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Homes, student rentals and offices across Waterloo
GTS Windows & Doors replaces windows and doors across Waterloo from our shop at 47 Bridge Street East in the Bridgeport area of Kitchener, just east of the city line. Eastbridge, Lincoln Village and Uptown are all within about 10 minutes of the door. We have been installing, replacing and repairing residential and commercial windows and doors in Waterloo Region since 1986.
Waterloo is an unusual market for a window company. Established family neighbourhoods sit a few blocks from dense student housing around the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, while Uptown and the research park on the university north campus are full of offices and technology firms. Each of those customers needs something quite different from a new window or door, and we plan every Waterloo quote around who will be living or working behind the glass.
Homeowners usually want a warmer, quieter house and lower heating bills, while landlords and property managers want hardware that survives a new group of tenants every September. Commercial clients want the work finished without disrupting the working day. We are licensed, insured and WSIB covered, a SAWDAC member, and we install ENERGY STAR rated products backed by our 20-year parts and labour warranty.
The oldest part of the city surrounds King Street and Waterloo Park. Expect older brick and frame homes, heritage rules in MacGregor-Albert, and a mix of houses and low-rise rentals in Northdale between the two universities.
North and east Waterloo is mostly mature detached homes on generous lots. Colonial Acres began with Veterans' Land Act housing in 1957 and grew through the 1960s to 1980s, so many of its original windows are long overdue.
Beechwood took shape in the early 1970s as the University of Waterloo grew, with Upper Beechwood and Beechwood West following into the 1990s. Larger two-storey homes here often have wood or clad windows that need a full replacement plan rather than piecemeal fixes.
The west side filled in from the mid-1990s onward around Laurel Creek and Ira Needles Boulevard. Laurelwood and Columbia Forest are now old enough for seal failures, while newer Vista Hills homes mostly call us for door adjustments and hardware.
In Lakeshore, Lincoln Village and Colonial Acres, many houses built from the 1960s into the 1980s still have aluminum sliders or first-generation vinyl units. The frames flex, the seals have hardened, and cold air comes in around the sash in January.
Beechwood homes from the 1970s and 1980s often have original wood or aluminum-clad wood casements. When the exterior cladding has held up, rot usually starts at the bottom rail and sill, and the operators wear out after decades of cranking.
Homes in Laurelwood and Columbia Forest, built from the mid-1990s through the 2000s, are hitting the age when sealed units lose their gas fill and fog between the panes. If the frames are still sound, double-pane glass replacement is often a better value than a whole new window.
Many low-rise rentals in Northdale and the streets near Laurier and the University of Waterloo are licensed under the City's rental housing licensing bylaw, in effect since 2012. Its standards expect every bedroom to have a window that faces directly outdoors, so a broken or painted-shut bedroom window is a problem to fix quickly.
When a bedroom window is resized or an opening is added, the Ontario Building Code sets a minimum clear opening of 0.35 square metres with no dimension under 380 mm, openable from inside without tools. We check that during the measure, since a stylish small casement can fall short.
Rental windows see hard use, so we favour sturdy cranks, locks and screens, and our window lock and latch repair service keeps older units working between replacements. Most student leases turn over in May and September, and booking the measure a month or two ahead lets us install in the gap between tenants.
Waterloo has one heritage conservation district, covering more than 100 properties bounded by Seagram Drive, Bricker Avenue, Ezra Avenue, King Street and Caroline Street. Under the district plan, altering doors and windows and their surrounds, or cutting new openings, on any facade visible from the street requires a heritage permit.
The City asks owners to confirm their status on the Municipal Heritage Register, talk to heritage staff about the proposed work, then submit the application with supporting details. Allow for that approval before scheduling an install date.
Owners in the district often choose wood windows or wood-clad units with profiles close to the originals. We can measure the openings, price suitable options and provide the product information you need for the permit application.
Waterloo's commercial buildings range from older Uptown storefronts on King Street to newer offices in the David Johnston Research and Technology Park on the University of Waterloo's north campus. Plazas along University Avenue, Weber Street and Columbia Street round out the mix.
Commercial work here usually means entrance doors that must stay secure and accessible, steel doors and frames at service areas, and glass that needs replacing without shutting an office down. Property managers and business owners can read more about our commercial window and door work, from storefront entrances to hollow metal frames.
These are the jobs Waterloo customers ask us to price most often. The ranges reflect typical 2026 installed prices, and your exact figure comes after we measure.
| Job | Where it is common | Typical installed price |
|---|---|---|
| Replacing fogged sealed units in existing frames | Laurelwood, Columbia Forest, Clair Hills | $250 to $600 per unit |
| Whole-house window replacement in vinyl | Lakeshore, Lincoln Village, Colonial Acres | $900 to $1,600 per opening |
| Rental turnover repairs: cranks, locks, screens, cracked glass | Northdale and near the universities | $150 to $450 per window |
| Heritage-appropriate wood or wood-clad windows | MacGregor-Albert | $2,000 to $4,500 per opening |
| Patio or entry door replacement | Beechwood, Westvale, Eastbridge | $2,500 to $7,000 per door |
Bridgeport is right next door to Waterloo. Eastbridge is about 7 minutes from the shop, Uptown about 10, the University of Waterloo about 15, and Laurelwood, Clair Hills and Vista Hills roughly 15 to 20 minutes outside rush hour.
We work from 7 in the morning until 9 at night, Monday through Saturday, plus Sunday from 9 to 5. Landlords can book measures around tenant schedules, and homeowners can meet us after work.
If you are weighing repair against a full window replacement, we will tell you which one makes sense for your house at the measure.
Our crews reach Waterloo from the shop at 47 Bridge Street East in Kitchener in about 7 to 20 minutes.
Areas we regularly work in: Uptown, MacGregor-Albert, Northdale, Lakeshore, Lincoln Village, Colonial Acres, Eastbridge, Beechwood, Westvale, Laurelwood, Columbia Forest, Clair Hills, Vista Hills.
Yes. We measure while the current tenants are still in place, order the units, then install in the gap between leases, which in student housing usually falls around May 1 or September 1. For multi-unit buildings we can phase the work unit by unit so the property stays rentable.
Not for a like-for-like swap. The City of Waterloo does not require a building permit to replace windows with new ones of the same size, but new or enlarged openings need a permit. Properties in the MacGregor-Albert district or individually designated under the Ontario Heritage Act need a heritage permit to change windows or doors.
Waterloo homes get electricity from Enova Power, formed in 2022 when Waterloo North Hydro and Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro merged, and natural gas from Enbridge Gas. Enbridge customers heating with gas can apply to the Home Renovation Savings program, which requires ENERGY STAR certified windows and doors. Our rebates page explains the current requirements.
Whether it is one fogged pane in Laurelwood or a full house in Lakeshore, we will measure, explain your options and give you a written quote.
Call or text226-806-0597