This year the Sebago Lakes Region WindowDressers Community Build runs December 1 through 6 at South Windham Station, 33 Main St. Last winter's build ran January 22 to 26, 2026, deep into the cold months. This winter's build starts on December 1, so it lands 52 days earlier in the heating season, which is a big change for a program whose whole purpose is keeping heat in during a Maine winter.
The new schedule closed orders earlier too. WindowDressers' Maine community builds page says the Sebago Lakes build, which serves Raymond, Windham and Standish, "is no longer accepting orders for the 2026 Season." The build itself still needs people. Volunteer shifts are open, and so are slots for bringing food.
Last winter's build and this winter's
Age Friendly Windham ran the local build for the first time last season, The Windham Eagle reported in October 2025. This year it is organized by Camille Beaulieu, an AmeriCorps volunteer serving with the Town of Windham, according to The Windham Eagle.
| Winter 2025–26 | Winter 2026–27 | |
|---|---|---|
| Local lead | Age Friendly Windham | Camille Beaulieu, AmeriCorps volunteer serving with the Town |
| Measuring deadline | Dec. 10 | Nov. 1 |
| Build dates | Jan. 22 to 26 | Dec. 1 to 6 |
| Host | Partnership with Saint Joseph's College | South Windham Station, 33 Main St. |
Measuring wrapped up more than five weeks earlier in the season than it did last time, the build moved into a municipal facility, and the inserts come off the jigs at the start of December. The finished inserts are interior storm windows that the owner installs, so a household that ordered this fall can have them in place for the rest of the heating season instead of starting in late January.
The work is tied to town policy. Erica Bell-Watkins, Age Friendly Windham's coordinator, told The Windham Eagle that the program fits her group's action plan for weatherization and the town's 2023 energy plan, which calls for helping residents use energy efficiency programs.
What gets built at South Windham Station
WindowDressers describes an insert as a custom pine frame wrapped in two layers of clear plastic film, with a compressible foam gasket around the edge. It fits inside the existing window frame without fasteners. The two film layers create extra air spaces, and the foam blocks drafts.
Every insert for the region gets built during the build week. Volunteers and the customers who ordered work side by side on custom jigs that set each step, so the results come out consistent no matter who is working. Customers take the finished inserts home and put them in themselves. "Each insert has a small pull tab at the bottom for removal at the end of the heating season," Beaulieu told The Windham Eagle.
What a shift involves
WindowDressers says no prior skill is needed. Volunteers are trained on site, and the jobs are:
- Taping the pine frames
- Stretching the plastic film across the frame
- Applying perimeter tape
- Fitting the foam gasket
A standard shift is four hours. WindowDressers says the jobs can be matched to a range of abilities and mobility levels. If you can't take a build shift, you can provide food instead. Beaulieu has invited anyone in the region to help, not only people who ordered inserts. "We are also asking folks to volunteer to build window inserts with us Dec. 1 to 6," she told The Windham Eagle. "You can also sign up to provide food, if you're unable or not available for build shifts."
Sign up through the Sebago Lakes Region volunteer link on the WindowDressers Maine builds page. If you'd like a lead role, such as measurer or build shift supervisor, email Beaulieu at [email protected].
The meal sign-up matters as much as the build shifts. Bell-Watkins described last season's build to The Windham Eagle as one that "brought people from the region of all ages, backgrounds and life experiences together," with Saint Joseph's College students working next to volunteers from several organizations. "We shared meals and stories," she said.
What WindowDressers says an insert saves
All of the savings figures below are WindowDressers' own estimates. Its FAQ says a typical insert of about 11 square feet saves an average of 8.5 gallons of heating oil a year, worth $15 to $43 a year depending on the price of oil. Actual savings depend on climate, the existing window and the heating fuel. The model assumes 7,074 heating degree days, a 78 percent efficient oil furnace, and an insert R-value of 2.0.
Per window, the numbers are small. They add up across a house. Bell-Watkins told The Windham Eagle last fall that most households in the local build get about seven inserts. At WindowDressers' estimate, seven medium inserts come to roughly 60 gallons of heating oil a year, every year the inserts stay in good shape. WindowDressers says they usually last 5 to 10 years with reasonable care.
Beaulieu told The Windham Eagle that WindowDressers prices inserts "about 50 to 75 percent cheaper than commercial products," because customers put in time at the build instead of paying for labor. Last season, the Eagle reported a medium 30-by-52-inch pine insert at $50.98 plus tax. Prices are set by the exact measurements of each window.
"Inserts are free for those who cannot afford to pay, and low cost for middle- and high-income households." Camille Beaulieu, quoted in The Windham Eagle, September 2026
The WindowDressers FAQ says qualifying low-income households can get up to 10 pine inserts a year at no charge, and a contribution is welcome from anyone who can afford one. WindowDressers also rewraps worn inserts for $15 each, replacing the film or foam on a frame that is still sound.
Windham's build has history behind it
In 2018, The Windham Eagle reported plans for a 250-insert build at Raymond Village Community Church, organized with the Raymond Village Library and the church. The Raymond Lions Club referred food pantry families to the program. In 2021, a free-insert effort for Windham and Raymond residents brought together the Maine Energy AmeriCorps Program, GrowSmart Maine, WindowDressers and Efficiency Maine, according to The Windham Eagle.
The statewide numbers are large. In fall 2025, WindowDressers spokesperson Sofia Reali told The Windham Eagle that the organization's volunteers had built more than 78,000 inserts since 2010, with 25 to 35 percent going to low-income families at no or low cost.
The current program grew out of those earlier efforts. For last season, the local goal was 200 to 300 inserts built by 50 or more volunteers over a pop-up week. This year the build has a town organizer, a town building, and dates in early December.
Getting on the list for 2027
Missing this year's order deadline still leaves you two options. You can join the 2027 waitlist through the WindowDressers insert request form, which the Maine builds page lists as the way to sign up for next season. Each order follows the same steps: a request, a home visit where trained volunteers measure each window, a quote, a shift at the build, pickup, and installing the inserts yourself. Before the measurers arrive, clear a path to every window you want measured.
You can also volunteer at this year's build. The number of shifts you owe depends on how many inserts you order, and Beaulieu can tell you what that count will be for next year.
The Sunday before build week
Windham's free Holiday Tree Lighting and Celebration runs from 5 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, November 29, at Windham Public Safety, 375 Gray Rd. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive at 5:15, with the countdown and tree lighting at 5:20. After that come photos, live music, refreshments and activities until 7. Build week at South Windham Station starts two days later, on Tuesday, December 1.
Weatherizing a house usually starts with the windows. If you're deciding which projects to tackle before winter, or what upgrades buyers notice in a Windham home, The Scoville Foley Team can walk you through it. Contact us, and if you're spending a shift at South Windham Station in December, tell us how it went.
