Professor's Lake, north Bramalea
Around Professor's Lake: 1980s and 1990s windows at a turning point
The houses around Professor's Lake were built in the 1980s and 1990s. Their windows and patio doors, whether original or a first round of replacements, are now at the point where an owner has a real choice: fix the parts that failed, or price new ones. We're a free referral service, not a door-to-door window program. We connect you with an independent local glass pro who can look at yours and say which it is.
At a glance
- Built
- 1980s and 1990s, around a spring-fed lake
- Where
- North end of Bramalea, between Bramalea Road and Torbram Road
- Common jobs
- Fogged sealed units, rear patio doors, picture windows, screens
- If replacing
- Ask for the ENERGY STAR rating and low-E options
A lake made from a gravel pit, ringed by 1980s–90s homes
Professor's Lake is spring-fed and sits in a former sand and gravel pit, worked from the 1950s to the early 1970s. The homes around it went up in the 1980s and 1990s, in the north end of Bramalea.
That puts them in the big wave of Brampton building between the early 1980s and the mid-2000s. The first signs of age are usually glass that won't clear and patio doors that no longer glide.
Fogged glass and failed seals
A double-pane window is two sheets of glass sealed around the edge, with dry air or gas between. Pros call it a sealed unit. When the seal fails, damp air gets in and fogs the inside surfaces, where no cloth can reach. Two fixes, each with a place:
- Defogging: small holes are drilled, the space is dried and the holes sealed. It can clear a lightly fogged unit, but it doesn't restore the seal or the gas fill.
- A new sealed unit: the glass package is remade to size and set into the existing frame, which stays with its hardware and trim.
See foggy window repair for how each is done.
Rear patio doors and picture windows facing the water
The back of a lakeside house carries the most glass. A large picture window can usually take a new sealed unit if the frame is sound. A rear patio door that drags or won't latch often needs rollers or a lock, not a new door. When the frame is warped or the sill leaks, patio door replacement is the better spend.
Replacing big rear glass? Ask about low-E coatings, which change how warm the pane feels in winter and how much sun heat gets through in summer, and ask for the unit's ENERGY STAR Canada rating.
Repair or replace in a house from the 1980s or 90s
Start with what has actually failed. One fogged unit in an otherwise tight window is a glass job; a crank or roller is a parts job. The case for new windows builds when several have fogged, frames are cracked or chalky, and the house feels drafty around the openings.
Doing the patio door and windows together can save a visit, but it isn't required. Ask for each opening to be priced separately. Our repair or replace guide sets out the trade-offs.
Screens for summer by the lake
With the patio door open all summer, screens get heavy use.
- Rescreening: torn mesh replaced in the existing frame.
- Pet-resistant mesh: a heavier screen that stands up to claws better.
- Screen doors: new rollers, handles or a frame remade for a patio screen that sticks.
- New screen frames: made to measure for windows that lost theirs.
Professor's Lake questions
Are the 1980s windows around Professor's Lake worth repairing?
Often, if the frames are sound. Windows from that era commonly fail at the seal or the hardware first, and both can be fixed without removing the frame. Repair stops making sense when frames are cracked or leaking air all round, or most windows are failing together. Send a photo of each with your request.
Can a large rear picture window be reglazed?
Usually. A new sealed unit is made to size and set into the existing frame, with the stops and trim put back afterwards. It's heavier work than a small window, so handling and access show up in the price. If the frame has rotted or bowed, the pro should say so and quote a new window too.
Should I replace my patio door and windows at the same time?
Only if both need it. Doing them together can save a second visit and gives you matching frames and glass, but a working patio door doesn't need replacing because the windows do. Ask for each opening to be priced separately on the quote. Our repair or replace guide helps you decide which comes first.
Can the fogged windows in an older lakeside house be resealed?
Not truly, no. Once the edge seal fails, it can't be restored. Defogging can dry out and clear a lightly fogged unit, but it doesn't bring back the gas fill. A new sealed unit in the old frame restores the glass fully. Both options are laid out on our foggy window repair page.
My rear patio door drags and won't latch. Is it repairable?
Most likely. A door that drags has usually worn or sunk its rollers, and once it sits low the latch no longer meets the keeper. New rollers, a clean track and an adjusted keeper fix most of these. Replacement is worth pricing if the frame is bent or water gets in at the sill. See sliding door repair.