Do casement windows lock more securely than sliding windows?

Yes — a casement window uses a multi-point lock that fastens the sash to the frame at several points at once, while a slider typically relies on a single latch and an exterior track that can be pried, so force applied at one spot on a casement does not release the whole window.

Can I replace windows on a home inside the Pickering Village Heritage Conservation District?

Yes, but because Pickering Village is a designated Heritage Conservation District, exterior alterations including street-facing window replacements require a Heritage Permit from the Town of Ajax before work begins, and homeowners should confirm the district boundaries and permit requirements with the Town's Heritage Planner at 905-619-2529 ext. 3200.

What glazing option adds the most forced-entry resistance to a casement window?

Laminated security glass adds the most forced-entry resistance, because a PVB interlayer bonds the panes together and is rated for 90% forced-entry protection — meaning the glass may crack under impact but stays bonded in the frame instead of opening a hole someone can climb through.

Does upgrading window security affect energy efficiency?

No — the security hardware and glazing upgrades sit inside the same triple-pane glass unit, so a casement with multi-point locking and laminated glass still delivers the two argon-filled chambers, Low-E coating and warm-edge spacer that give the standard triple-pane model its ER 42 rating and 0.90 U-value.

Casement windows installed on an Ontario home by Trust Build

Ajax, Ontario

Casement Window Replacement in Ajax, Ontario

How casement windows lock, which glazing actually resists forced entry, and the heritage-permit wrinkle that applies in Pickering Village.

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Can you upgrade the locking hardware on a casement window without changing how it looks from the street? Yes. A casement window's security comes almost entirely from what sits inside the frame — the lock mechanism and the glass unit — not from the exterior profile a neighbour sees. That single fact opens up a useful path for Ajax homeowners who want a harder-to-force window without altering the look of the house.

This page covers three things: how a casement window actually locks, which glazing options add real forced-entry resistance, and a permit wrinkle specific to Ajax's Pickering Village that the other Durham towns don't have. Trust Build serves Ajax homeowners with ENERGY STAR® certified casement windows backed by a lifetime transferable warranty, among the 8,700+ Ontario homeowners we've worked with.

Security

How a Casement Window Actually Locks

Unlike a slider or a single-hung window, a casement has no exterior track and no sash rail an intruder can get a bar behind from outside. The sash is carried on hinges along one side and driven by a crank mechanism on the other, so from the exterior there is simply nothing to lever against.

The lock itself is a multi-point system. Turning the handle drives fasteners that grip the frame at several points along the sash at once, rather than pulling one latch into one keeper. Force applied at any single point along the sash therefore doesn't spring the whole window — the remaining points still hold. It's the same principle Trust Build relies on for entry door hardware, where the load is distributed across multiple lock points, adapted here to a window sash.

Both the crank gearbox and the multi-point lock hardware we install are rated for deep-freeze cycles. That matters more than it sounds: hardware that isn't rated for cold can bind or seize during an Ontario cold snap, which is both an operating problem and a security problem when lock points don't fully engage.

Glazing is the second layer. Tempered safety glass is code-required and is what most casements ship with. For ground-floor openings we also offer a laminated security glass upgrade, where a PVB interlayer bonds the panes together. That option is rated for 90% forced-entry protection — in plain terms, the glass may crack under a hard impact but stays bonded inside the frame instead of breaking away and opening a hole someone can reach or climb through. You can read more about the make-up of the units on our glass options page, and security film is an alternative route on windows you're keeping.

The energy side of the same package is the triple-pane glass unit: two argon-filled chambers, a Low-E coating, a Super Spacer warm-edge spacer, and Cardinal Glass units, rated ER 42 with a 0.90 U-value on the standard triple-pane model. In other words, the security upgrade costs you nothing on the efficiency side — it's built into the same window.

Permits

The Pickering Village Wrinkle

Ajax has one Heritage Conservation District: Pickering Village, designated in 2013, covering 58 commercial and residential properties in the village's central area. Beyond the district, 31 additional properties elsewhere in town are individually designated.

For a homeowner inside the district, the practical effect is straightforward. Exterior alterations — including street-facing window replacements — need a Heritage Permit from the Town before work starts, and the proposed change is reviewed against the district's own conservation guidelines, not only the Ontario Building Code. That's a separate review from the ordinary building permit process.

This is a real, town-specific requirement, so confirm the district boundaries and the permit requirements with Ajax's Heritage Planner at 905-619-2529 ext. 3200 before ordering windows. Trust Build can advise on window specification and prepare the details you'll need, but the Town makes the heritage determination.

The security angle helps here. Upgrading an existing casement to multi-point locking and laminated security glass almost always reads as a like-for-like hardware and glazing upgrade rather than a change to the exterior profile — typically the easier category of alteration to get approved inside a heritage district, though the Town always has final say.

Ajax Homes

What This Means for Your Ajax Home

Ajax's housing stock runs from reworked heritage-core homes in Pickering Village through brick subdivisions built in the 1980s to the 2000s across the rest of town. Casement windows suit both. Older openings that have shifted usually call for full frame, brick-to-brick replacement so the new unit sits in a squared, properly sealed opening; where the existing frame is square and sound, retrofit installation is the faster and less invasive route. You can see finished work on our casement window gallery and compare styles on our casement vs. tilt-and-turn comparison.

Our lifetime transferable warranty covers frame, sash, and hardware for as long as you own the home, and 0% interest financing is available. More about the areas and services we cover locally is on the Ajax page.

If you want the exact lock hardware and glazing package spelled out for each opening in your home, request a written quote for your Ajax casement windows and we'll specify it opening by opening.

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