Replacement Windows
Sunday October 5, 2003
"I'm thinking of replacing my single pane original windows with double pane vinyl clad windows to cut down on noise from downtown, heating and cooling bills, and I will never have to paint again," writes a visitor in our Discussion Forum. Her home? A 1918 bugalow.
If you're not sure how you feel about this, you'll want to follow the discussion thread. It includes links to helpful articles on replacement windows. And, whether you plan to repair or replace, you can find a variety of window resources on the Home Repair site here at About.
If you're not sure how you feel about this, you'll want to follow the discussion thread. It includes links to helpful articles on replacement windows. And, whether you plan to repair or replace, you can find a variety of window resources on the Home Repair site here at About.
Comments
I bought an old fixer-upper about two years ago. It was in very rough shape. I thought I would be coming into some money to do most of the repairs and I wasn’t working at the time. Well, two years later, there is no money and now I’m in school full-time and during the winter my gas/electric bill is running me between $450-550/month. My plan was to rebuild all of the old double-hung wood windows that have been in the house since 1895. Many were stuck shut, painted shut, nailed shut and there was also quite a big of rot. I rebuilt two of the windows and believe it or not, if done properly and a storm window is installed on the outside of the house they are every bit as efficient as the new double-paned vinyl windows. But, it is a lot of work and definitely not for the weak of heart. Because the money never came through I decided to get a home improvement loan locked in at a fixed rate. It is relatively small $20K, but part of the money will be used to replace my windows. Honestly, I hate to do it. A fully restored wooden window should last another 100 years if properly maintained. A vinyl/fiberglass window you’re looking at 20-25 years, maybe less. But, storm windows are not required, they are easy to clean, they all have screens, etc. I had to think about myself at the age of 55 having to climb a ladder to exchange storm windows for screens every summer and the whole idea is a real put-off. Not because of the work involved, but because of the danger of climbing up a ladder with a big heavy window. I think if the windows in my house had been in better shape all around I might have kept them but now that I have the opportunity to have them replaced with fully working units I’m not going to look back and instead look forward to how much trouble and time I’ll save.
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