Window replacement costs in Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs sits in the lee of the Rockies, and the Colorado Climate Center says hail falls more often there than anywhere else in North America. Hailstones an inch or two across, which may fall at about 80 miles an hour, show up many times each summer in eastern Colorado, though each storm covers a small area. Strong winds with the hail make the damage worse. The state's season runs from April 15 to September 15, with June the busiest month.

After a hailstorm, walk the house and look closely at the windward side: cracked panes, torn screens, dented or split frames and chipped sills. Photograph what you find before anything gets fixed.

The paperwork for the fix is lighter than you might think. The Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, the permit office for Colorado Springs, lists replacing doors, windows and fixed glass among the jobs that need no permit, unless the rough opening changes. There's a condition attached. A window that serves as a bedroom's emergency escape opening, or glass in a spot where code calls for safety glazing, still has to meet the building code when it's replaced.