Insulated Glass Replacement Service

Insulated Window Glass Replacement

Our replacement service is a cost-effective way to remedy windows suffering from fog or condensation, failed seals, or broken panes.
Insulated glass helps maintain a comfortable temperature inside your home. But, when the glass fogs, fails, or breaks, that barrier is compromised. Whether it’s an air leak that makes it expensive to control temperature or a full break that lets in critters from the outdoors, replacing insulated window glass is not only possible, but it’s the recommended solution.
503-266-3830 (Oregon)
206-565-3113 (Washington)
office@chosenwwm.com
Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm (PST)

Insulated Glass Is a Component, Not the Window

An insulated glass unit — an IGU — is a component, not a whole window. Two panes of glass are held apart by a perimeter spacer bar and sealed all the way around the edge, and it is that sealed cavity, not the glass itself, that does the insulating. The finished unit then drops into the rabbet cut in your sash and is held there by a glazing bead. When the edge seal finally gives way, moisture reaches the cavity and the glass fogs from the inside, where no amount of cleaning can reach it. What has failed is the unit: one component, sitting inside a sash, frame, and trim that are very often still perfectly sound. That is why the honest answer to a foggy window is almost never a new window.
Cutaway diagram of a double-pane insulated glass unit set into a wood window frame, with the outer pane, inner pane, air or argon-filled space, spacer, sealant and frame labelled. The sealed cavity between the two panes is held by a perimeter spacer bar bedded in sealant, and the unit sits in a rabbeted wood frame retained by a glazing bead.

Glass Options When You Replace the Unit

Your window does not have to come back the way it went in. Every unit we install is custom-fabricated to the measurements of your sash, so replacement is the one moment when the coating, the cavity fill, and the thickness of the glass are all still choices. Most homeowners stay with a sealed double-pane unit and change what is inside it.
A single casement window in dark blue siding with bright white trim, its replacement glass perfectly clear and reflecting the trees opposite.
01
Low-E glass is a thin coating that reflects radiant heat – keeping heat in during winter and out during summer, with reduced UV fading as a side benefit.
A garden window over a kitchen sink, its brown-framed panes and sloped glass roof clear and unfogged, looking out across a lawn.
02
Argon fill replaces the air in the sealed cavity with an inert gas that conducts heat less readily than air does. Slowing heat transfer is what the fill is for, and it is standard on most of the units we order.
A dormer on a dark grey house with a segmental-arched window, its new glass and white frames sharp against the siding.
03
Thicker or laminated glass is the option to ask about if noise is the reason you are calling. Sound is answered by mass and by the plastic interlayer in laminated glass, not by the gas between the panes. Tints and safety films are specified at this stage too.

Can Foggy Windows Be Fixed?

As windows age, window condensation and fog can occur. Whether it’s just broken glass on a single pane or replacing the entire window, our experts can help determine the best replacement technique to improve your home’s energy efficiency and your comfort.
Before
Before repair: a wood-framed window unit with a failed seal, the glass clouded and the frame weathered.
After
After repair: the same window with clear replacement insulated glass and a clean white frame.

Precision Fabrication of Historic Glazing Components

On historic windows, glazing beads are often brittle, and removing the glass frequently damages or destroys them. During replacement, we don’t substitute these with generic parts. We fabricate custom, historically accurate glazing beads to match the original profiles—preserving the exact look, proportions, and character of your windows. Enjoy the same look and feel, with a high-quality insulated glass replacement.
New glass bedded into a run of windows on a weathered clapboard wall, held by freshly milled wood glazing stops with a ladder standing against the sill.

Our Glass Replacement Process

01
Before replacement: a tall angled window unit with dark brown frames set in cream siding, its sealed glass units clouded with pale blotches.
Site visit and custom quote. We come out and look at the actual window. Nothing about a sealed unit in a historic sash is standard, so the quote is built for your opening rather than read off a price list.
02
The same window with every pane removed, the bare stripped wood frame standing open against protective sheeting hung inside the room.
Measure and order. Each insulated glass unit is fabricated to the measurements we take at your sash, which means there is a fabrication lead time between your approval and the glass arriving. We tell you what it is when you approve the quote.
03
The same window frame primed and painted white, glazing channels cleaned and ready, with tools and sealant laid along the sill.
Removal and installation. We take the failed unit out, clean and prepare the glazing channel, and set the new one. Depending on the window, that happens at your home or back at our shop.
04
After replacement: the same window unit with crisp white frames and clear new insulated glass reflecting the sky and surrounding fir trees.
Final check and warranty. Once the glass is in we run a quality check and leave you with the warranty paperwork. We are your first call should any issues arise, and we back up our craftsmanship 100%.
From there, you enjoy your replaced insulated glass and all of the benefits it brings.

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
A Chosen Wood Window Maintenance crew member in a hard hat and orange hoodie, the company name printed across his back, stands on a ladder to seal the frame of a tall multi-pane window inside a building under renovation.

Choosing the Right Window Repair Contractors for Glass Replacement

Ask most contractors about a foggy window and the answer comes back as a new window — something simple, cheap, and quick to fit, because that is the job they are set up to do. It also means the window they leave behind no longer matches the rest of the house. We replace only what has actually failed: the sealed unit comes out, your original sash and frame stay exactly where they are, and every window in the home still matches.
Historic windows are the whole job here, not a sideline. We have been restoring wood and steel windows across the Pacific Northwest since 1998, and we fabricate the glazing beads and sashes that generic parts cannot match.
Award-winning preservation work. Restore Oregon’s DeMuro Award, with windows and doors restored at Timberline Lodge and the Oregon Supreme Court Building.
Safe in older homes. We work to EPA Lead RRP and OSHA standards, with full lead and asbestos containment.
Accredited and affiliated. Better Business Bureau, Historic Seattle, Restore Oregon, and the Association for Preservation Technology.

Common Causes of Foggy, Failed, or Broken Insulated Window Glass

Windows fail for a variety of reasons. Regular wear and tear, seal failures, broken window frames, physical damage, broken glass, and issues like manufacturing defects can all lead to foggy windows.
Most of these don’t require a full window replacement. Instead, our team can assess window glass repairs that address the issue without replacing the entire frame.
A dark-stained wood window with water droplets and a chalky mineral crust gathered across the lower half of the glass, obscuring the garden beyond.
Fog between the panes and condensation on the glass surface are two different problems, and only one of them is ours to fix. Moisture trapped between the panes means the edge seal has failed: the cavity is no longer sealed, and replacing the insulated glass unit is the repair. Water sitting on the room-side surface of the glass is a different thing entirely. That is humidity inside your home meeting a cold pane, and new glass will not cure it — ventilation, extraction, and humidity control will. Here in the Seattle and Portland area we get this call more than any other, so if you are not certain which one you are looking at, our experts are happy to help you tell them apart.

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
Close-up of a damaged wooden plank at the base of a wall, with splintered, weathered wood and dirt/debris around it. Background shows a roadway and building wall.

Signs You Need Insulated Window Glass Replacement Services

Keeping an eye out for these key signs that your insulated glass needs attention can help you catch issues before they become a bigger problem. Check your windows quarterly to look for these common signs that it’s time to call the professionals and explore glass or window replacement.
Fog or condensation between glass panes
Broken Seals
Air Leaks
Broken or Cracked Glass Panes
And lesser recognized signs like:
Mysteriously high energy bills
Distorted or warped views through the glass
Moisture damage to the surrounding window frame
Close view of the same wood window, moisture beaded over the glass and white deposits collected along the bottom edge of the pane.
Daylight through a long run of restored wood windows along an interior gallery wall.

Benefits of Insulated Glass Replacement

Aside from the obvious benefits like improved efficiency and better visibility through your windows, replacing insulated glass can add value to your home, improve internal air quality, and reduce your utility costs. Plus, replacement for historic windows allows for custom glass to be cut that delivers modern technology with the historic charm of your original windows.
A white service van marked “CHOSEN Wood Window Maintenance, Inc.” parked in front of a two-story brick building with white-trim windows, manicured shrubs, and a green lawn under a clear blue sky.

Worried About Damaged Wood Windows?

We can fabricate a new custom wood sash built to match the original exactly, including dimensions, joinery, profiles, and proportions- so your window looks unchanged, just restored.

Replace the Glass, Not the Whole Window

The sealed unit is a component. It lifts out of your sash and a new one goes in, and the sash, the frame, the hardware, and the trim you already own all stay exactly where they are. That is why replacing the glass costs a fraction of replacing the window — and why it keeps far more material out of the landfill than any new window ever could.
10-35%
The U.S. Department of Energy puts a glazing upgrade at a 10-35% reduction in heating and cooling costs.
10-30 yrs
A sealed unit has a service life of 10-30 years. A fogged pane means yours reached the end of its own — the sash around it usually has not.
Every part of the window you keep is a part you never pay to remake. That is the whole economics of this repair, and it is why a fogged pane so rarely justifies a new window.

Understanding Cost Factors for Insulated Glass Replacement Services

In our initial on-site visit to provide a custom quote, we’re keeping an eye out for several factors that may impact the difficulty or materials needed for replacement. Depending on your goals, you may select a glass type that is thicker to meet a certain efficiency or noise goal. If you have larger windows, they too could require more time and material.
Looking out through a multi-pane glass door onto deep snow and evergreens, the divided lights clear and unfogged.
A large restored wood window with diamond-pattern leaded glazing standing in the workshop.
Two construction workers in orange safety gear inside a brick building, one raising a hand toward window framing while the other stands nearby with tools, suggesting glass installation or window repair during renovation.

About Chosen

Chosen Wood Windows is a premier full-service window restoration contractor serving both residential and commercial customers in the Portland and Seattle areas and throughout the Pacific Northwest. For a fraction of the cost of a window replacement, we can repair and update your windows. Our company offers a variety of services, such as glass replacement, wood damage repair, dry rot repair, inoperable sash repair, glazing, energy solutions, reproductions, historical preservation, and more.
Tall restored wood windows painted olive green, set into the brick facade of a historic building.

Frequently Asked Questions

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. 
A window maintenance worker in a red beanie and blue jacket inspects and adjusts a large metal-framed window while standing in an on-site workshop. A “Chosen Wood Window Maintenance, Inc.” logo is visible on the wall.

Invest in Comfort with Foggy Window Glass Replacement

Stop squinting through foggy glass — let the natural light back in. Replace blown or broken insulated units with custom-fabricated window and door glass that fits your home and your budget. Seattle and Portland area homeowners, call us now to get a free quote for your project.

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.