Cottage Grove, Minnesota
Skilled Window Replacement in Cottage Grove, MN
Thompson Grove sets the pattern for most of the window work we do in Cottage Grove, where late 1950s and 1960s ramblers still carry wood double hungs and a wide living room picture window. A good share were swapped once already in the 1980s for aluminum, and both cohorts are finished now: soft sills and painted shut sash on the originals, frost running down the aluminum frames through January.
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- Licensed and insuredMinnesota exterior contractor
- 5.0 from 217 reviewsVerified on Google
- Storm and insurance workWe handle the claim with you
- Faith-based, locally ownedRefreshingly honest
Shallow eaves leave these windows exposed
On a Thompson Grove rambler the openings sit low and wide, and the eave above them is short. No overhang means wind off the river bluff drives rain straight at the head and the sill. The rot we find is almost always in the bottom sash corners and the sill horn, so the flashing matters as much as the window. Sequence counts: head flashing behind the siding, sill pan under the unit, siding trim back last. Some houses out here still carry hail bruised frames and torn screens from the August 2024 storm, which is an insurance conversation before it is a replacement one. Where water ran inside for a season we can put back the drywall and the casing under the sill, so the new unit is not sitting over a stained wall.
Window Replacement in Cottage Grove
What we do differently on a rambler
Sill pans and head flashing
The eaves on these ramblers are shallow, so rain carried on bluff wind hits the head and the sill directly. Every opening gets a pan under it and flashing above it, lapped in the right order.
Soft framing found before ordering
Sixty years of water at the bottom corners often means the rough sill and the trimmer are punky. We open it, see what is left and repair the framing rather than screwing a new window to soft wood.
Storm damage written down properly
Hail bruised frames, cracked glass and shredded screens from the August 2024 storm still turn up on houses here. We document what we find so the claim reflects the windows, not only the roof.
The front picture window done right
That wide living room unit is heavy, carries a header over it and is often the single biggest heat loss in the house. It gets its own measurements, its own glass call and enough hands on install day.
Lower level egress sizing checked
If a basement bedroom window is part of the job, the replacement has to meet egress size, not simply fill the hole. We check that opening before quoting so nobody learns about it at inspection.
Siding and trim closed back up
Long unbroken rambler walls show every patch. We do siding as well, so the trim course, the J channel and the caulk line go back looking like they were always there.
How we run a Cottage Grove window job
We probe the sill before quoting
A screwdriver in the bottom corner of a sash tells you more than a walk around the outside. We do that on the estimate visit so the scope is not a surprise later.
Storm and insurance work start to finish
We can meet the adjuster at the house, show what the hail did to the frames and the screens, and keep the window scope in the claim instead of leaving it out.
The wall closes before we leave
No opening in a Thompson Grove rambler gets plastic stapled over it overnight. Units go in and the exterior is buttoned up the same day the old ones come out.
Free estimate, and no obligation after
We look, we measure, we tell you what we would do and what we would leave alone. If the answer is that two windows need work and not eleven, that is what you get.
We work around the people inside
Ramblers put the work right where you live. We do a room at a time, cover the floor, mind the door for pets and pick up the shards as we go.
What people near Cottage Grove say
Orange Exteriors fixed a minor leak that involved replacing flashing and a few shingles blown off our roof. Timely, quality work. Great ideas to keep our roof going long term.
Jim ThomasStorm damage repair From sales to construction crew to upper management, they helped make an insurance battle a breeze. This is the best contractor interaction I have ever had.
Jim NormanRoof replacement 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
Questions from Cottage Grove
What people in Cottage Grove ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Are the original wood windows in a Cottage Grove rambler worth saving?
Usually not. These are builder double hungs from a fast postwar build, thin stock with no weight pockets worth rebuilding, and by now most are painted shut with soft bottom rails. That is a different animal from a hand built 1890s sash. If yours happen to be sound and you like them, we will say so, but it is not the common case here.
Will insurance cover window damage from the August 2024 Cottage Grove storm?
It depends on your policy and on what the adjuster finds. Broken glass and torn screens are straightforward. Hail bruising on frames and cladding is the part that gets missed, especially when the roof takes all the attention. We document the windows along with the rest of the exterior so the claim at least includes them.
Does replacing windows mean pulling off my siding?
Not always. An insert goes in from outside with the existing frame left in place and only the trim disturbed. A full frame replacement, which is what soft sills call for, means opening the wall at the perimeter, so the siding and trim around each window come off and go back. We tell you which one your house needs.
Have your rambler windows looked at
We can check the sills, the picture window header and any storm damage still open from August 2024, then leave you a written estimate with no obligation attached.
Get Your Free Exterior Estimate
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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Rated 5.0 from 217 Google reviews