Wolfe Island · Frontenac Islands
Wolfe Island windows and screens, planned around the ferry
Wolfe Island is a free ferry ride from Kingston, Ontario, and part of the Township of Frontenac Islands. Many of its houses are cottages that sit empty through the winter, and the island's population swells each summer, so window work here follows the season: window screens and glass at spring opening, storms and drafts before fall. We connect you with independent pros, but not every Kingston pro takes island jobs. We check by postal code and tell you honestly whether someone covers the island.
At a glance
- Getting there
- Free provincial ferry from Kingston
- Housing
- Nearly all detached houses; many seasonal cottages
- Usual jobs
- Window screens, cracked panes, storm windows, patio doors
- Permits
- Township of Frontenac Islands
Island homes and cottages
Across the Township of Frontenac Islands, nearly every home is a detached house, and a good number are nobody's year-round address. When something breaks in February, often no one sees it until April.
So the list at opening is damage found late: a pane cracked by frost or a branch, window screens torn by wind or animals, a patio door seized in its track, a storm panel blown loose.
Spring opening: window screens, glass and storms
- Window screens: torn mesh is replaced in the frame, and screens can travel to the mainland for the work and come back finished.
- Broken window glass: a cracked pane is made safe, then new glass is cut or a thermal unit is made to size.
- Storm windows: storm panels swapped, refitted or replaced before the season turns.
- Glass cut to size: single panes for old sash, storm panels and cottage doors, cut from your measurements.
Photo-first, so the right glass is on the first ferry
Every crossing takes planning, so the more the pro knows beforehand, the better the chance one visit does it. Send:
- a photo of the whole window or door, inside and out;
- close-ups of the damage and of the frame corner;
- measurements of the glass or screen frame, with the tape visible in the photo;
- whether it is single glass, a thermal unit or a screen.
Single panes and screen mesh can often come over ready; a thermal unit is made to measure, so the pro may measure first and return with it. Ask the pro how they handle the crossing. Start a request with your postal code.
Wind off the lake
The island is open to the water on every side, and the wind turbines across its fields are there for a reason. Wind pulls window screens out of their splines, slams storm doors until the closers give out, and rattles loose storm panels. Before closing up in fall, check that storms are latched and that combination windows have the glass down, not the screen.
Permits from the Township of Frontenac Islands
Wolfe Island is in the Township of Frontenac Islands, which handles its own building permits; the City of Kingston's rules don't apply. We haven't confirmed the Township's requirements for window work. Ask the Township before any job that changes an opening's size or adds a window. Repairs and like-for-like glass rarely raise the question, but confirm first. Other areas we check are on the service areas page.
Wolfe Island questions
Will a pro take the ferry to Wolfe Island?
Some will, and we check before saying so. Not every Kingston pro takes island jobs. Send your postal code, photos and measurements with the request. If a pro who covers the island takes it, they contact you to plan the visit; if none does, we tell you plainly. Travel arrangements and any trip charge are between you and the pro.
Can our cottage window screens be fixed on the mainland and brought back?
Often, yes. Screens are light and come out of their frames easily, so many pros would rather take them to the shop, rescreen them there and bring them back finished. Label each screen by window before it leaves. Frames that are bent or missing are made to size from your measurements. See window screen repair.
What should we send so the pro brings the right glass across?
Measure the glass itself, width and height, and photograph the tape across it. Add a photo of the whole window and one of a frame corner, and say whether it's single glass, a thermal unit or a storm panel. Single panes can often be cut in advance from that. A thermal unit usually needs the pro's own measurement first. See glass cut to size.
Can photos replace the first visit to the island?
Sometimes. For window screens, single panes and simple hardware, clear photos and measurements can be enough to price the job and bring the parts. For a thermal unit, a patio door or anything out of square, most pros still measure in person, and photos make that visit better planned.
Should storm windows stay on a Wolfe Island cottage over winter?
Yes, if the cottage sits empty. Storms protect the sash and glass from wind, rain and snow while nobody is there to notice damage. Latch combination storms with the glass down. Take wood storms down in spring and store them flat and dry. See storm windows.