Transcona · Winnipeg
Windows and glass in Transcona
Ask two Transcona neighbours about their windows and you may get answers a century apart. The oldest streets date from the railway-shops town founded in 1908; the newest subdivisions are still going up. Older houses bring storm doors, tired sealed units and room-side frost; newer ones bring patio door rollers, screens and ice in the first winters. We're a free referral service that connects you with an independent local pro for either, and for hail repairs when summer storms come through.
At a glance
- Housing
- An old core, and a large share built from 2001 on
- Common jobs
- Patio doors, sealed units, screens, storm doors
- Storm history
- In the path of the August 2023 hail
- Newer homes
- Check the builder's or window warranty first
From railway town to growing suburb
Transcona has one of the widest spreads of house ages in the city. Some homes date from 1960 or earlier, close to a third have been built from 2001 on, and the decades between are filled in too. That makes the most useful question on any request a simple one: roughly when was the house built? A cottage from the town's early decades and a house finished last spring can both show ice on the glass in January, for completely different reasons.
Older Transcona homes: glass, sealed units, storm doors
In the older streets, the usual jobs fall into three kinds:
- A broken or cracked pane. Single glass in an old sash or storm is a quick replacement; a double-pane unit is made to measure. See broken window glass.
- A fogged sealed unit in a window replaced a generation ago. The glass unit can usually be swapped on its own; the foggy sealed unit page compares that with defogging and a new window.
- A storm door with a slamming closer, a stiff latch, or a glass panel that needs swapping for the screen in summer. Most of that is repair, not replacement.
Room-side frost on the coldest nights is common here, and it's usually indoor humidity, not a failing window.
Newer builds: patio door rollers, screens and early seal failures
Newer houses have their own issues. Heavy triple-pane patio doors ride on small rollers, and when those wear the door drags or won't lock. Screens get pushed out by kids, pets and wind. Now and then a sealed unit fogs within the first years, which points to a fault in how it was made or installed rather than age.
In a new house, check the paperwork before calling anyone. The builder's or window maker's warranty may cover a failed unit or a door that was never adjusted properly.
Ice on the inside in the first winters is common too, because a new house holds moisture from construction. That settles as the house dries out; a fogged unit won't. The frost versus fog guide shows how to tell.
The 2023 storm and hail repairs
Transcona was one of the areas named when wind-driven hail shattered windows across the north of the city and east into Transcona on 24 August 2023. If it happens again, work in order: make the room safe, photograph the damage, cover the opening, then book the permanent glass. Hail that doesn't break a pane can still chip its edge and lead to fogging later, and it tears screens easily. See hail and storm damage for the details.
Transcona questions
Who do I call first about a fogged window in a newer Transcona house?
Start with the warranty. Sealed units usually carry a warranty from the maker, and new houses come with a builder's warranty, but the terms differ. Find the paperwork, note which window it is and when you first saw the fog, and contact the builder or the window maker before paying for a repair. If the warranty has run out or doesn't apply, a pro can quote a new sealed unit.
Our Transcona house is brand new. Why is ice forming inside the glass?
Usually because the house is still drying out. New framing, drywall and concrete release moisture through the first winters, and that moisture freezes on the coldest surface in the room, which is the glass. It's on the room side and scrapes off, so the seal is fine. Running the bathroom and kitchen fans and watching indoor humidity help. If it persists, ask the builder to check the ventilation.
My patio door drags on the track. Can the rollers be replaced?
Yes, in most doors. The pro lifts the panel off the track, swaps the worn rollers for new ones and adjusts the height so the door glides and locks again. A damaged track can often be cleaned, repaired or capped. On a newer house, check the door's warranty first. See sliding door repair for other common fixes.
Can hail-torn screens be rescreened?
Yes, usually. If the frame isn't bent, the pro pulls out the old spline and mesh, fits new mesh and rolls in a new spline. Bent frames can be rebuilt or made new to size. It's a small job, worth doing before the short summer is half over, and pet-resistant mesh is an option. See screen repair.
Can the storm door on an older Transcona house be fixed?
Usually. Closers, sweeps, latches and hinges wear out well before the door itself, and each can be replaced. A cracked glass panel or a torn screen insert can be swapped too. A new storm door makes sense when the frame is bent or the door no longer fits a settled opening. Our storm doors page covers both.