by Adam Wire

Moisture damage left two of member Paul Matzek's windows with clouded areas and streaks, and he and his wife, Elizabeth, wanted to clear their windows before they put their Brownsburg, Ind., home on the market.

They hired The Glass Guru of Indy South in Greenwood, Ind. to restore the windows instead of replace them, and the highly rated Indianapolis glass repair company finished the $300 job in just 45 minutes.

Brian Shutt of The Glass Guru of Indy South in Greenwood performs moisture removal on a picture window. The process provides homeowners with an alternative to glass replacement.

Photo by Brandon Smith

Matzek says his situation called for repair over replacement. "It cost less, and it was much easier," he says. "You'd have [had] to take the whole window out, which would involve taking siding out of the house. I wasn't about to do that."

For wrecked windows, glass replacement can prove an equally viable option. And depending on the nature of the repair, it might be the only one.

Member Joan Carr of Fishers paid the highly rated Glass Doctor of Indianapolis $450 in April to replace two jalousie porch windows with broken glass and missing panes in a Broad Ripple house she eventually sold. "The windows were in such bad shape, you couldn't repair them," she says.

Glass Doctor owner Tim Jokl contends that often replacement proves easier and cheaper. "Restoration is very difficult, time-consuming and sometimes it's less expensive to replace," Jokl says.

The replacement process varies, depending on the window's size, type and location on the home. Jokl's workers typically remove the sash and replace the old glass with new before putting the window back in place.

A job can cost as little as $160, but can increase into the thousands of dollars per window, depending on the need for scaffolding or the presence of lead paint, he estimates.

Glass Guru owner Adam Ranard says that if a homeowner counts cost savings as a top priority, restoration can save you 50 percent or more. "It's a faster process, which saves labor costs, because we can do all work from the exterior," he says. "We don't have to take down drapes."

Ranard says homeowners should expect to pay between $150 to $200 per window for a repair, which involves cutting small holes in each side of the glass to inject and extract a cleaning solution.

If you're not sure whether your glass can be restored, consult a contractor. Restoration can fix most stains and scratches, but can't fix cracks or broken glass. The tempered glass often found in decorative panes on doors and windows with moisture spots that have become white powder can't be restored, Ranard says.

You may also consider replacement if clarity is your main concern. Restored glass loses up to 4 percent of the clarity that new insulated glass has, Ranard explains.

"It won't be as clear as glass right off the assembly line," he says. "Restoration probably isn't going to be [ideal] for the picky customer." The bottom line? Solicit multiple bids to determine whether repair or replacement is your best option.

For more information about Indianapolis glass repair companies, check out trusted reviews and consumer ratings on Angie's List.