European Windows in Toronto: Internorm Windows and Doors for City Homes
From Victorian semis to new custom homes on ravine lots, Toronto houses ask a lot of their windows: quiet rooms on busy streets, warmth through January and a look that suits the street. InterHaus supplies and installs Austrian-made Internorm windows and doors across the city, with design help from our Oakville showroom.
The short answer
InterHaus supplies and installs Internorm European windows and doors in Toronto from its showroom at 217 Speers Rd. in Oakville. The range covers triple-glazed tilt and turn windows in uPVC, uPVC/aluminum and wood/aluminum, plus lift-slide and entrance doors, with sound reduction of up to 47 dB on the KF 410. Toronto work includes the Etobicoke Passive House Residence and a Beaches renovation now underway.
Three kinds of Toronto house, three different window briefs
Toronto’s housing stock is unusually mixed, and the right window depends on the house. In older neighbourhoods, Victorian and Edwardian semis and detached homes have tall, narrow openings set in brick, often with original sashes beside replacements from several different decades, so no two openings are quite the same.
Further out, post-war bungalows are often replaced with architect-designed infill homes, with larger glazed areas, slimmer frames and energy targets fixed at the drawing stage. On ravine lots, the rear wall faces a slope of mature trees, and the brief becomes framing that view while keeping heat in.
Internorm tilt and turn windows suit all three. Every sash opens inward, so the tall windows of a three-storey semi can be cleaned from inside, and the tilt position airs a street-facing bedroom without leaving the window wide open. Our tilt and turn windows page explains the hardware.
Keeping the character of an older house while changing how it performs
In an older Toronto house, a replacement window has to look right from the sidewalk and from the dining room. Internorm frames come in four design styles, from the square-edged home pure to the softer home soft, plus studio and ambiente, so you can match the profile to original plaster and trim.
Where the woodwork is the point, the wood/aluminum HF 410 gives you a real timber interior in Spruce, Larch, Oak or Walnut, with powder-coated aluminum facing the weather. Every Internorm window is made to measure, which suits openings that are no longer square.
Heritage properties and permits in Toronto
If your home is designated, or sits in a Heritage Conservation District, check with the City’s heritage planning staff before you change any street-facing windows. Ask before the order is placed, because made-to-measure windows cannot simply be swapped once they arrive. We can supply data sheets, frame dimensions and finish options for that conversation.
Whether you need a building permit depends on the scope. Putting a new window into an existing opening is a different job from widening an opening for a lift-slide door, adding a new opening or changing structure, so confirm with your designer or the City’s building department first.
Quieter rooms on busy Toronto streets
Streetcars, arterial traffic, construction next door and noisy neighbours all reach a Toronto bedroom through its windows. Internorm uPVC and uPVC/aluminum windows seal with three layers of gaskets as standard. Sound reduction depends on the glazing selected, so we choose the glass for the noise your house actually faces.
| Type | Sound reduction | Uw as low as (W/m²K) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| KF 410 | uPVC/aluminum window | 34–47 dB | 0.62 |
| KF 510 | uPVC/aluminum window | 34–48 dB | 0.64 |
| HF 410 | Wood/aluminum window | 33–46 dB | 0.64 |
| HX 300 | Frameless fixed glazing | 34–47 dB | 0.74 |
| KS 430 | uPVC/aluminum lift-slide door | 33–43 dB | 0.64 |
| AT 540 | Aluminum entrance door | up to 34 dB | 0.78 |
Figures from the InterHaus product pages. Uw values are European (EN ISO 10077) figures, not the CSA A440.2 or NFRC ratings used for Ontario code compliance and ENERGY STAR Canada.
“Excellent windows and doors for noise and heating and cooling. We had to install new windows in some rooms in our old house and the difference between these ones and our old ones was obvious right away, no condensation in the winter, much quieter in summer (we had very noisy neighbours), very little heat loss so the rooms were warmer in winter and cooler in summer. We were so impressed that we installed them throughout our new house. Viktoryiya was so easy to work with, and the installation was excellent and problem free!”
The Etobicoke Passive House and a renovation in The Beaches
The Etobicoke Passive House Residence is one of the completed projects on our projects page; the photo shows it during construction, windows in and cladding still going on. Passive House leaves little margin for windows: under the Passive House Institute’s cool-temperate criteria, a certified window needs a component Uw of 0.80 W/m²K or lower. InterHaus supplies PHI certified window systems for projects like this.
A renovation of a private residence in The Beaches is underway and will join the projects page when it is finished, and the page also lists a private residence in Toronto.
Toronto’s climate and what the Ontario code asks of windows
The Ontario Building Code puts every Toronto location listed in SB-1 in energy-efficiency climate Zone 1 (under 5,000 heating degree-days). Toronto City Hall is listed at 3,520 degree-days with a January design temperature of −18 °C; Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough at 3,800, 3,760 and 3,800 with −20 °C.
At those temperatures, Part 9 requires windows and doors to reach a U-value of 2.0 W/m²K or a Temperature Index of at least 68, and SB-12 tightens the U-value for new homes to between 1.6 and 1.2 W/m²K, depending on the compliance package.
Compare numbers with care. Internorm publishes European Uw values, while Ontario’s code and ENERGY STAR Canada use CSA A440.2 or NFRC ratings, and RDH Building Science found the two can differ by up to 25% for the same window. Ask your designer which rating your permit drawings need, and raise it with us early.
Paying for new windows in Toronto: HELP and the provincial rebate
The City’s Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) is open and lists window and door replacements as an eligible measure. You repay through your property tax bill, and the total, including interest and a 2% administrative charge, is capped at 10% of the property’s assessed value or $125,000, whichever is less. The 20-year term (5.12%, rate valid to December 31, 2026) is only available for projects that include new windows, solar PV, geothermal or heat pumps. You need an M postal code, every owner’s consent and EnerGuide assessments before and after the work.
The provincial Home Renovation Savings Program pays $100 per rough opening for ENERGY STAR certified windows, but only with a pre-work energy assessment, at least three window openings and a second qualifying upgrade. Its published terms require final assessments by December 31, 2026, so timing is tight for a project starting now. For what drives the price itself, see our European windows cost guide.
How a Toronto project runs from our Oakville showroom
Most early work happens by phone and email; the showroom is there when you want to handle the products.
- 01
First conversation
Call, email or visit our Oakville showroom to open a tilt and turn sash and compare frame materials.
- 02
Photos or drawings
For a renovation, photos and approximate sizes are enough to start. For new infill, send the drawings and window schedule.
- 03
Specification and quote
Product specialists with architectural backgrounds recommend systems and glazing for your street, then quote the project. Passive House projects get a quote within 72 hours.
- 04
Made in Austria, held in Ontario
Internorm makes each unit to measure in Austria. Our Ontario warehousing lets delivery follow your site schedule, which matters on narrow lots.
- 05
Installation or supervision
Our team installs, or we supervise your installer on site for a few days. After-sale service covers adjustments and hardware fine-tuning.
Product picks for Toronto homes
The products we most often discuss for the house types above.
KF 410 uPVC/Aluminum
Aluminum outside, white uPVC inside, 93 mm deep, Uw as low as 0.62 W/m²K and RC2 security: a versatile whole-house choice. See the KF 410 uPVC/Aluminum.
HX 300 for ravine views
Frameless fixed glazing with a 58 mm visible frame outside and single glass areas up to 10.5 m². See the HX 300.
Lift-slide doors to the deck
The KS 430 in uPVC/aluminum or the HS 330 in wood/aluminum opens a kitchen to the garden with one wide pane of glass.
Modern front doors
Aluminum and timber/aluminum doors with multi-point locks, from the AT 540 (Uw as low as 0.78) to the HT 410 (0.58). Browse the entrance doors.
Why Toronto homeowners and architects work with InterHaus
Official Internorm dealer
The official Internorm dealer in Canada. Internorm is an Austrian family business with 95 years of history.
Architectural background
Specialists who read your drawings and work directly with your designer or builder.
Passive House expertise
PHI certified window systems and PHI accredited Lunch & Learn sessions for design professionals.
Install or supervise
Supply only, supply and install, or supply with on-site supervision of your own installer.
Toronto window questions
It depends on the scope. Replacing a window in its existing opening differs from widening an opening, adding one or changing structure, so confirm with your designer or the City’s building department before ordering.
Speak to the City’s heritage planning staff before ordering, since review tends to focus on what the street sees. We can supply data sheets and finish options for that conversation.
The KF 510 uPVC/aluminum reaches up to 48 dB and the KF 410 up to 47 dB, depending on the glass. The glazing matters more than the frame, so we specify it for your street.
Yes, window and door replacements are an eligible HELP measure, with loans up to $125,000 repaid through the property tax bill. You need an M postal code and EnerGuide assessments before and after.
Both: supply only, supply and install with our own team, or supply with on-site supervision of your installer.
Yes. Our projects page lists the Etobicoke Passive House Residence and a private residence in Toronto, and a renovation in The Beaches is underway.
Planning new windows for a Toronto home?
Send us photos, sizes or drawings and tell us about the street, the house and your energy goals. We will recommend Internorm systems and prepare a detailed quote.
Sources
Local rules, climate data and program details, checked November 10, 2026.
- SB-1 Climatic and Seismic Data · Government of Ontario · Toronto degree-days and design temperatures
- SB-12 Energy Efficiency for Housing · Government of Ontario · Climate zones and window U-values
- Part 9 Housing and Small Buildings · Government of Ontario · Table 9.7.3.3 window minimums
- Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) · City of Toronto
- HRSP Additional Program Eligibility Requirements · Enbridge Gas and IESO
- Energy Performance of Windows: Navigating North American and European Window Standards · RDH Building Science
- Certification Criteria: Transparent Building Components · Passive House Institute