About Rockland Window Replacement
He joined a Midcoast renovation crew in 2000, took on windows and doors alone from 2014, and still reads every sill before a price goes out.
Dave Brackett grew up in Northport, still lives there and runs every job from our office on New County Road in Rockland. Windows and doors are all we do, and no opening is priced until he has seen its sill, its jambs and its frame.
Dave Brackett
Owner, Rockland Window Replacement
- Northporthome town
- 2000first year in construction
- 2014first year replacing windows and doors only
- Windows and doors are all we do
- Free estimate requests
- 22 Midcoast towns, Rockland to Belmont
Where Did Dave Brackett Learn What Rots Under a Window?
Dave Brackett learned what rots under a window on the Midcoast renovation crews he joined in 2000, after growing up in Northport. Opening the walls of old houses showed him that water gets in at a window's sill and head for years before the glass gives any sign.
A sound-looking window could sit on a sill that a knife sank into, with water stains running down the framing below it. The paint and the caulk on the outside said nothing about what was going on behind them.
That is why he starts each job inside the opening rather than at the glass. A putty knife at the sill and a square at the frame tell him more than any brochure.
Why Did Dave Brackett Go to Windows and Doors Only?
Dave Brackett went to windows and doors only from 2014 because the opening around a window was the part he saw done wrong most often, and the part he wanted to get right every time. From then on it has been his whole trade, which is why windows and doors are all we do.
Our rule comes from those years: full-frame when the old frame is soft or racked, and an insert only when that frame is square and solid. Whenever we go full-frame, the sill pan is the first piece in, and the flashing tape is lapped into the house wrap so every layer drains onto the layer beneath it.
Foam fills the gap for air, not for water, and we use only the low-expansion kind window makers call for. Building Science Corporation's pan flashing sheet explains why the sill must be left free to drain outside.
What Will You Hear Before an Old Window Comes Out?
Before an old window comes out, you hear whether it is getting an insert or a full-frame unit, and why. When a frame is square and dry, we say an insert will do the job, because there is no reason to pay for more.
If rot shows once the old unit is out, we stop, show it to you and write up the repair before going any further. Maine's Attorney General says a change in price has to go into a written change order that both sides sign, and that is how we handle it.
On an older house you also hear about lead paint. EPA's lead rule names window replacement in a pre-1978 house as covered work no matter how small the job, so check that whoever you hire works for a firm with EPA's certification, and expect the Renovate Right pamphlet before work starts.
How Do We Put a Price on Your Windows and Doors?
We put a price on your windows and doors opening by opening, after the visit, weighing what moves a window's cost in this order: insert or full-frame, the frame material, the size and style, what the old opening hides and, in an old house, the trim on plaster inside. For a door, the slab, any sidelites or transom, a new frame or a slab swap, and the threshold under it come into it.
The figures on our pages are averages pulled from many quotes, a tool for checking a budget, never the quote for your own house. We print no per-window price, because the count of windows is only one of those drivers.
On an old street front, Dave notes the pane pattern of every window you want kept, six-over-six, two-over-two or whatever the house was built with, so the new sash can match it.
What Should You Know Before Hiring Us?
Windows and doors are all we do. That means vinyl, fiberglass and wood-clad windows, insert or full-frame, bays and bows, casements, picture and egress windows, entry doors, patio sliders and French doors. Roofs, siding, gutters, decks, kitchens, baths, additions, single-pane glass repair and storm windows on their own go to other trades.
Maine has no licensing system for general contractors, which means no state license exists for us to show. Where a town requires a permit for the work, we ask the code office first and file it, and the decision to approve it stays with the town.
Every figure is written down before work starts. 10 MRSA ยง1487 puts each home construction job above $3,000 into a written contract carrying your signature and ours, and it caps the up-front payment at a third of the contract total.
How Does a Window Job Run From Contract to Walkthrough?
A window job moves through the house one opening at a time, and each one is closed again before the next is started. Each old unit comes out, the opening is checked and flashed, and the new window is set level, sealed and trimmed, all before work moves to the next opening.
The old windows and doors leave with us, along with the scraps. On a summer house, we set the final walkthrough for before the house closes for the season, while you are still there to see it.
The last step is a walkthrough together: every sash opened and closed, every lock turned, every door swung. If something needs changing, we talk it through on the spot.
When Can Dave Look at Your Windows?
Send us your town and which windows or doors you have in mind, a few, the whole house or a door. Dave will set a time to look at each opening, then put the price in writing.