NDG · Côte-des-Neiges
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Côte-des-Neiges: pre-war windows
Much of NDG was built between 1910 and 1940, in brick and stone with Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Beaux-Arts touches, and many of its houses still have the hung and casement windows they were built with. The borough protects that look in its significant sectors, where sliding windows are not allowed at all. For most owners, that turns the question from which new window? into can this one be kept going? We're a free referral service that connects you with an independent local glass professional who will give you an honest answer to that question.
At a glance
- Housing
- Mostly built 1910 to 1940, with Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Beaux-Arts influences
- Permits
- Required for replacement
- Significant sectors
- No sliding windows
- Campuses
- Université de Montréal and Concordia's Loyola campus
A neighbourhood built between 1910 and 1940
NDG was annexed to Montreal in 1910, and most of its housing went up over the following three decades. Côte-des-Neiges shares the borough, which is the most populous in the city and home to the Université de Montréal and Concordia's Loyola campus.
Many windows of that age can still be maintained. A guillotine sash (a hung window) that rattles, sticks or won't stay up usually has a worn cord, balance or stop; a casement that won't close tight usually needs a new crank, hinge or weatherstrip. Those are repairs, and they keep the original window in its opening.
Significant sectors: no sliding windows
Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce requires a permit to replace doors and windows, and in the areas it calls significant sectors (secteurs significatifs), sliding windows are not permitted (borough rules). If your house has hung or casement windows and stands in one of those sectors, a replacement will not be a slider.
Ask the borough whether your street is in a significant sector before you ask for quotes. The answer decides which models are even worth pricing, and it saves a pro from quoting a window the counter would turn down.
Hung and casement windows: repair before you replace
Since the style is fixed in much of NDG, the real choice is between keeping the window and replacing it with a close match. Keeping it makes sense when the frame and sill are sound: a guillotine sash can be freed and rebalanced, a casement can get new cranks and hinges, and where the window has a thermos (the sealed glass unit), a fogged one can be replaced on its own.
Replacement makes sense when the wood has rotted through, the frame has lost its shape, or you want a warmer window and are ready for the permit. The window styles page explains how hung and casement windows compare.
Student rentals near the Université de Montréal and the Loyola campus
With two university campuses in the borough, student rentals are part of the picture. July 1, the city's traditional moving day, is when a torn screen, a crank that won't close or a cracked pane tends to be discovered, by the tenant moving in or the landlord preparing the flat.
Tenants and landlords both have a stake in those repairs, and the rental tribunal's page on urgent and necessary repairs sets out the ground rules for each side. Owners and managers with several units can send one request covering them; our property managers page explains how that works.
The permit, and the file to prepare
When a replacement needs a permit, the borough will want the pro's quote including taxes, colour photos with every window numbered, a certificate of location and the manufacturer's technical sheet; in a condo building, add the syndicate's resolution or a letter from each co-owner. In a significant sector, clear photos of the existing windows' style help the counter compare old and new. Our borough permit guide covers the process. Westmount, next door, is a separate city with its own review.
NDG and Côte-des-Neiges questions
Can I install sliding windows in NDG?
Not in the borough's significant sectors, where sliding windows aren't permitted. Outside those sectors a permit is still required, and the borough reviews the model you choose. Before pricing sliders, ask the permit counter whether your address is in a significant sector. If it is, the choice is between repairing the existing hung or casement windows and replacing them with the same type.
How do I know if my house is in a significant sector?
Ask the borough's permit counter; it's the reliable source for your address. Ask before you request quotes, because the answer narrows which windows are allowed and saves a wasted visit. The pro we connect you with can prepare numbered photos of your existing windows for that conversation. Our permit guide explains what the counter usually wants to see.
Is an original interwar hung window in NDG worth keeping?
Usually, if the frame and sill are sound. Worn cords or balances, a sash that sticks, loose glazing and tired weatherstripping are all fixable, and the window keeps its look. Replace it when the wood has rotted through, the frame is out of shape, or it has been altered beyond saving. Our repair or replace guide walks through the decision.
Can a hung window be replaced with a casement in NDG?
Possibly, but check first. The borough's explicit ban is on sliding windows in significant sectors; any change of opening type still goes through the permit review, where the counter looks at the model and the façade. Bring the product sheet and photos of the building. If the reason for switching is a sash that's hard to open, a repair may solve it without changing anything.
Can I get service in English in NDG?
You can write to us in English, and we pass your language preference on with the request. Whether the pro who takes the job works in English depends on who is available for that kind of work, so we can't promise it, but they'll know your preference before they contact you. Note it on the request form if it matters to you.