old house, rotting windows...

Hi, fellow parents-- 

our house is about 90 years old and is definitely showing its age. In particular, it still has many of the original windows, which while charming, are definitely in bad shape. Some are fogged up, some have frames degraded by rot; none of them are particularly energy-efficient. So something needs to be done, but I am overwhelmed by the possible choices as well as the expense. From what I have read, I could replace them with variations on new materials (vinyl, wood-clad vinyl, fiberglass, etc) or I could have them repaired or replaced with new wooden windows, which would be more true to the heritage of the house. And there are a lot of windows which need fixing or replacing (like about 25-30), so this is a big decision. In the end, I would like them to look nice, to suit the house, to work efficiently, to not involve too much maintenance, and of course, not to cost too much! 

I would appreciate hearing from others who have done through this decision process...  thanks!

Parent Replies

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RE:

Hello, I know it can seem overwhelming, but you are asking the right questions! As a Realtor with 25+ years of experience in helping homeowners work with various tradespeople to improve their property, I can tell you that all of your concerns are valid. New windows are expensive, and it is important that they are consistent with the architecture of your old home. My advice is to avoid all-vinyl windows if at all possible. Marvin and Andersen are your best bets for dual-pane wood windows. I would encourage you to consider leaving the interiors natural wood (seal, and stain if desired to coordinate with existing woodwork already in your home, such as wood floors or trim), and have the exteriors metal clad in a color that also coordinates with your exterior (depending on whether you have wood shingles, painted stucco, etc). If you go to the Truitt and White window showroom down on Hearst, the customer service there is excellent, and you can see different window styles and options for exterior cladding. For window installation, I like Rick Hoffman, here is his Yelp page: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rick-hoffmann-services-berkeley. I am also happy to drop by if you would like me to take a look, no charge, just advice (Holly Rose, Realtor). If you want somebody to just work on the old windows you have -- repair, adjust, rebuild specific wood sashes, replace counterweights etc, I like Darryl at the Window Shop: http://www.thewindowshop.org/. All of these resources are tried and trusted by me for many years. Good luck!

RE:

I've held onto our wooden windows for the 25 years we've lived in north Berkeley. We have a stunning view and so I avoided double pane windows up until the last winter. I'm planning to replace all windows and French doors with energy efficient, modern, and technologically advanced products. Truit and White are my go to window people. 

RE:

I suggest you call Truitt and White Lumber Co and ask to talk with the door and window specialists. They can recommend several good quality contractors for you to contact regarding your situation. I have used their services many times and have always been satisfied. In addition, my wife and I replaced many single pane windows in our house with Marvin Integrity double pane ones made of fiberglass on the exterior and wood on the interior about 9 years ago and they have held up extremely well.

RE:

I did many of my own windows years ago. I still have about 10 windows that could use replacing so I decided to check out window replacement companies a few months ago. (BTW - we decided not to change our windows, so I don't have a specific recommendation.) All three of the companies I dealt with took about an hour to measure and have a five window minimum. They didn't offer much of a price break for ordering more windows. (Incentives will be forthcoming if you don't sign right away.) Can you start with a few windows to see how the company handles installs and any subsequent issues? (They will try to get you to commit to all 25 windows. I'd hold the remainder as a carrot if they do a good job.) The pricing varied widely. ($10k difference between high and low prices.) Don't let them give you one price for the entire job. I suggest getting detailed pricing for each window - with and without options. Check warranties carefully. Some didn't have a transferable warranty. (Important if you sell your house before the end of the warranty period.) Good Luck.

RE:

Like you I had put this off for as long as we've lived in this 100 yr old house. I got an estimate of about $60k to replace them with wood windows. Vinyl etc were out of the question- they're ugly, they fail & though they're half the price, they devalue the homes resale value. I stopped there until I saw a posting on Next door about Shaeedah & Tariq who repair wood windows. I had them work on the worst windows in the house thinking, "how bad could it be?" For about $2500 they repaired 4 large windows. They've now done 2/3 of the windows in the house. They are honest, hard working & sweet. They recycle, fix, replace from Omega, Habitat, etc. if you would like, you can come see them for yourself. Contact me email: rettes03 [at] gmail.com

or call Shaeedah: 510 575-2655. 

RE:

We ended up retrofitting our 1936 Spanish style completely - all windows and most doors except the front door. We went with vinyl double-paned because of budget concerns, but if you can afford wood it's well worth it. Another concern we had that many people forget is that the older the frames, the more likely that they are harboring a fair amount of lead paint, and every time you open or close one of them, it emits an invisible cloud of lead dust. It's less expensive and safer to remove and replace, rather than repair. Good luck!

RE:

Have you looked into Indow Windows?  I have an old Victorian with huge bay windows that were rattling, whistling, and generally in poor shape, and I discovered Indow Windows while googling to try to find out how to deal with replacing them.  They are basically clear inserts with rubberized edges that are perfectly fitted to the inside of, e your old window.  They aren't cheap, but they were considerably cheaper than replacing multiple 6 foot windows, even with vinyl.  They are basically invisible and my windows are now efficient & quiet.  The are a start up based in Washington or something and the installer that I had to use was a little clueless, but ultimately he got it done and I'm really happy with them.