Window Replacement in Columbia, Bellingham WA

The Columbia neighborhood is one of Bellingham's oldest and most intact — blocks of craftsman and Victorian-era homes climbing the hill above Squalicum Harbor, with Elizabeth Park at its heart. Windows in houses like these are part of the architecture, not just holes in the wall, which makes replacing them a judgment call as much as a construction job. Alpine Exteriors replaces windows in Columbia in ways that keep century-old character while ending century-old drafts.

Old Sashes, Real Problems

Many Columbia homes still carry original wood sash windows — some with weight-and-pulley mechanisms hidden inside the jambs, most painted shut somewhere along the line, nearly all glazed with a single pane of wavy glass. They are charming and they are terrible insulators. Winter wind off Bellingham Bay pushes straight through loose sashes, and during a northeast outflow event the curtains in these houses visibly move. Layered on top are the mid-century improvements: aluminum storm windows and mismatched replacement units from past decades that never suited the house in the first place.

Replacement That Respects a Craftsman

The goal in this neighborhood is a window that looks correct from the street and performs like a modern one from the inside. Depending on the home and budget, that usually means:

• Insert replacements within the original frames, preserving interior casings and exterior trim that would be costly and sad to lose.
• Double-hung styles with period-correct proportions and grille patterns matched to the originals.
• Wood-interior, fiberglass, or richly finished vinyl frames that read right against old-growth fir trim.
• Low-E double glazing that cuts heat loss dramatically while staying visually quiet — no mirror-tint effect on a 1910 facade.

Where sills or jambs hide rot — common on the weather side of hundred-year-old houses — we repair the structure first, because a new window set into a rotten opening is money thrown into the bay.

We are also realistic about lead-safe work in a neighborhood this old. Houses built before 1978 almost certainly carry lead paint somewhere in their window openings, so our crews contain and clean removal areas properly — a legal requirement, and more importantly the right way to work in a home where kids play under the windows being replaced.

The Right Contractor for an Old House

Old homes punish shortcuts, and we have spent 25 years learning their lessons across more than 2,000 northwest Washington projects. Our installers work in occupied historic homes routinely: floors protected, openings weathertight the same day, trim reinstalled or replicated cleanly. All of it is covered by a 25-year workmanship warranty.

If you are weighing whether your Columbia home's windows can be saved, upgraded, or should be replaced outright, start with a free on-site estimate — we will assess each opening honestly, including the ones worth restoring rather than replacing, and put the plan in writing so you can move room by room as budget allows.