An online community for people who love old houses.
Window Replacement???
Just prior to purchasing our 1899 Italianate in 1996, the previous owner replaced 5 of the upper story windows with wood, double hung, thermalpane, units. Fortunately, the replacement units were sized to fit the historic openings and the wooden storm windows were retained, but now, only 15 years later, all the thermoseals have failed and most of the springs that held the sashes in place are broken. Does anyone out there have some advice on what to do? Do I replace the failed units with another set of modern replacement units and hope they last more than 15 years? (And if this is the path I take, does anyone have a suggestion as to a company that produces quality, replacement windows at a "Buick" rather than a "Cadillac" price?) Or is there another route to take altogether that would be historically accurate and more cost effective?
Views: 212
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by William J. White on -
IF the newer wood windows have a look that fits well with the house, and with the rest of the house, I would first suggest looking into trying to find new seals. Do you know the manufacturer? If so, check any source you can, including local window repair companies, and even EBAY.
Or you could consider a different approach and weatherstrip with other materials. The oldest part of my house was built in mid 1800's, well before weatherstripping. My prefered method (and I welcome rebutals) is bronze spring strips on either side, Foam adhesive on the bottom as it compresses well, and felt where the top and bottom sashes meet.
I certainly would not suggest new vinyl windows, nor even aluminum. The promise of "No maintenance" is, at best, inacurate. Do what you can with what you have, UNLESS you have a talent with wood.
-
Permalink Reply by Bill Roberts on -
Hi William, Thank you for your reply. I am well aware that "no maintenance" windows are anything but . . . and I view new replacement units as a last resort.
I do wish that the original sashes were still in place so that I could restore/weatherstrip them, but unfortunately they're not. As to repairing/replacing the thermopanes in these windows, I don't think that's an option because all the vinyl tracks and springs that held the thermopane sashes in place are breaking or broken.
Do you, or anyone, know of a source for wood, single pane ( 1 over 1 ) replacement units?
-
Permalink Reply by Lair Tienter on -
In the late '90's I ordered windows from a company that was called SEALRITE. It was a company out of somewhere in Nebraska. They had all wood windows with a choice of plain glass or thermopanes. I have no idea if they are still in business or what they offer today. Good luck!
-
Permalink Reply by Lair Tienter on
-
I just looked it up and found www.sealritewindows.com.
-
Permalink Reply by Bill Roberts on
-
Hi Lair,
Thank you very much for the lead . . .
-
Permalink Reply by Morris on
-
If the replacement windows were in general satisfactory in appearance and frame quality and you know the name of the company that made you can contact them to see if replacement springs are available and if they can repair or replace the failed sealed units and what the total cost would be.
I'm not equipped to endorse any brand but if you do choose new windows look for a brand name that has been around a long time that you recognize, read third party reviews of the brand and look for a long term warrantee on the product. Choose rot resistant or old growth wood if possible. Of course this is a costly option.
Sadly the general experience with average priced replacement windows is that they are disposable - most that are moderately priced may last 20 years at best. One alternative is seeking out original old sash of the right size or so very close in size they can be slightly cut down or adjusted. Another alternative is to find a company that makes new single pane wood sash in the old way. Either alternative would mean no more failed seals on the glass but you would have to refurbish the old tracks and counterweights (if present behind the new sash frames) or choose a new operating system. If you do this I recommend ensuring that the sash fit well and that proper weather strip be applied all around - together with the storm sash this should be adequate for energy efficiency.
I'd suggest if you are really on a budget and the storm windows are intact and well fitted that even if the seal between the glass is bad you are still doing ok on energy.
The much touted energy savings of new windows is hype we've been made to believe by repetition. Many reputable university and government studies have proven that the claims are not true. By the time the windows are paid for they are worn out and energy savings diminish after the first few seasons. The homeowner is stuck in a cycle of having to buy more new windows every so often. Part of the problem is that many people ignore routine maintenance issues with old windows as if they were disposable. Homes with original windows and good storm windows are far better values for durability, style and lifetime energy efficiency. Routine application of paint, glazing compound (putty) and weather striping together with proper use of the storm windows (the metal ones have to be closed with the inner glass down and outer glass up to work right) keeps energy loss to a minimum. Many contractors claim old windows are not salvagable because they don't know how to repair them or it is not profitable. Even if pieces of wood are rotted in windows they can be replaced. My 1889 home has 70 original windows. They were neglected and most were unprotected by storm windows until 20 years ago but with a little care they are all in good shape and work adequately. I've spent far less on window maintenance than I would have spent to replace them and they look better than new windows. Even if they are a little less perfectly airtight than the best new windows the amount of energy lost is minimal to the environmental and financial cost of replacement windows. Here are before and after pictures of a "ruined" window on a day care center in a church across from my house - using just high quality "bondo" type wood filler, putty and paint the window is air tight again and the day care is warmer for it at very low cost.
Good luck! Morris - Attachments:
-
-
121-1 001.jpg, 59 KB -
craig1105 014.jpg, 65 KB
-
-
Permalink Reply by Anthony Marstall on -
It sounds like the previous owner who replaced those windows may have left you with enough of the original material to restore the windows. Many times, when windows are replaced, the installers simply remove the sashes, pulleys, and stops, and then slide the new window into the opening. The pulleys can be found at some antique shops. Inside stops (the trim holding the lower sash in place) and parting stops (the 1/2 in. x 3/4 in. piece of wood between the sashes) are sold at most home improvement centers. The only really difficult thing to find is a carpenter/manufacturer of historic wood sashes. A good carpenter can take your total opening size and a sample sash removed from elsewhere in the house, and remake these windows to match the originals exactly, with modern weatherstripping added for energy efficiency. Reinstalling the sashes takes some knowledge, but is really quite straightforward, and sometimes the window builder can send someone to install them reasonably. A reasonable price to pay to have a simple sash made is $100-150, and I wouldn't pay more than $50 for installation of both sashes. An example where I've had this done can be found at http://www.kcrestorations.com/3001e9thst.html . For some reason one set of sashes on the second story and the lower sashes on the first story were all missing. Rather than replace them with new ones, which would look terribly out of place, I searched and searched until I found someone who knew how to build sashes. He even knew how to build the sash on the second story that contained twelve panes of glass. Granted, that one was not cheap. I found this person in the yellow pages under "Windows - Wood." Ultimately, the unique original windows were saved and the character of the house lives on for many more generations, and it cost much less than replacing all the windows with modern throw-a-ways.
-
Permalink Reply by Josh Stone on
-
Give Seal-Rite Windows a call and talk to Josh Stone or Chris Crane
816-941-7004
© 2012 Created by Community Host.
Old Houses | Restoration Products | Report an Issue | Terms of Service
