It’s spring, which means many Muskoka homeowners are thinking about renovations. If you’re casting a creative eye over your cottage country property, you might be wondering just how to tackle the more complicated upgrades – like replacing a window with a door.

You might decide it’s time to turn your external window into a patio door, or you might want to freshen up a tired frame by replacing it with a stylish sliding door. Whatever the reason, this type of renovation is best done by a professional installer to ensure picture-perfect results and minimize the risk of accident and damage. An expert can also talk you through the structural issues involved and let you know which, if any, permits you need for the project. 

Step one: Do your homework

While converting a window is easier than creating a new door from scratch, there are still many things to consider with this home improvement project. 

Always check local bylaws first to see what permits you may need. These are easily accessible from the Muskoka district website and strictly enforced so homeowners ignore them at their peril. 

Secondly, consider the space – is there wiring where you want to renovate? Are there any structural weak spots? What size is the opening and will it need adjusting to fit your dream door?

It’s helpful to choose a wide window for your replacement as this gives you more room to work with, and makes it easier to fit double doors, sliding doors, or decorative frames for a single door.

Step two: Choose your door

Once you’ve got your permits and selected the ideal window opening, you can choose almost any door for your project. Conversions can be done for double, single, or sliding doors. They can also be adjusted for custom-made doors if you’ve a specific design in mind and installed with many different styles of frames. A professional installer can help you decide what style, shape, and design would work best for your space. Bear in mind that custom orders take longer than standard designs, so you may adjust your renovation timeline accordingly.

Step three: Installation

Removing a window involves cutting through the siding around the window before removing the rest of the siding, insulation, window frame, and pane. The door and its hardware is then safely slotted into the opening. 

Again, this is a job for professionals. An experienced contractor will ensure your door is properly fitted, insulated, and sealed so you don’t run into structural issues down the road. 

Muskoka Window and Door Centre is the premier provider of window and door installation services in cottage country. Family-owned and operated, we’ve been helping local homeowners from Bracebridge to Huntsville upgrade and maintain their properties for over 30 years. Our team works with leading North American manufacturers to offer the most current styles and features on the market and all our installations come with a 5-year workmanship and materials warranty. Contact us today to book your home improvement job and get a jump on summer reno season.

A cottage on the lake may be perfect for you, with bright sunlight pouring through your windows and stunning views. But even the most picturesque surroundings can be unideal habitats and downright dangerous for birds if your cottage’s windows are not bird-safe. Add in the recent trend towards larger windows which may even extend to architectural glass walls, and you have a potential hazard for your avian neighbours. To ensure your cottage and its windows are safe for birds, it’s important to recognize the risks and make some modifications where necessary. But don’t worry – it’s actually very easy to make your cottage bird-safe. 

Understand the Risks
According to a study done by the American Ornithological Society and published in the Condor, on average, at least 150 million birds die every year in the United States due to collisions with windows. You must first understand what could present risks to the birds populating the area. While bird feeders, plants, and trees are excellent ways to provide a welcoming environment for birds, they can also create a hazardous area if not prepared correctly. 

A study done by Justine Kummer, a former University of Alberta researcher, found that most fatal collisions for birds occurred in rural yards that had trees and bird feeders – just like many cottages and homes in Muskoka. So how can you make your cottage windows bird-safe?

Find the Dangers
Take a walk around your cottage and try to identify windows that present the clearest reflection. Those will be the windows which are the most important to make bird-safe. According to Joanna Eckles, a coordinator for Project Birdsafe, the sky’s reflection in a window can be incredibly dangerous for an oncoming bird: “If they’re flying straight towards a glass window, they won’t see it. Ever. What they see are the reflections of habitat or sky, things they know and need.”

Similarly, it can be helpful to reassess the placement of bird feeders on your property. While hanging them close to your cottage can be tempting, it’s the most dangerous place for birds. Bird feeders hanging too close to windows will force them to fly close and approach at a dangerous speed.

After identifying potential dangers, it’s time to make your cottage windows bird-safe. 

Make the Necessary Changes
There are three common options to make simple changes and ensure the safety of birds around your cottage. The first is to install an exterior screen to reduce the reflection coming off the window. There are different types of screens and netting made specifically with the safety of birds in mind if that’s the avenue you choose. Most windows already have screens, but if the window does not it’s a good first step. If it is inconvenient to install an exterior screen, move on to the next steps.  

A series of strings or ribbons hung vertically can be a simple way to distort the reflection coming off the window. Not only will it dissuade birds from approaching at a high rate of speed, but they can be moved to other potentially less dangerous windows.

The third option has a similarly minimal impact on your windows, with the choice of translucent tape or reflective decals. Both options will help stop birds from seeing unobstructed reflections of the sky and as a result, remain safe.   

As for bird feeders, the Audubon Society, the famous bird conservation group, makes two recommendations for bird feeder placement. Place bird feeders within three feet of the nearest window to stop birds from hurting themselves upon liftoff, or place them 30 feet or more away from the nearest window to provide plenty of space to take off.Muskoka Window and Door Centre is here to do all kinds of jobs from installing screens on your windows to completely replacing your old windows and doors. Contact us for a quote today on whatever your job happens to be.

You may find yourself feeling a breeze or a little too much cool air during the cold fall and winter months. But you may not have the time or money to get old, drafty windows replaced right away. Using insulating window film can be a helpful stopgap solution. 

Not only does insulating window film keep the warm air in, but it provides savings on energy and heating costs. According to Energy Star, a program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), using window film to seal drafts or leaks can save an average of 15% on heating costs and an average of 11% on energy costs. 

Before starting the process of installing an insulating window film, you must first find out just where the leaks and drafts are coming from. Energy Star provides a number of different things that could be a sign of leaks; windows rattling in the wind, gaps around the trim of a window or door, pests or dust entering through specific gaps around a window or door, and paint peeling from a window or door frame. 

If any of these signs lead you to believe you are dealing with a drafty window or door, there are a couple of methods to test where exactly it’s coming from. 

– Try closing your door or window on something thin like a piece of paper. If it is able to be moved with ease, then the window or door is not properly secure. 

– Light a candle or incense and hold it up toward the window. If the smoke floats in one direction or the other, that’s a good indication of a leak. 

It’s important to install window film properly 

Once you have discovered just where the leak or draft is coming from, it’s important to properly install the insulating window film in order to get the benefits of doing so. Energy Star recommends shrink-wrapping the plastic window film by using a source of heat, such as a space heater or hairdryer, during the installation process. 

It is easy to see why insulating window film can be an appealing solution to cold drafts. It can reduce drafts and help you save on heating costs until you are ready for replacements. That way, your cottage will warm up faster if you want to drive up for a weekend here and there or over a long weekend. However, for all the short-term benefits that window film can provide, it is only that: a short-term solution. 

If you are considering using insulating window film because you don’t think anyone in Muskoka replaces windows in winter, think again. We do, and it’s probably more affordable than you think. In fact, winter and early spring are the best times to book your job because we can book it usually within a couple of weeks of your order, depending on whether or not you’re having custom windows made (that can take 2-6 weeks). When it’s time for the long-term solution of properly replacing your drafty windows, Muskoka Window and Door is there for you, even during those cold winter months.