Everyone in eastern Ontario knows Saint-Albert for one thing: the cheese co-op that has been making cheddar and squeaky curds since 1894, and the Curd Festival that fills the village every August. Behind the factory is a small, tightly knit francophone village of a few hundred homes. Unisson Groupe now brings factory-direct windows and doors here from our plant in Saint-Laurent, Montréal, with measurement, delivery and installation handled by our own people.
Why Unisson now serves Saint-Albert
Saint-Albert is a village of roughly five hundred people in The Nation Municipality, about 45 minutes east of Ottawa and a little under two hours from our factory. It is the kind of place where a window company's name travels by word of mouth at the co-op counter, which is exactly why we want to do the job properly the first time. We now cover the whole Ottawa–Hawkesbury corridor with our own estimators and crews, and Saint-Albert sits right in the middle of it.
Being a factory-direct manufacturer means something specific for you as a buyer. We are not a showroom reselling frames built elsewhere. The windows are welded, glazed and quality-checked on our own production line, the quote reflects factory pricing rather than a dealer margin, and the installer on your doorstep works for the company that built the product. Warranty claims, adjustments and follow-ups all go to one place.
Saint-Albert is also one of the most francophone villages in Ontario, with a heritage that traces back to the Franco-Ontarian dairy farmers who founded the co-op. Our team works in both languages every day, so you can deal with us entirely in French, entirely in English, or switch mid-conversation as people here naturally do.
- Direct from the plant: no distributor, no dealer mark-up
- Same company end to end: measurement, production, delivery, installation, warranty
- Bilingual by default: French or English at every step
- Free in-home estimate in Saint-Albert and the surrounding concessions
Homes in Saint-Albert: village lots, farmhouses and dairy country
The village itself is compact: modest one-and-a-half-storey houses and post-war bungalows along the main street and the few side streets, some of them a century old, many renovated over the decades with whatever windows were available at the time. Around the village are the dairy farms that supply the co-op, with brick and frame farmhouses from the late 1800s and early 1900s, often with additions and a converted summer kitchen. Newer homes on larger lots have appeared as Ottawa commuters look further east for space.
What fails here is predictable. Older wood windows lose their glazing putty and rot at the bottom rail; aluminum sliders from the 1970s and 1980s sweat and frost on the inside; first-generation vinyl from the 1990s develops fogged sealed units. Farmhouses on open ground take the full force of winter wind, and homes near the low-lying stretches of the South Nation watershed deal with damp springs that keep sills wet for weeks.
The climate is classic eastern Ontario: cold snaps to −30 °C, heavy snow loads, and a long freeze-thaw season that drives water into any joint that was not properly sealed. Marine clay under much of Prescott-Russell adds slow foundation movement, so it is common to find openings that are no longer square, especially on older houses that have been added onto.
Which windows and doors fit Saint-Albert
For most village homes and farmhouses we recommend UPVC windows with triple glazing and a low-E coating, in casement or awning styles that seal tightly against wind. UPVC does not need painting, does not conduct cold the way aluminum does, and is the most cost-effective route to a warm, condensation-free window. For owners who want a black or dark grey exterior on a farmhouse or a newer build, our hybrid windows pair an aluminum-clad exterior with the same insulating UPVC core.
All of our windows are 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. Triple glazing with argon comfortably clears that bar and makes a noticeable difference in a room that faces the fields in February.
For doors, a steel or fibreglass insulated entry door with a multi-point lock keeps the front of the house tight, and a modern patio door replaces the old slider that leaks air along its track. Many farmhouses around Saint-Albert have a side or mudroom entrance that gets more use than the front door, and it is usually the one that needs replacing first.
- Triple-glazed UPVC casements and awnings for tight sealing against field wind
- Hybrid windows for a dark, maintenance-free exterior finish
- Insulated entry doors with multi-point locks for busy side entrances
- Patio doors with low-conductivity thresholds for back decks and sunrooms
Ontario specifics: code, permits and rebates
Window replacement in Ontario falls under the Ontario Building Code, but a like-for-like replacement in the existing opening, with no change to the framing and no impact on a bedroom egress window, generally does not require a building permit. Enlarging or adding an opening usually does, and the decision rests with The Nation's building department. When a project involves that kind of change, we confirm the requirement with the municipality before work starts.
On rebates, we prefer honesty over hype. At the time of writing, the Home Renovation Savings Program run by Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy has offered a per-opening rebate for ENERGY STAR windows and doors installed as part of a multi-measure retrofit that begins with a home energy assessment. Eligibility depends on your heating fuel and on the program's terms at the time you apply, and windows alone have not qualified. Check the official program site for the current rules; the federal Greener Homes Grant is closed to new applicants.
Ontario has no provincial contractor licence comparable to Quebec's RBQ. We hold RBQ licence 5670-0248 and apply the same manufacturing and installation standards, insurance and safety practices on every Ontario job as we do at home. Ask us for documentation and we will provide it.
How it works from our Montréal factory
The first step is a free in-home visit. Our estimator comes to Saint-Albert, measures each opening, inspects sills, framing and any signs of water damage, and walks you through options room by room. You receive a written quote in French or English, with no obligation. If you proceed, your measurements go straight to the production floor in Saint-Laurent.
In a normal season, manufacturing takes six to ten weeks, a little longer for custom shapes or colours. We then deliver with our own truck and install with our own crew, typically over one to three days. The crew removes the old units, prepares and flashes each opening, sets the new window or door plumb and square, insulates and seals it, finishes the interior and exterior, and takes the debris away.
Installation is covered for ten years, in addition to the manufacturer warranty on frames and sealed glass units. Financing is available. To get started, request your free estimate and we will schedule a visit to Saint-Albert on a date that works for 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
Is Saint-Albert too small or too far for you to serve?
No. We now cover the entire corridor from Ottawa to Hawkesbury and route estimator visits and installations through the villages of The Nation on a regular schedule. Saint-Albert is a little under two hours from our factory, and the in-home estimate is free.
Can we do everything in French?
Yes, from the first phone call to the final walkthrough. Our estimators, office and installation crews are bilingual, and your contract and warranty documents come in the language you choose.
Can you replace windows on a century-old farmhouse without ruining its look?
Yes. We build to the exact size of each opening, offer traditional profiles and grille patterns, and can match exterior colours with hybrid frames. Many owners around Saint-Albert keep the original proportions and simply gain a window that seals and insulates properly.
Should I install before or after the Curd Festival?
Whenever suits you, but if you want the work done before winter, measure in spring or early summer. With a six-to-ten-week manufacturing lead, a July order is typically installed by September or October, well ahead of the cold.
Are there rebates for windows in Ontario right now?
Possibly, through the Home Renovation Savings Program, which has offered a per-opening rebate on ENERGY STAR windows and doors as part of a larger retrofit with an energy assessment. Terms and eligibility change, so confirm on the official Enbridge or Save on Energy page before counting on it.