Window repair Scarborough
Scarborough is mostly 1961-1990 houses, so the usual job is an ageing sealed unit or cracked pane in a sound frame. Photo quote, no sales visit.
What to do while you wait.
Keep children, pets, and anyone without proper footwear away from the broken glass. Shards can scatter several feet from the break point.
Glass still attached to the frame can fall without warning and cause deep cuts. Leave loose pieces alone until our technician arrives.
If you must walk near the area, wear closed-toe shoes and work gloves. Thin slippers or bare feet are a serious hazard.
Use a heavy tarp, thick cardboard, or plastic sheeting secured with tape to block wind, rain, and debris until we arrive.
Take photos of the damage from both inside and outside. These help our technician prepare the right glass size and type before arriving.
Call 647-803-2730. Our emergency line is staffed 24/7 including nights, weekends, and holidays.
Overview
Scarborough is the most house-based, owner-occupied part of Toronto, and that shapes almost every window job here. In the 2021 Census, 37.2% of Scarborough dwellings were single-detached houses, the highest share of the city's four council areas, and 64% of households owned their home. More than half the housing, 52.2%, was built between 1961 and 1990, and only 3.2% from 2016 to 2021.
So the usual Scarborough glass problem is an ageing sealed unit or a cracked pane in a frame that is still sound, and the owner pays for it directly rather than a condo board or a landlord. OhMyGlass Window and Door Repairs replaces the sealed unit or pane and keeps the frame, and fixes a worn crank or lock at the same visit. Only a failed frame makes it a window-replacement job, and we will tell you if that is where you are.
If your house is from the 1970s or 1980s, first work out whether its windows are original or a later replacement, because what matters is the age of the sealed units in them now. Certified units carry a permanent mark inside the unit with the manufacturer and year of manufacture, usually on the spacer bar between the panes. Seal failure rises with age: in a 25-year field study of more than 2,400 sealed units, 4.9% had failed at 10 years, 7.9% at 15 and 9.2% at 25. A failed seal also costs you energy before it fogs, because gas loss after seal failure can raise a unit's U-factor by up to 32%.
Send us a photo of the window and, if you can, the date stamp on the spacer bar. We will tell you whether it is a glass-only job and put a written quote in front of you before any glass is ordered.
The neighbourhoods behind the numbers
Scarborough became a borough in 1967 and developed rapidly as a suburb over the following decade, becoming a city in 1983. The census shows that boom clearly.
postwar bungalows predominantly built in the 1950s and 1960s, single-storey with a basement and often a side entrance to it. Side-door glass and hardware are worth checking at the same time.
development started in 1957 with the Avenue of Homes display, on land bounded by the Scarborough Bluffs south of Kingston Road.
farmland expropriated in the late 1950s for a CMHC model community, with the first residents moving in in 1972.
condo high-rises started going up early this century, and towers of five or more storeys now hold 35.2% of Scarborough dwellings.
re-glazing one in its existing frame is a small job, but enlarging it is a permit job with egress minimums attached.
Climate, condensation and where the fog is
Scarborough has 3,800 heating degree-days, about 8% more than Toronto City Hall's 3,520. That difference shows up on the glass.
the seal has failed and the sealed unit needs replacing. The frame usually does not.
that is indoor humidity, not a failed seal. Health Canada recommends keeping indoor humidity between 30% and 50%, and in a house with ageing sealed units, aim for the low end on the coldest nights.
at −18 °C outside, double glazing tolerates roughly 41 to 49% indoor humidity before condensing, against 12 to 27% for single glazing.
the date stamp tells you the age of the unit. The other windows with the same date are the same age, so it is worth budgeting for them before they fog too.
Permits, insurance and heritage in Scarborough
Because most Scarborough owners pay for their own glass, it is worth knowing which rules actually bite. General information, not legal advice.
7.3% of Scarborough dwellings are apartments in a duplex, and Toronto's no-permit rule for same-size window replacement covers detached, semi-detached and row houses with a single dwelling unit only.
does not change the opening, so it is generally treated as repair.
enlarging one is a permit job, and an egress window must give an unobstructed opening of at least 0.35 m² with no dimension under 380 mm, and must open without tools.
none of Toronto's heritage conservation districts is in Scarborough, so heritage permits rarely apply. An individually designated property is still subject to heritage review.
seal failure from age is treated as wear and tear and is not covered, and deductibles typically run $500 to $2,000. Claims make more sense for storm or break-in damage across several openings. Your policy wording governs.
Where to go next in Scarborough
The service page that matches your job, and the nearby city hubs.
Frequently asked questions: Scarborough window repair
Will home insurance pay for my foggy or cracked window?
A foggy window from age-related seal failure is not covered; insurers treat it as wear and tear. Sudden breakage from a storm, vandalism or a break-in usually is, if the home is normally occupied, but deductibles typically run $500 to $2,000, so a single pane is often cheaper to pay yourself. Check your own policy wording.
Do I need a permit to replace window glass in my Scarborough house?
Not for new glass in an existing sash, which is generally treated as repair. Even a whole window needs no permit for a same-size replacement in a detached, semi-detached or row house with one dwelling unit, if the opening and its structure do not change. If your house has two units, such as an upper flat and a basement apartment, window replacement needs a permit. Making any opening bigger always does.
Does Scarborough have heritage rules for windows?
None of Toronto's heritage conservation districts is in Scarborough, so most owners can have window glass repaired without a heritage permit. If your property is individually designated or listed on the City's heritage register, check with Heritage Planning before changing windows visible from the street.
How do I tell how old my sealed units are?
Certified units carry a permanent mark inside the unit with the manufacturer and the year of manufacture, usually on the spacer bar between the panes. Send us a photo of it with your quote request and we can tell you where you stand.
Can one window be replaced on its own?
Yes. Where the frame is sound, a single failed sealed unit is swapped on its own and the rest of the window stays. That is the normal job here.
Guides for this job
Local guide
37.2% of Scarborough dwellings are single-detached, the highest share of Toronto's four council areas, and 64% of households own (2021 Census).
52.2% of Scarborough homes were built between 1961 and 1990 and only 3.2% from 2016 to 2021, so most jobs are ageing sealed units or cracked panes fixed with new glass in the existing frame.
Seal failure from age isn't covered by home insurance, and a single-window repair often costs less than a typical deductible.
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