Chosen Wood Window Maintenance

Custom Wood Storm Windows for Historic, Vintage & Commercial Buildings

Do you struggle with drafts, high energy costs, or other woes from your historic or vintage windows? Adding an extra layer of protection with a custom wood storm window might be the solution you need.
Wood storm windows provide a plethora of benefits, including noise reduction, increased energy efficiency, and improved comfort in your home. For historic, vintage and commercial buildings, those benefits depend on a panel built to fit the opening it goes in.
503-266-3830 (Oregon)
206-565-3113 (Washington)
office@chosenwwm.com
Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm (PST)

What Are Storm Windows?

Storm windows are an additional window that is mounted to the interior or exterior of your existing window to insulate and protect. Storm windows are a frame with glass or plastic panes similar to regular windows. They reduce energy loss, insulate, and reduce noise transfer.
Two maroon top-hung wood storm windows propped open on a historic bay window

Building Custom Wood Storm Windows for Every Opening

At Chosen, we measure every opening and build each wood storm window to fit it, so each panel is a perfect fit for the opening it goes in.
We build to your specifications — every panel built to the measured opening.
Choose from a lineup of models — single-hung, top-hung, fixed-panel, side-hinged and awning.
Preservation board-compliant, and made to blend in with your historic or vintage design.
We offer different glass options to suit harsh weather conditions and energy savings.
Worth preserving
Historic windows are beautifully made, and the original windows are worth preserving whenever possible.
Concentric growth rings
Historic windows are typically made from old-growth wood.
Stronger and more durable than modern lumber, and worth maintaining.
Close detail of an original old-growth sash at the sill, a single flower in a vase on the windowsill
Preserving the look and feel of the historic window while experiencing the insulation, weather protection, and efficiency upgrades of a new window is the best of both worlds.
The brief

What a Chosen Wood Storm Window Delivers

When it comes to finding the best wood storm windows, you’re looking for a perfect blend of energy efficiency, fit, durability, and design.
Dark-framed wood storm windows fitted into each opening of a bay, set against green trim on a clapboard wall
Every wood storm window we build is made to deliver all four.
01 · Energy efficiency
Different glass options let you set the level of insulation each opening needs.
02 · Fit
Every panel is built to the measured opening, so it seals against a frame that was never square — the norm on historic and vintage windows.
03 · Durability
A durable finish and low maintenance, with thermal performance measured in decades.
04 · Design
Historically appropriate profiles that maintain window operation and let fresh air in when you want it.

How They’re Built

Material: clear, kiln-dried vertical grain fir — no finger-jointed stock
Glass options: 1/8″ single-pane standard; 1/2″ insulated glass unit, laminated safety glass, tempered, or vacuum insulated glass available
Fully reversible: removable attachment only — turn buttons, lift-off hinges, hangers; no adhesives or permanent caulking ever touches historic material; complies with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation
Built to disappear: muntins align with the existing window’s sightlines, field-verified before fabrication; bottom rails sloped to match the historic sill
Built for the weather: kerfed-in bulb weatherstripping, weep holes for drainage, concealed vents so fixed units don’t fog
A wood storm window built for your openings protects them for the life of the building.

The Chosen Custom Storm Window Process

Similar to our window replacement process, in order to create a custom storm window:
01
A Chosen Wood Window Maintenance worker in a high-visibility vest inspects an existing window opening inside a historic brick building.
Measure. We visit your building and take precise measurements of every opening — historic frames are rarely square, and each one is different, so each panel starts with its own set of numbers.
02
A Chosen craftsman assembling a wood storm window frame at the shop bench
Build. In our Oregon City shop, we build each storm window to its opening’s measurements — your choice of model and glass, with profiles matched to the style of your existing woodworking so the panel blends in.
03
A finished black-painted wood storm window with its top-hung panel swung open
Finish. We paint or stain each frame to match your existing windows before it ever leaves the shop, so installation day isn’t followed by painting day.
04
A Chosen installer setting a wood storm window panel into its opening from outside
Install. We return and install each panel in its own opening, checking fit and alignment against the original sash sightlines so every unit sits snug and operates the way it should.

25+ Years of Happy Customers

“They did an absolutely AMAZING job on our 80 year old bay windows and front door, far exceeding our expectations. Hunter and Caleb were prompt, meticulous, perfectly professional and very helpful. They both clearly take great joy in their work The level of craftsmanship on display is exemplary. We will be using them again (there is always more to be done in an old house…) and recommend them with the highest level of confidence. Chose Chosen and it will get done right.”

Scott Poehlmann

“Our lovely home in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle was built in 1926. It was important to us that we could find craftspeople capable of restoring, not just replacing, our beautiful leaded glass windows, their frames and sashes. Unlike other companies who send estimators who do not actually do the work, Will discussed the specific details of our job and how he and the window restorers would proceed.  I thought the pricing of the quote was quite fair.

The windows were removed and sent to Portland to be restored. When they returned we were amazed at how nice they looked. I recommend Chosen Wood Window Maintenance to my friends and neighbors and will use them again on any future projects.  Nice work team!” 

Allen Goldstein

“Chosen Wood Windows is an unbelievable resource.  They really are wood window experts. It’s been great working with them and learning about all of the resources they have available. I like that wood windows can be restored – it’s a sustainable and smart way to take something old and make it new again. And they can make windows more energy efficient than the originals. Their capabilities are impressive.” 

Kim Pendarvis

“I couldn’t be happier with the work that was performed. We had one window with a broken glass pane that they replaced, one with two broken cords that now functions perfectly and one that rattled when the wind blew that is now weatherproof. The crew was wonderful. They arrived on time and got right to work. They were efficient and left absolutely no mess. They were so polite, professional and kind. I will not hesitate to use them again when we can have our other windows taken care of.” 

Marsha Parsons
What a second layer does

Benefits of Custom Storm Windows

Storm windows are an immediate improvement for many historic properties.
View from inside a room through an open wood storm window, the second layer hinged outward over the original sash
01

Reduce drafts

02

Reduce traffic noise

03

Provide instant protection against weather damage to the original window.

04
Over time

Cost savings on energy bills

05

The lifespan of your historic windows increased.

Energy-Efficiency Improvements from Storm Windows

Adding a single pane of glass can reduce your heat transfer loss significantly. Custom wood storm windows allow various glazing options, which can raise those gains even higher. In independent lab testing at the University of Oregon, sealed secondary glazing delivered efficiency gains comparable to full replacement.
Preservation compliant

Historic Preservation-Compliant Storm Windows

Vintage windows are beautiful.
Preserving those pieces of history is important for your home value. Our custom storm windows are compliant with historic preservation guidelines and help you keep the historic windows in your home.
Adding a storm window provides greater strength and protection from the elements that can extend their already impressive lifespan even further.
Close-up of a building facade with two dark window shutters below and a circular fanlight above, divided into wedge-shaped panels within a white arched frame.
Choose from a full suite of historically appropriate designs
Single-hung wood storm window closed over a divided-lite sash on a clapboard wall

Single-Hung Storm Window

operable glazed sash over fixed insect screen
Top-hung wood storm window swung outward from its head rail, hinged at the top

Top-Hung Storm Window

removable panel with stainless steel hangers and adjusters
Fixed-panel wood storm window, a non-operable panel set over the original window

Fixed-Panel Storm Window

removable unit secured with stainless turn buttons
Side-hinged wood storm window swung open like a door from the left jamb

Side-Hinged Storm Window

swing-open panel with lift-off hinges
Awning-panel wood storm window with the lower panel hinged outward at the bottom

Awning-Panel Storm Window

bottom-hinged sash with operable screen
All models are site-verified for precise alignment with original sash sightlines and sill slopes.

Extend the Life of Your Original Windows

Three dark-framed fixed-panel wood storm windows on a covered front porch
Without proper care, windows can age like any part of your home.
Whether they’re made from wood, aluminum, or steel, maintenance is the key to longevity.
Adding a storm window protects your old windows from the elements and helps you to keep the original windows for years ahead.
While there is no “window restoration season,” there are some times that are better than others to begin a window project.

Our Work

Timberline Lodge

Mount Hood, OR
Mammoth Hot Springs
Yellowstone National Park, WY
Administration Building
Crater Lake National Park, OR
Mahonia Hall
Salem, OR
Oregon Supreme Court Building
Salem, OR
Mount Tabor Reservoirs
Portland, OR

Admiralty Head Lighthouse

Whidbey Island, WA
Commercial & institutional

Custom Storm Windows for Commercial Properties

Commercial properties need custom options that make sense for their unique business needs.
Chosen is familiar with commercial building codes and understands how to preserve the existing original window — on landmark buildings like Mount Hood’s Timberline Lodge.
For commercial windows, storm windows are a durable long-term solution that will help your business thrive.
A row of wood storm panels propped open along the clapboard wall of a commercial building, with a screen door at the end of the run
Heating drafty spaces is costly, and a full window replacement is even costlier.
Chosen will guide you at every step, making sure our work won’t have an impact on your productivity.
Storm windows are the simple, effective solution you’ve been looking for.
Whether your windows are a modern wood style, aluminum, or another vintage style- we can create a seamless custom storm window just for you.
In addition to creating custom storm windows, Chosen is your local Pacific Northwest expert in restoring historic wood windows.
A historic Italianate house with wood storm windows fitted to its front bay window
Cost and long-term value

Custom Historic Storm Window Cost and Long-Term Value

When deciding if a custom option is the right decision for your home, consider the upfront costs compared with the long-term value.
Long-Term Value
DECADES OF SERVICE
Investing in custom storm windows for your vintage home costs significantly less than window replacement.
Custom storm windows provide a durable finish, less maintenance, and improved thermal performance that will last for decades.

Project History

Chosen Wood Windows was founded in 1998 in Portland, Oregon, by Vern Forrest. Since those early days, we’ve expanded our business to serve the entire Pacific Northwest, including Oregon, Washington, and other areas, both rural and urban.

In addition to our local projects, we have had the opportunity to take on projects from across the country as well as commercial restoration projects for some of our nation’s landmarks throughout the country. 
Two Chosen Wood Window Maintenance crew members in branded orange sweatshirts repairing a wood window in a Pacific Northwest home.
Whether you have 100-year-old windows or old aluminum storm windows that need improvement, we’re ready to jump in and help.

Choosing the Right Storm Window Contractor

Choose an expert to help you create custom storm windows that are going to protect your home for the next phase of its life.
When shopping for a contractor, look for a company with a
Depth of experience in historic windows
Great customer service
Quality workmanship
At Chosen, we check all three of those boxes ourselves and take pride in providing the highest level of care for windows around the Pacific Northwest.

Contact Chosen Wood Windows Today

Fill out the form below, or give us a call now to move forward with your window restoration.
We look forward to meeting you.




    Contact Chosen for a Custom Storm Window Quote

    Contact our team of experts to get started and create a storm window solution that is tailored to your unique historic home. We’re here to help you at any step in your journey, whether you’re just beginning to research or are ready to get a quote.