Quick answer: if the transom window above your patio door is coming out anyway, ask whether the door can grow into that space. On this Lakewood job we removed the windows over two patio doors and put in tall patio doors that run up to where the transoms used to be. Whether your wall allows it gets decided in person.
When Skyler first showed me the plan to pull the transoms and make the doors taller, I was like, okay, are you sure they want to do that? That seems like a lot of work.
Need expert advice on your project?
21 years in McHenry County · Free estimates · No pressure
… It was actually Skyler’s idea, to be honest with you, and he presented it to the homeowner. And I think that’s what won the job for him, because he showed them something that no one else had shown them.
Skyler Wilborn is my son, and he’s a sales consultant and designer here. This is his job on Loch Glen Court in Lakewood, told in his words and mine. If you’re weighing Andersen patio doors for your own house, or you’re just starting on replacement windows in McHenry County, it’s worth a read.
“[On] Loch Glen Court in the Village of Lakewood, these [homeowners] were looking to replace the windows on their home that were still original from when the home was built in the 90s. They were looking for a black exterior aluminum-clad window. … [They] were open to different ideas of how we could change the configuration of these windows or [make] any improvements.”
Hold onto that last sentence. It comes back.
5 Manufacturer Certifications
Ready to get it done right the first time?
Andersen Elite Certified · James Hardie Select · LP SmartSide Certified · GutterShutter Exclusive Dealer
What the living room looked like before
“In their living room, they had two patio doors that led out to their back deck, which faces the lake. This is their main living space, where they spend most of their time and entertain guests [and] throw parties. So they’re open to ideas of doing something cool and unique to really … make it a focal point of the home. Above the two patio doors were two windows.”
The lake is right there, and a thick band of frame runs straight across it. That band is where the door stops and the transom starts.
Should you replace the transom window above your patio door?
Sometimes you keep it. A transom is often just a picture window, and in my experience those outlast an operating door, so swapping only the door is fine. If the door and transom are both coming out, the opening can sometimes become one taller door. Budget and goals decide which way it goes.
It all depends on the situation. It’s not an inexpensive endeavor to do. Most of the time that transom can come out. But it just depends on the homeowner, what they want to spend and what they’re looking to achieve. Now, these people wanted more exposure to their lake view, and they got that with our solutions.
… I’m sure when Skyler’s on an appointment, he does suggest certain things and sees how they react, and maybe even gives them a rough idea what the cost would be. That discussion dictates which way we actually go with the project. So it depends on budget and goals of the homeowner.
A better time to keep a transom would be if there’s a cost situation. A lot of times the transom window is just going to be a picture window, and those windows will last longer than an operative window or door. So the doors may wear out and not be functioning properly, and the folks just want to change the door out and leave the transom window. And that’s absolutely fine. We can do that.
But again, it all depends on the homeowner’s goal and their budget, and what they want to achieve. Because we can do pretty much anything. Everything comes down to time and money. If you got enough time, if you got enough money, you can do anything. You can build anything.
The idea no other contractor brought them
Here’s Skyler on how he got there.
“So I came up with a few creative solutions. I wanted to see how we could maximize the view and natural light, especially with this living room area facing the lake, so I came up with the idea of removing the windows above the patio doors.”
“The patio doors were standard … patio doors, and so my idea was to remove the windows that were above them and turn them into oversized … tall patio doors.”
“The homeowners told me they were looking to do something a little different and creative, so when I presented these ideas to them, they loved them. They said no other contractor had come up with either of these ideas or had really thought outside of the box to come up with a unique solution for their specific home.”
“Either” is doing some work there. There was a second idea, for two third-story bedrooms on the lake side, where he wanted the post out of the middle of the view. What went in up there is its own conversation. This post is about the doors.
Our job file for this house holds 124 photos. Several from the April 20, 2026 measure visit still have red-marker design notes written right on them.
And seeing the after effect, I would imagine that the people are thrilled, because it really opens up the wall. They get a better view of the lake that they’re on. And it just probably lets in a ton more light, and there’s no interruption from the framing around the transom window and all that.
Why don’t more contractors suggest this?
Because it’s not easy. It’s not a pop a door out and pop a new door in. There’s some carpentry work. There’s going to be trim work. There’s going to be finish work on the outside. And it really takes a skilled window installer that has experience in siding and other things to pull this off.
Whenever you open a hole for a window or close a hole for a window, there’s interior finishing work, there’s exterior finishing work that needs to be done. And most contractors avoid windows and doors to start with, and adding some carpentry, they just shy away from it. But it’s one of the things that we specialize in.
Both of our crews can do this type of work. We have one that does all the high-end stuff and one that kind of does more of the … window replacement stuff, but they’re both very good, and they’ve been doing it for years and years.
… Nothing was super hard for them. They’ve done this type of work before. They had to take the existing out. They had to cut the framing out. They had to just do some carpentry work before they actually installed the doors. But nothing was super difficult for them. That’s just all stuff they’ve done before.
ENERGY STAR makes the same point from the other side. Its guidance on buying and installing windows, doors and skylights says: “Even the best windows, doors, and skylights can be drafty if they are poorly installed.” The product is half of it. The crew is the other half.
Black exterior, stained wood inside
The patio doors and the windows on this job are both Andersen, aluminum-clad on the outside and wood on the inside. Here’s how I’d sum them up:
High quality … aluminum-clad exteriors, wood interiors, lots of options … just quality product all around.
“We also went with a caramel stained interior and then the black exterior. The windows look super sharp compared to the old outdated white windows. It really gives their home a clean modern look with the black windows we installed.”
We’re the only Andersen Elite Certified contractor in McHenry County, and Lakewood sits right next to Crystal Lake, where our showroom is, at 4410 Route 176. The rest of what we carry is on our Andersen windows and doors page.
What’s different about patio doors on a Lakewood lake house?
I think the biggest thing is just view. The biggest thing is actually view when you’re talking about a lake house, because you’re paying for that view, and what you probably fell in love with, with that house, was the actual view of the water that you’re by.
I know in our house, we live on a river, the Fox River … You walk in the front door and you see the back is all patio doors, and you just see the view of the river, boats going by. It’s gorgeous. And so, same situation for anyone who lives on water. They want a view. They want to see that beautiful view of the water.
Lakewood’s a high-end area. There’s a lot of nice houses. … Most of those houses have custom windows. They want wood interior. They want quality.
… The same with lakefront houses. … You’re looking at nice custom houses, and you want high quality windows, because those houses are more expensive, and people that are gonna buy that type of house want quality.
Are tall patio doors hard to open? What the Lakewood homeowners said
Not for these homeowners. They had concerns about it going in, and after a few weeks of use they told Skyler the doors are super easy to open.
“Also, they love the oversized patio doors. They had some concerns of if the patio doors were gonna be hard to open since they’re so big, but they’ve been using them for a few weeks now and said they are super easy to open and operate. They really love the natural light and view of the lake.”
My own take, from the doors we put in:
… Generally, most Andersen doors, two fingers can open and close the door very easily. It’s high quality product.
That’s what I’ve seen in the field, and it’s one household’s report above. If operation worries you, say so at the consultation.
What the room is like now
“They are super happy … These oversized patio doors really have a wow factor. Right when you walk into the living room, it’s the first thing you see. They’re very impressive and a unique custom piece of their home now that you almost never see in other homes.”
Which is exactly what they asked for. A focal point.
What happens after you call us
We call it a consultation. Skyler or any of our sales reps will go to the home. They’ll sit down with the homeowner, find out what they’re looking to do, ask them questions to try to narrow down the scope of the project. And then they’ll do a walk around with them and get pictures, measurements, get questions answered about exactly what they’re looking to do.
Our philosophy is we’re like a doctor. We’re trying to diagnose the problem. Diagnose the project and find out really what your dream is to do here. Now, we also talk about budget. … So you can kind of get a better idea of where the people are at.
And then what Skyler does is he takes all that information back and he puts together a proposal. He does conceptual designs. He’ll make three, four, five, six designs sometime, depending on what was talked about in the consultation. He puts together a professional proposal. And then he goes back and he presents that proposal. He goes over all the information, makes sure that all the questions are answered, and he makes sure that the people understand exactly what we’re going to be doing with the project.
And we talk about financing options. We talk about payment options, how they can pay for the project. All those different things are discussed. And when the people are ready to go ahead, we sign them up to an agreement. Everything’s clear-cut, straightforward, so they understand.
… The contracts and paperwork all come into the office, it gets approved by management, and then the next step is we send out the installer to do technical measurements and to look at the project. Especially something like this, we want eyes on the project, because there might be certain materials or certain situations that we need to be aware of. The installer actually gets the technical measurements for the window, sends those back to our office …
And then the office orders the windows …
So a window project isn’t something that you’re just gonna sign up for and then you get it done next week. … It’s a process, and it takes some time. And I think that’s one thing that sometimes people don’t understand.
Thinking about tall patio doors in Lakewood or anywhere in McHenry County?
A few honest caveats before you fall in love with the photo.
- Not every wall can do this. We don’t know about yours until we’ve looked at it in person.
- It’s a permit job in Lakewood. The Village of Lakewood Building Department FAQ says “All construction projects in the Village require a building permit.” Other towns set their own rules, so check with the town the house is in, or ask us to.
- Price comes from the consultation. Tall doors are a custom configuration, so I won’t guess a number here. Our casement cost guide walks through how configuration moves a quote.
And if your windows are simply worn out, that’s a different decision. Our guide to foggy windows: repair, reglaze or replace is the better place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you remove the transom window above a patio door and make the door taller?
Sometimes, yes. On this Lakewood house we turned two patio doors with windows above them into two tall patio doors. Whether your opening can grow gets checked in person, at the consultation and the installer’s technical measure. It can’t be judged from a photo.
When should you keep the transom window instead?
When cost is the concern and only the door is failing. A transom is often a picture window, and in Rhett Wilborn’s experience those last longer than an operating door. Swapping just the door and leaving the transom is absolutely fine, and we can do that. It comes down to your budget and goals.
Are oversized patio doors hard to open?
The Lakewood homeowners worried about exactly that. After a few weeks of use, they told our designer the doors were super easy to open and operate. That’s their experience with their doors, so raise the question at your own consultation.
Do I need a permit to replace patio doors in Lakewood, IL?
The Village of Lakewood’s Building Department FAQ says all construction projects in the village require a building permit. Other McHenry County towns set their own rules, so check with the town your house is in, or ask us to.
What is an aluminum-clad wood patio door?
It has an aluminum exterior over a wood interior. On this job that meant a black exterior and real wood inside that could be stained. This Lakewood home went with a caramel stain inside and black outside, on both the patio doors and the windows.
See what your own wall could do
If your best view has a frame line running through it, have us look. We work all over McHenry County, Lakewood included, and do Crystal Lake window replacement right down the road.
Want a second opinion first? We have 400+ Google reviews. Read a few.
Request your Lakewood patio door consultation, or Call or Text (815) 356-9020.
