that has not looked.
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A cabin grown in stages has no standard opening
The old streets around Lakefront Park are the slow work. Openings in a cabin that has been added onto twice are rarely the same size twice, and decades of settling leave the jambs out of square, so each unit is measured on site and ordered to that opening. Mature trees hang over those blocks and drop debris onto the sills and into the tie ins above the windows, which is why we look at the head flashing before we quote glass. On the water side the questions change: glare, solar heat and how much of the view a frame eats. Inland, in the 1990s and 2000s plats around Spring Lake, it is a straightforward swap. Either way, we set the interior back to a clean line, and if the return needs new drywall, we handle that too rather than leaving it torn open.
Window Replacement in Prior Lake
The difference on a lake house
Glare and heat off the water
South and west rooms facing the lake take direct sun plus what bounces off the water. A low emissivity coating on those units cuts the heat and the fading without turning the view gray.
One sightline across a stitched house
When a cabin, an addition and a newer wing all carry different windows, the front reads as three houses. Matching frame color, grille pattern and sash height across the whole elevation pulls it back together.
Sills that stay dry under trees
Overhanging limbs keep the old lake streets damp and drop debris into the seams above the windows. New units get head flashing and a sloped sill so water leaves instead of soaking in.
Legal egress in a finished lower level
Plenty of these houses gained bedrooms below grade during a remodel. If a sleeping room is down there, the window has to meet egress size and sill height, and we size the opening for it.
Racked openings squared and shimmed
An addition that has moved for forty years leaves a jamb out of plumb, which is why the old sash sticks. We shim the new frame square so the lock pulls tight.
A porch room usable in January
Three season porches on the lake often got finished as living space with single pane sliders left in place. Replacing those with insulated units is what makes the room work through a Minnesota winter.
Working on a house at the water
Vintages mapped before anything is ordered
We walk the house and list every window by age and type first, because a 1950s cabin unit, an aluminum slider and a 2001 vinyl unit are three separate decisions.
Shoreland rules checked up front
Property near the water sits in a DNR shoreland district. We find out what the city wants reviewed before work starts, so nothing stalls once the openings are open.
Finished rooms covered and cleaned
Lake houses have finished floors right up to the window wall. Floors get covered, old sash goes straight out to the truck, and we vacuum the sill line before we leave.
We stay out of the shoreline buffer
Ladders and material get staged on the drive side rather than trampling the vegetated strip along the water, which matters on a lot that drops toward the lake.
Family run, and you deal with us
Orange Exteriors is a family business, faith based, and the person who measures your windows is the person you can call about them later.
What people near Prior Lake say
Orange Exteriors did an excellent job with my new roofing install. Very professional, on time and hard working crew. Completed the job in one day.
Dick JohnsonRoof installation We live in Eden Prairie. Orange did an excellent job on our siding replacement and provided great customer service all the way through.
Thomas DeSutterSiding replacement, Eden Prairie, MN Fantastic guys to work with, did an excellent job of fixing our siding. You can tell it’s a high integrity company. Definitely recommend.
Carolyn MillerSiding repair
Questions from lake homeowners
What people in Prior Lake ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Does replacing windows on a Prior Lake lakeshore home need shoreland approval?
Usually not, if the new units go into the existing openings and nothing about the structure changes. Shoreland rules bite when you enlarge an opening, add a dormer or push a wall closer to the water. Since the whole shoreline sits in a DNR district, we check with the city before ordering rather than after.
My Prior Lake cabin has additions with mismatched windows. Can they be made to match?
On the outside, yes, within reason. Frame color, grille pattern and sash proportion can be carried across the whole house even when the openings are different sizes. What you cannot always match is head height, since the addition floor may sit at a different level. We will show you what will line up and what will not.
Casement or double hung for a room facing the lake?
It depends on the wind and the screen. A casement gives a cleaner view and seals tighter against a west breeze off the water, but the screen sits inside and the sash swings out over a deck. Double hung units keep the screen outside and are easier to reach on a tall wall. Rooms facing the water usually favor casements.
Have your Prior Lake windows looked at
Send us the rough age of the house and which rooms face the water. We will come out, list what you have opening by opening, and quote it at no cost.
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Tell us what is going on with your roof, siding, windows, or gutters. We will take a look and give you a straight answer, including when the answer is that you can wait.
- Phone(612) 600-8529
- Emailadmin@orange-exteriors.com
- Office6600 City West Pkwy Suite 375, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
- HoursOpen 24 hours, Sunday to Saturday
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