Window Replacement
We've built our name on not replacing windows. But some are truly past saving — and when the wood is gone, we'll tell you plainly and do the replacement right, including built-to-match replication for historic homes.
replacement
Before
AfterThe window replacement page
written by people who hate writing it.
Everything else on this site argues for repair, and we mean every word of it. But honesty cuts both ways, and here is the other edge: some windows are past saving. Wood is an organic material with a failure threshold, and when decades of deferred maintenance push a window past it, repair stops being the smart-money choice and becomes a sentimental one. A company that always says "replace" is selling; a company that could never say "replace" would be selling too. This page exists so that when we say it, you know what's behind the word.
Where we draw the line
Our threshold is concrete: when more than half of a window's structural wood is decayed, or the frame has failed as a structure — racked out of square, separated from the wall framing, joints gone throughout — replacement wins. Below that line, the math favors repair, emphatically: a rotted frame corner, a failed sash, even multiple bad components together still come in around 80% less than a new unit. Above the line, repair becomes archaeology — rebuilding so much wood that you've paid replication prices for repair outcomes. We probe, we map the decay, and we show you which side of the line your window sits on. In a typical whole-house assessment across Montclair, Chatham, or Westfield, most windows land on the repair side; one or two may not. You fix accordingly — not by the dozen.
Replication: replacement that respects the house
For the pre-war housing stock we work in, the stock replacement window is a small act of vandalism — flattened profiles, fattened frames, muntins printed between glass. When an original window in a historic home is truly gone, the right replacement is a replicated one: a new wood window built to the original's joinery, profiles, and sightlines, glazed and finished so the facade reads exactly as it did. It's the approach landmark districts expect — our historic restoration practice handles the approval details — and it's the difference between replacing a window and erasing one. Where history isn't at stake, we spec quality wood units sized to the true opening, installed square, flashed properly, and finished inside and out.
Why the honesty is the product
Wood window replacement through RotGone carries a structural advantage no replacement company can offer: our diagnosis has no thumb on the scale. Repair is our business; every replacement verdict costs us a repair job, so it's issued only when the wood leaves no argument. That incentive design — more than any slogan — is why our Google rating stands at 5.0 and why contractors and neighbors keep sending us second-opinion calls. Fully insured, 5-year workmanship warranty on workmanship, photo answers the same day, working Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM from West Caldwell.
Honest replacement & replication for Montclair, Millburn, Glen Ridge, Chatham, Livingston, Summit, Wayne & Westfield · (973) 564-0958
The whole-house pitch: every window replaced because two are failing — $23,000+ projects built on scope inflation.
Ten good windows in a dumpsterReplace the openings that fail the 50% test, repair the rest at ~80% less — every line item visible before you sign.
The house keeps its good woodReplacement done the way
a repair company does it.
The honest triage
Photo first, then onsite probing of every suspect opening. Each window gets a verdict: repair, replace, or watch.
Within 1–2 daysScope you can read
A line-item estimate — repairs priced as repairs, replacements as replacements, replication options where history warrants.
In writing, freeInstall & finish
New units set plumb and square, flashed and sealed correctly, interior and exterior finished — workmanship warrantied 5 years.
1–2 weeksPrefer to talk first? Call (973) 564-0958 — Mon–Fri, 8 AM–6 PM.
The questions we answer
with no sale riding on them.
How do you decide a window is beyond repair?
We probe and map the wood, then apply the rule we publish everywhere: if more than half the structural wood is decayed, or the frame has lost its geometry — racked out of square, pulled from the wall, joints failed throughout — replacement is the honest call. Below that line, repair wins on cost, on preservation, and usually on wood quality. The assessment that produces the verdict is free, happens within 1–2 days, and comes with both prices in writing.
Why should I take replacement advice from a repair company?
Precisely because we don't need the answer to be "replace." A replacement company's diagnosis and its revenue point the same direction; ours point opposite ways — every window we replace is a window we didn't repair. So when we tell you a window is past saving, that conclusion survived a bias running against it. It's the same reason a second opinion means more coming from a doctor who doesn't perform the surgery.
What is window replication, and when is it worth it?
Replication means building a new wood window to match the original — same joinery, profiles, muntin pattern, and sightlines — rather than forcing a catalog unit into a historic opening. It's the right answer when a window in a pre-war or landmark home is genuinely gone but the house's face is worth keeping: the new window disappears into the facade instead of announcing itself. It costs more than a stock insert and less than you'd fear, and for landmark districts it's often the approvable path. See historic window restoration for how we handle commission requirements.
Can you replace just one window, or do you only do whole houses?
One window is a completely normal job for us — in fact it's the typical outcome of our assessments: one or two openings past the line, the rest repairable. That's the arithmetic the whole-house replacement industry prefers not to run, since selling twelve windows pays better than replacing two and repairing the rest. Mixed scopes — replace here, repair there, reglaze the rest — are our specialty, priced line by line.
What does window replacement cost through RotGone?
A quality wood window replacement runs into four figures per opening installed — there's no honest way around that number, and whole-house projects in our area start near $23,000, which is exactly why we exhaust repair first. What we control is scope discipline: you replace only the openings that fail the 50% test, repair the rest at roughly 80% less, and see every line item before committing. Replacement work carries the same 5-year workmanship warranty on installation workmanship as our repairs.
The pages that might
save your windows.
Get the verdict from someone
who'd rather repair it.
Send photos of your worst windows. If they're savable, we'll save you thousands. If they're gone, you'll hear it straight — with a replacement plan that respects the house.