Soft window sills and rotten trim, fixed

Press a screwdriver into the sill and the bottom of the frame. If it sinks in, or the wood is soft, dark or flaky, it is rotten. Peeling paint and stains under the window are early signs. A moisture meter reading confirms it.

No. We repair rotten window frames and sills, the wood around the glass. For broken glass, fogged panes or screens, you need a window company. If the frame or sill is rotten, call us.

Often, yes. We cut out the rotten section, rebuild it with new wood and keep your original window, so the house keeps its look.

Frame rot usually starts at one of three points. Failed sealant around the perimeter of a window or door frame, the caulking bead that's supposed to keep water from tracking behind the frame into the wall cavity, breaks down over time and is rarely replaced until something visibly goes wrong. Poor or missing flashing above a window, the small metal or membrane detail that directs water running down the wall out and away from the top of the frame instead of behind it, is a common builder shortcut that shows no symptoms for years. And condensation trapped between the frame and the siding, especially common on older single-glazed windows or where a storm window was added without addressing ventilation, keeps wood damp from the inside even when the exterior seal is intact.

Not all frame rot is the same repair, and where it's located changes both the cause and the fix. Sill rot, at the bottom horizontal member, is the most common, since it's the part of the frame directly exposed to rain running down the glass and pooling before draining. Jamb rot, at the vertical side members, usually points to a sealant failure at the side trim or a flashing issue letting water track down from above. Header rot, at the top of the frame, is the least common but the most likely to indicate a genuine flashing failure above the window rather than just worn caulking, since water has to be getting in from above to reach that spot at all. We identify which one you have before recommending a fix, since a jamb repair and a header repair use different techniques.

Peeling or cracking paint around a window or door frame is the first visible sign either way, but it doesn't tell you on its own whether the wood underneath is still sound. The push test settles it: press a flathead screwdriver firmly into the wood at the suspect area. Sound wood, even with failed paint on the surface, resists and feels solid. Rotted wood gives way with little resistance, often sinking noticeably. A second check worth doing: tap along the frame and listen for a dull, hollow sound compared to the sharper sound of solid wood elsewhere on the same frame. Neither test requires special tools, and both are worth doing yourself before deciding whether it's worth a professional look.

Not necessarily an active rot problem yet, but failed paint means the seal that's protecting the wood is already gone, worth addressing before it becomes one.

In most cases yes, sill repair is a routine part of window frame repair and doesn't require touching the window unit itself if the sash and glazing are sound.

Frame rot is frequently caught this way, during a roof, siding, or fascia job, since it often shares a cause with whatever else brought us out. Worth a quick check while we're already there.

Yes, every window and door frame repair carries the same 2-year craftsmanship guarantee as every other service we provide.