Broken window glass
Cracked or smashed window glass: what to do first, and who fixes it
A branch through the glass in an ice storm and a ball through a basement pane in July call for the same order: make the room safe, photograph the damage, close the opening, then have the glass replaced properly. In Kingston, Ontario, that last step depends on the window. A single pane in an old wood sash can usually be reglazed; a cracked thermal unit in a later window is replaced with a new unit made to size. We connect you with an independent local glazier who does that kind of work and quotes it.
- Safe tonight, proper glass after
- Reglazing for old wood sash
- Cracked thermal units replaced on their own
The first hour
The first hour: clear the glass and close the opening
Freezing rain comes several times in most Kingston winters, and the 1998 ice storm reached the city too. Whatever broke the glass, the steps are the same.
Make it safe
Keep children and pets well away. Wear shoes and heavy gloves, and lift out only the pieces that are already loose; don't pull on glass still held in the frame. Tape across a cracked pane helps it hold together.
Photograph it before cleaning up
Take wide shots of the window and room, then close-ups of the break and its cause. Insurers and landlords ask for them, and glaziers use them too.
Close the opening
Heavy plastic taped to the inside and outside of the frame keeps out wind and snow for a night or two. For a large hole, a ground-floor window or a longer wait, plywood screwed to the frame is sturdier.
Honest timing
Tonight's cover, and the glass that follows
Most broken windows can be made safe and weathertight the same day. The permanent glass can take longer.
A single pane of ordinary glass in a wood sash can sometimes be cut and fitted on one visit. Thermal units, tempered glass and laminated glass are made to order after measuring, so there's usually a gap before the install.
That's why a good temporary cover matters. The pro will tell you what's possible on the first visit and when the glass should be ready. What we do promise is to pass your request to someone who does this work, and to follow up if it goes quiet.
Which kind of window
Single-pane sash or a cracked thermal unit?
Roughly one Kingston home in five goes back before 1961, and many in the old core still have single glass in wood sash behind storms. Later homes mostly have thermal units.
Reglazing wood sash in older homes
The glazier removes the old putty and points, fits a new pane cut to size and beds it in fresh glazing compound. The sash stays as it was. If the neighbouring putty is failing too, ask about wood window repair while the sash is out.
Replacing a sealed unit
A crack in a double- or triple-pane window means replacing the whole thermal unit. The frame stays; a new unit is made to size and set in the same opening, as with a fogged thermal unit.
Safety glass
Where the code requires tempered or laminated glass
Some glass has to break safely. The Ontario Building Code calls for tempered or laminated safety glass in places such as sliding doors, storm doors, sidelights that could be mistaken for a door, and shower or bathtub enclosures. A broken pane there gets safety glass in return; see door glass replacement.
For an ordinary window, the glazier checks what was there and what the current code asks for. Tempered glass usually carries a small etched mark in one corner, so photograph it if you can.
What affects the quote
What changes the price of replacement glass
Glass is priced to the job, so these are what the glazier will ask about:
- Single pane or a double or triple thermal unit
- Size, shape and thickness of the glass
- Tempered, laminated, Low-E or patterned glass where needed
- Whether the sash comes out or the glass is replaced in place
- Access, such as upper floors or basement window wells
- A temporary cover or board-up before the permanent glass
Ask whether a visit or an after-hours call carries its own charge; practices differ between glaziers.
Heritage homes
Heritage homes: window glass and the maintenance exemption
On a designated property, changing windows needs a heritage permit, but work the City defines as maintenance is exempt, according to its heritage permits page. Like-for-like glass may fall under that, but the City's building permit page also mentions work on heritage buildings, so if your house is designated or sits in the Barriefield, Market Square or Old Sydenham heritage conservation districts, a short call to Heritage Planning before the glazier starts settles it.
The City's Window Renovations in Heritage Buildings Policy is available on request. Our guide to limestone and heritage home windows explains how to find out whether your house is designated.
Renting
Rented homes: tenant, landlord and who books the repair
Close to half of Kingston households rent. If you're a tenant, make the room safe, cover the opening if you can, and tell your landlord promptly in writing, with the photos.
If you're a landlord managing from out of town, a photo-first request lets a glazier quote before anyone visits. Who pays depends on the lease and the cause; the glazier simply quotes the glass. Our move-in and move-out repair guide covers glass and window screens at turnover.
Questions
Broken window glass questions
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Related glass help in Kingston
Glaziers replace broken window glass across Kingston and nearby, including Sydenham Ward, University District, Kingscourt, Portsmouth Village and Gananoque.
Send a photo for a quote on the glass
Send a photo of the break, one of the whole window and its rough size. We'll pass it to a Kingston glazier who replaces window glass, and they'll quote the pane or thermal unit.