A new or changed opening means framing and flashing, not just a unit swap, and it is done in the right order the first time.
If the opening already exists in your wall and you are swapping the unit inside it, window replacement is the page you want. If the opening does not exist yet, is changing size, or is being cut into a wall that is currently solid, you are in the right place. That is a framing job before it is ever a window job, and it is genuinely different work.
None of that describes a straightforward unit swap. If your windows are original, drafty, or fogged between the panes, that is window replacement, and it is a faster, less invasive job than anything on this page.
A unit swap takes hours. A new opening takes structural planning, because you are removing part of a wall that holds the house up.
The opening is laid out on the interior and exterior, then the sheathing is cut back to expose the stud bay.
A header sized to carry the load above the opening goes in on trimmer studs, with a sill and cripple studs below. This is structural, and it is the part nobody should improvise.
House wrap is lapped back in around the opening, a sill pan is set to catch and direct any water that gets past the unit, and the window is set square and shimmed.
Flashing tape goes at the jambs and head, lapped shingle-style so water runs out, the gap is air sealed with low-expansion foam, and trim goes on inside and out.
Sizing a header is a matter of what the wall above the opening weighs and how far it has to span, not taste or budget. This is the one step on this page that should never be improvised or guessed at.
Every layer around a new window opening, the house wrap, the sill pan, the flashing tape at the jambs and head, has to overlap the layer below it the way shingles overlap on a roof. Water running down the wall has to stay on top of each layer all the way down and out, never able to get behind one. Get a single lap backwards, tape the head flashing under the house wrap instead of over it, and water gets funneled straight into the wall cavity. Nobody sees that mistake happen, and nobody sees the result for years, until there is rot inside a wall that looked fine the whole time. It costs nothing extra to get right the first time.
A bedroom in a finished basement or attic generally needs a window large enough to serve as an emergency exit and as an entry point for a firefighter. There are minimum opening size requirements and a maximum sill height above the floor, and those requirements come from the building code and are checked by your town. We size the opening to meet what your town requires rather than guessing at a number that might not apply to your house.
Cutting a new opening or altering the framing around one generally requires a permit from your local building department. In Suffolk County, permits are issued town by town rather than at the county level, so what your neighbor's town required is not necessarily what yours will. We handle the filing as part of the job. Our Suffolk County permits page covers how that process generally runs.
A new opening means the siding around it has to be cut back, the new flashing tucked under and over the right courses, and the seam closed back up so it disappears into the wall. That is one company's job if you want the seam right, instead of caulked over as an afterthought by whoever shows up second. Our siding installation page covers how that side is detailed.
Cutting into an existing wall sometimes turns up framing or sheathing that was not visible before. If that happens, we show you what we found before it gets covered back up, the same as we do on a roof tear-off.
Yes. That is exactly the work this page describes. The wall is laid out, the sheathing is cut, a header and sill are framed to carry the load properly, and the window goes in from there. Header size and placement depend on the wall and what is above it.
Each opening we cut is dried in and closed up weathertight the same day it is opened. A single new window in an existing wall is typically a one day job for the opening and the unit, with trim to follow. We do not leave a house exposed overnight partway through.
If the finished floor is below grade, which is typical of a basement, yes, an exterior window well is generally needed alongside the opening. We size and build both together and confirm what your town requires before work starts.
We will talk through frame material, color and style so a new opening reads as part of the house rather than an obvious addition. An exact match to a discontinued original window is not always possible, and we will tell you honestly when that is the case.
Not always. Many new openings are straightforward enough for us to handle the framing and permit filing directly. A wide opening on a load-bearing wall sometimes calls for an engineer's sign-off, and we will tell you plainly if your project is in that category.
A new opening is one piece of a larger exterior picture on plenty of jobs. If a new door or a coordinated exterior plan is part of what you are considering, our exteriors overview lays out how those get run together across Long Island.
These are the reviews our customers left on Google. There are nine of them, we publish all nine, and we do not post a star rating we cannot verify.
Frank was excellent to deal with. I am doing my roof, siding and windows. We went through all the materials being used in great detail. He provided samples so I can see, touch and feel them for myself. He was not pushy or aggressive to sell me this job.
They are courteous and professional and they get the job in the time they tell you that they are gonna get done. Overall, very satisfied with my window installation and porch renovation!
I would like to give a huge shout out to Coast 2 Coast Roofing & Exteriors! They did such an AMAZING job on our home. Please see our before and after pictures of our vinyl siding. They also did outdoor lighting and some home improvements. This company was reasonable, reliable, knowledgeable, efficient, clean and organized, and most of all great customer service! I highly recommend this company
Start with the free inspection. You will get photos of what we found and a written scope you can read line by line, whether or not you hire us.
