Kingston East · Kingston, Ontario
Barriefield Village and Kingston East: windows old and new
Across the Cataraqui River from downtown Kingston, Ontario, the east side holds two very different kinds of house. Barriefield Village, one of Ontario's oldest heritage districts, is a cluster of storey-and-a-half wood and stone homes facing Fort Henry. Around it, the rest of the former Pittsburgh Township has later housing, CFB Kingston and rural roads. We're a free referral service: we pass your request to an independent local pro who does that kind of work on the east side.
At a glance
- Heritage
- Barriefield Village district, designated in 1981
- Houses
- Storey-and-a-half wood and stone in the village; later homes around it
- Common jobs
- Sash repair, storm windows, sealed units, patio doors
- Permits
- City of Kingston, with heritage approval in the village
Barriefield Village's heritage cottages
Barriefield, named in 1820 for Commodore Sir Robert Barrie, became a heritage conservation district in 1981, among the first in Ontario, and it still reads as a village: mostly detached, storey-and-a-half houses in wood or stone, looking across at Fort Henry and CFB Kingston.
The windows are part of what the district protects. Where the original wood sash survives, a window that sticks, rattles or has a cracked pane is almost always a repair: new cords or balances, reglazing, fresh putty, weatherstripping. Our wood window repair page covers the work.
Heritage approvals for windows and storms
Inside Barriefield Village, changing windows generally needs heritage approval before work begins, and a new storm window can count as a change, so ask. Maintenance is exempt; minor alterations are usually approved by City staff, and bigger changes go to the Heritage Properties Committee and Council. Ask Heritage Planning for the City's Window Renovations in Heritage Buildings Policy, which is sent on request.
Designated and contributing properties may also qualify for the City's Heritage Property Grant, which is tied to a heritage permit. The pro we match you with can supply photos and a written quote; our heritage windows guide covers stone openings and sills.
Kingston East beyond the village: later homes and sealed units
Most of Kingston East was Pittsburgh Township until it joined the city in 1998, and away from the village the housing is later. There, the jobs look like the rest of Kingston's later suburbs: a foggy window where the sealed unit has failed (local glaziers often call it a thermal unit), a patio door that drags, a torn window screen. The foggy window page sets out defogging, a new unit and a new window side by side.
Military families moving in or out
CFB Kingston began in 1914 as Camp Barriefield and is now mainly a training base, supporting the Royal Military College and many other units. Postings bring people who don't yet know anyone in the trades; a request here gets the job to a local pro without asking around.
If you rent, including military housing, check with whoever manages the home before booking a repair. Selling ahead of a posting? Fix fogged units and torn window screens before the listing photos.
Reaching the east side
Pros based on the west side of the river reach Kingston East by the Waaban Crossing, opened in 2022, or by the La Salle Causeway, which was replaced with a temporary bridge after part of it failed during repair work in 2024. Barriefield and the built-up east side are ordinary city coverage. Farther out, toward Kingston Mills and the rural east, send your address anyway and we'll check that a pro covers it before anything is booked. Send your request with a photo and whether the house is inside the Barriefield district.
Barriefield and Kingston East questions
Does window work in Barriefield Village need heritage approval?
Changing windows generally does; maintenance doesn't. Reglazing a cracked pane, replacing a sash cord or refitting weatherstripping keeps the window as it is, while new frames, different materials or a changed opening need approval before a building permit can be issued. Describe the job to Heritage Planning before booking it.
Can the wood windows on a storey-and-a-half Barriefield house be restored?
In most cases. Old wood sash can be taken out, repaired and refitted: new cords or balances, a rebuilt rail, reglazed panes, fresh putty, paint and weatherstripping. It keeps the house's original windows in place. Where a sash really is past saving, some pros can build a matching one. Our wood window repair page sets out what restoration covers.
Do you cover homes near CFB Kingston and elsewhere in Kingston East?
Yes. Kingston East is part of the city, and requests there go to local pros the same way as anywhere else in Kingston. If you rent, including military housing, check with whoever manages the home before booking anything. Otherwise, send the address, the problem and a photo.
Do Barriefield's wood houses need different window care from the stone ones?
A little. On a wood house, the trim, sill and siding around the opening are all wood, so paint, caulking and rot around the frame matter as much as the sash. On a stone house the opening is deep masonry and the sill may be stone, so the storm window's fit and the joint against the stone need attention. The sash repairs themselves are the same. Our storm windows page explains how storms fit each.
We're moving into a Barriefield house on a posting. What should we check on the windows first?
Open, close and lock every window and door, and look for cracked panes, torn window screens, missing storm windows and fog between the panes of any sealed units. Note which windows are original sash, since changes to those need heritage approval in the district. If you're renting, report problems to whoever manages the home. If you own, send photos with a request; the realtors page covers the buying and selling side.