Windows & Doors in Plantagenet: Century Homes on the South Nation

Plantagenet grew up where the South Nation River widens on its last run to the Ottawa, and the village still carries the marks of that history: a bridge at its centre, brick century homes on the older streets, and a mineral spring that once drew visitors from far away. Unisson Groupe now serves Plantagenet directly from our factory in Saint-Laurent, Montréal, with our own measurement, production, delivery and installation.

Why Unisson now serves Plantagenet

Plantagenet is about 70 kilometres from downtown Ottawa and roughly an hour and forty minutes from our plant, sitting on the old Highway 17 just north of the 417. That puts it squarely inside the Ottawa–Hawkesbury corridor we now cover with our own estimators and installation crews. It is a village of just over a thousand people, and we would rather be the manufacturer that shows up on time here than a name on a flyer.

What you get from a factory-direct manufacturer is control over the whole chain. Our technician measures your openings; those numbers go directly to our production floor, where the UPVC and hybrid frames are welded, glazed and inspected; our truck delivers the finished units; and our own crew installs them. There is no dealer in the middle adding a margin or passing your warranty claim along to someone else.

Plantagenet is a bilingual community in a Franco-Ontarian township, and many families here have been speaking French on the South Nation for generations. Our team works comfortably in both languages, so your estimate, contract and installation-day conversations happen in French or English, whichever you prefer.

• Factory pricing: no distributor or dealer margin between you and the plant
• One responsible company from first measurement to ten-year installation coverage
• Bilingual service for a village where both languages are at home
• Free in-home estimate in Plantagenet, Pendleton, Curran and the surrounding area

Homes in Plantagenet: century homes, bungalows and a river that rises

The village was settled in the 1810s, and the streets near the river still hold its oldest houses: two-storey brick and stone homes from the mid- and late 1800s, some with the deep porches and tall windows of their period, plus one-and-a-half-storey frame houses that were once workers' and merchants' homes. A second ring of post-war bungalows and 1960s and 1970s side-splits surrounds the core, and newer homes on larger lots have appeared along the county roads as Ottawa commuters have moved east.

The South Nation River is the village's defining feature and its main challenge. It is a slow, silty river that swells dramatically with spring melt, and homes on the lower ground deal with damp basements, wet sills and long weeks of humidity every April. Combine that with the clay soils typical of Prescott-Russell, which shift as they wet and dry, and it is common to find century homes whose window openings have drifted out of square by a centimetre or more.

Winter finishes the job. Temperatures fall to −30 °C, and the freeze-thaw cycles of late winter drive moisture into wood sills, behind aluminum frames and into the failed seals of older vinyl windows. The complaints we hear most often in Plantagenet are frost on the inside of windows, sashes that no longer close tight, and patio doors that let cold air pour across the floor.

Which windows and doors fit Plantagenet

For century homes, we recommend made-to-measure UPVC or hybrid windows that fill the original openings exactly, with triple glazing and a low-E coating to keep the inner pane warm on damp mornings. Grille patterns and traditional profiles preserve the look of a period house, and hybrid frames with an aluminum-clad exterior allow heritage colours without repainting. Because we build to your measurements, an opening that is slightly out of square is simply part of the specification.

For bungalows and side-splits, triple-glazed UPVC casements and awnings are the practical choice: they seal by compression, do not conduct cold like aluminum, and never need paint. On a house near the river, that condensation resistance is worth more than any other single feature.

Every unit is ENERGY STAR certified under Canada's single national specification in force since 2020: a U-factor of 1.22 W/m²·K or lower, or an Energy Rating of 34 or higher. To complete the envelope, we install insulated steel and fibreglass entry doors with multi-point locks and patio doors with sealed, low-conductivity thresholds, which are often the largest remaining source of heat loss in a 1970s home.

• Made-to-measure UPVC or hybrid windows for period openings that are no longer square
• Triple glazing with low-E coating against river humidity and condensation
• Heritage exterior colours on hybrid frames for century homes
• Insulated entry and patio doors with multi-point locks and sealed thresholds

Ontario specifics: code, permits and rebates

The Ontario Building Code governs window and door work in Plantagenet, but a like-for-like replacement in the existing opening, without structural change or effect on a bedroom egress window, generally does not require a building permit. Enlarging or adding an opening usually does, and the Township of Alfred and Plantagenet's building department makes the call. We confirm with them whenever a project involves that kind of change. Homes in the floodplain may also be subject to conservation authority review for certain work, so we ask about that early.

On rebates, here is an honest snapshot. At the time of writing, the Home Renovation Savings Program, delivered by Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy, has offered a per-opening rebate on ENERGY STAR windows and doors installed as part of a larger retrofit that begins with a home energy assessment. Windows alone have not qualified, and eligibility has depended on your heating fuel. Verify current terms on the official program page; the federal Greener Homes Grant is closed to new applicants.

Ontario has no provincial contractor licence equivalent to Quebec's RBQ. We hold RBQ licence 5670-0248 and apply the same manufacturing and installation standards, insurance and safety practices on every job in Ontario. Documentation is available on request.

How it works from our Montréal factory

It starts with a free in-home visit. Our estimator comes to Plantagenet, measures each opening, inspects sills, framing and any signs of moisture, and reviews the options with you room by room. You receive a written quote in French or English, with no obligation. If you accept, your measurements go straight to the production floor in Saint-Laurent.

Manufacturing typically takes six to ten weeks in a normal season, longer for custom shapes or colours. We deliver with our own truck and install with our own crew over one to three days, depending on the number of openings. The crew removes the old units, prepares and flashes each opening, sets the new unit plumb and square, insulates and seals it, finishes inside and out, and removes the debris.

Installations are covered for ten years, on top of the manufacturer warranty on frames and sealed glass units, and financing is available. Request your free estimate and we will schedule a visit to Plantagenet on a day that suits you.

• Step 1: free in-home measurement and written quote
• Step 2: manufacturing at our Saint-Laurent factory, typically 6 to 10 weeks
• Step 3: delivery and installation by Unisson crews
• Step 4: 10-year installation coverage plus manufacturer warranty

Frequently Asked Questions