Window Glass Repair & Replacement

A broken window pane — whether from a ball, a storm, a fallen branch, or a break-in attempt — is a security and weather problem that needs attention quickly. Here's the right sequence:

Secure the opening first. If the pane is fully broken or has dangerous loose pieces, cover the opening with a piece of plywood or heavy plastic sheeting secured to the frame with tape or staples. This keeps weather and animals out until the glass can be replaced. We can help with temporary boarding if needed, and we'll come out promptly for that.

Don't try to remove broken tempered glass yourself. Tempered glass — required in windows near doors and in certain hazardous locations — shatters into hundreds of small pieces that scatter across the sill, floor, and window track. Cleaning it out without cuts requires thick gloves and patience. If you're not sure whether your window glass is tempered or standard, look for the certification mark etched into a corner of the remaining glass — if it says "tempered" or has a safety glass marking, it is.

Then call us. We'll come out, measure the opening, determine the correct glass type, and give you a price and timeline. Most standard window glass — single-strength and double-strength clear glass in common residential sizes — can be cut and installed within a few days. Specialty glass (tempered, insulated, low-E, patterned) takes longer because it's made to order.

We serve Newburgh, Middletown, Kingston, New Paltz, Poughkeepsie, Beacon, Fishkill, and all surrounding towns across Orange, Ulster, and Dutchess Counties.

The right repair depends on what type of glass your window has — and most homeowners aren't sure until they look closely.

Single-pane windows have one layer of glass in the sash. They're common in older homes, storm windows, and some newer windows in garages, basements, and other non-conditioned spaces. Replacing a single-pane is straightforward: we measure the opening (the daylight opening plus the rabbet depth), cut the glass to size, bed it in glazing compound or seal it with a glazing tape system, and secure it with glazing points or stops. It's a durable repair that restores the window to its original function.

Double-pane (insulated) windows have two glass lites separated by a spacer and sealed at the perimeter — the insulated glass unit (IGU). When the seal fails, moisture enters the gap and you see the foggy, hazy, or streaked appearance between the panes. You can't clean this off because it's inside the sealed unit. The repair is replacing the entire IGU — not the frame, just the sealed glass unit — which restores clarity and thermal performance. See our dedicated insulated glass unit page for the full process and what failure looks like.

For window glass adjacent to a door or low in the wall — where code requires safety glazing — we replace with tempered or laminated glass, correctly certified for the hazardous location. Installing standard float glass in those locations fails inspection and is a safety risk.

Window glass replacement companies don't always tell you that in many cases you don't need a new window — you need new glass. Here's how to think about it:

Replace just the glass when: The frame is structurally sound — no rot, no significant air infiltration around the frame, no damage to the sash hardware. The glass itself is the problem: a break, a failed seal in the insulated unit, or a surface condition. In this situation, glass replacement is the right repair at a fraction of the cost of a full window.

Replace the full window when: The frame has significant rot or damage. The sash hardware is broken or non-functional. The window doesn't open and close correctly anymore regardless of the glass. The window design is a genuinely inefficient type (single-pane in an otherwise well-insulated house) and a full replacement makes sense as part of a larger energy upgrade. In that case, we'll tell you honestly — we're not in the window frame business, and we have no incentive to sell you glass when a full window is what you actually need.

For any window glass job in the Hudson Valley — Newburgh, Beacon, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Middletown, Woodstock — we come out, assess honestly, and quote the glass repair. If the frame is the problem, we'll tell you that instead of doing a glass repair that doesn't solve anything.

Not every broken window gets replaced with the same glass — in certain locations, building code requires safety glazing, and using standard float glass there is both a code violation and a safety hazard.

The New York State Building Code follows the International Residential Code (IRC) on safety glazing requirements. The locations where tempered or laminated glass is required in a residential window include:

• Windows adjacent to a door — any glazing within 24 inches of a door edge that extends less than 60 inches above the floor.
• Large low windows — glazing with a bottom edge less than 18 inches above the floor, more than 9 square feet in area, and whose top edge is more than 36 inches above the floor.
• Windows in stairways, landings, and ramps — within 36 inches of a walking surface.
• Windows in and near wet areas — adjacent to bathtubs, showers, hot tubs, and pools.

We identify whether the window you need repaired is in a hazardous location and replace it with the correct safety glazing. If your window previously had safety glass (look for the etched certification mark in a corner), we replace it with safety glass. The cost difference between standard and tempered glass is real but modest — and it's the right glass for that location.

When a window breaks and you can't get it repaired immediately, a temporary cover-up keeps the weather out. Clear plastic sheeting, a piece of cardboard, or a sheet of plywood taped or stapled over the opening will work for a day or two. That's about all it's good for.

Plastic sheeting degrades quickly in UV and tears in wind. Cardboard gets wet and fails. Even plywood is a short-term fix — it's not insulating, it's not weathertight at the edges, and it doesn't keep insects out. None of these are acceptable long-term solutions for a window opening in an occupied home.

The reason we mention this: we occasionally get calls from homeowners who've had a "temporary" board-up for weeks or months and are dealing with moisture infiltration, mold, or pest intrusion as a result. Get the glass replaced as quickly as possible. We prioritize broken residential window calls and can usually schedule a repair within a few days for standard glass, and provide interim boarding same-day if needed. Call (845) 562-8387 or reach Rick at (845) 565-0991. Part of our full residential glass services.

Window glass repair costs vary primarily by glass type, size, and whether safety glazing is required. Here's a general sense of the range for residential jobs:

Single-pane standard glass — typically the most economical repair for a broken pane. Small residential windows in common sizes can often be cut from stock glass, which keeps the cost and turnaround low.

Tempered glass replacement — made to order to your exact dimensions, which means a slightly longer lead time and higher material cost than standard glass. The fabrication time is typically 5–7 business days.

Insulated glass unit (IGU) replacement — higher cost than single-pane because there are two lites of glass, a spacer, and a seal to fabricate. Lead time is one to three weeks depending on size and specifications. But it's still substantially less than replacing the entire window, which is the relevant comparison.

We give you an exact price after measuring — not a range, an actual number you can plan from. No surprises on install day. That's been our approach in Newburgh since 1989, and it's why homeowners call us back when the next window needs attention. For foggy double-pane units specifically, see our insulated glass unit page. For patio and sliding door glass, see patio door glass.