Durham Region
Oshawa neighbourhoods and nearby Durham towns we cover
People here look for help across Durham, not just Oshawa, so this list runs from the city's older core out to the towns around it. We're a free referral service: tell us what's wrong with a window, door, screen or piece of home or storefront window glass, and we pass it to an independent local pro who takes that job where you are. Outside Oshawa, and on rural roads, we check your postal code first.
Inside Oshawa: an older core and a newer north end
Oshawa has the oldest housing in Durham, and more households rent here than anywhere else in the region. So the work leans toward keeping older windows sound and bringing rentals up to standard.
- Downtown Oshawa: heritage storefronts on King Street East, older houses and apartment towers, each with a different permit answer.
- North Oshawa: the newer end of the city, including the licensed rentals near Durham College and Ontario Tech.
Lakeview covers the south end, Stevenson covers west Oshawa's plazas and the city's only heritage district, at the airport, and Columbus, Raglan and Kedron covers the former villages, where many addresses are rural.
West of Oshawa: Whitby, Brooklin, Ajax and Pickering
Head west and the houses get younger and mostly owner-occupied, so fogged sealed units take over from landlord repairs.
- Whitby: heavy building through the 1990s and early 2000s, plus two heritage districts, one of them Brooklin.
- Ajax: two building waves, so one street can have windows on their second round of repairs beside windows on their first.
Pickering has more condos than anywhere else in Durham, which brings balcony doors and condo approvals into the job.
East and north: Courtice, Bowmanville and Port Perry
- Courtice: a rural village until mid-1980s subdivisions, so many homes share an age.
- Bowmanville: an old town centre ringed by subdivisions, with a heritage grant for designated properties.
- Port Perry: a Victorian-era downtown inside Scugog's heritage district. It's the farthest out, so we confirm coverage before anything is promised.
Older core, newer suburbs: how the typical job changes
The age of the house tells you more than the town:
- Older homes, mostly in Oshawa: single panes, storm windows, original hardware, and rentals that must stay weather-tight under the City's property standards.
- 1980s to 2000s subdivisions, mostly in Whitby, Ajax and Clarington: fogged sealed units, patio doors that drag, cranks that spin.
- The newest homes: adjustments and missing screens, with the builder's warranty checked first.
Permits and heritage rules are set town by town
Building permits come from your town or city, and the answers differ.
- Oshawa: a same-size, same-type window or door on a house usually needs no permit; apartments, condos and storefronts check with the City.
- Whitby: changes in the Brooklin and Werden's Plan districts need a heritage permit.
- Clarington: a heritage grant for designated properties.
- Scugog: downtown Port Perry is a heritage conservation district.
- Ajax and Pickering: ask the Town or City before you order.
Start a request with your postal code and a photo.
Common questions
Do you cover my town if it isn't listed?
Possibly; it depends on the address. The list shows places with their own pages, not the edge of coverage. Put your town and postal code on the quote form and we'll check whether a pro takes that job there. If nobody does, we'll tell you plainly.
How do I find a window company that covers all of Durham Region?
You don't need one company for the whole region. Each request goes to an independent local pro who takes that job in your part of Durham. A landlord with units in several towns can send them together, and we'll route each address. How it works explains the steps.
Is window work different in older Oshawa homes than in newer Whitby or Ajax subdivisions?
Usually. Older Oshawa homes more often need panes reglazed, storms repaired and hardware replaced; Whitby and Ajax subdivisions more often need fogged sealed units and patio-door rollers. Plenty of Oshawa homes are subdivision-age too, so the house matters more than the town. The repair or replace guide helps.
Are permit rules the same across Durham Region?
No. Each town or city runs its own permits. Oshawa exempts a same-size, same-type window or door on a house, but not on apartments, condos or shops, and the other towns set their own rules. Ask the local building department before you order, and ask the pro to note what applies.
Which areas have heritage districts that affect window work?
Brooklin and Werden's Plan in Whitby, and downtown Port Perry in Scugog. Oshawa's only district is at the airport, so downtown Oshawa's older buildings are designated one by one. If your home is in a district or designated, check before changing windows. The Whitby page covers its heritage permits.