Wood Window

Restore + Repair

 
 

WOOD WINDOW RESTORATION 101

Your windows are the eyes to the soul of your home; an architect carefully designed them to compliment your house and they will last as long as the house itself with proper maintenance. Literally any piece of an old window can be repaired.

I am more than happy to break down your window restoration into small monthly cycles on a “pay as you go” basis. Many clients with larger jobs choose to restore only 4-5 windows per month and pay as they go.

Let’s talk rumors: A common misconception is that old windows are the biggest contributing factor to energy and cooling loss, but if you want to see major energy savings, skip the replacement windows and beef up your attic insulation. New replacement windows have an R value of R4 at best; to compare that with your R30 attic insulation or your R15 walls you can see why windows might not the absolute best place to splurge on efficiency. Below is a helpful calculation of replacement window energy savings using real data from 2 similar historic homes. 1 house with new windows and 1 house with original restored windows.

(these are rough estimates based on equal energy prices)

New vinyl replacement window 3X6, no argon gas, includes install= $250/each

1920’s test home with 30 vinyl replacement windows= $7,500 total

Restored old windows= $540/each (for an small upper and lower single lite sash)

1920’s test home with 30 restored windows = $16,200 total

Test home AC bill for July with vinyl windows = $280

Test home AC bill for july with restored windows =$300

Average (Houston) savings per month with vinyl windows =$20/month

Months to recapture vinyl window cost: $8,700/$20=435 months or 36.25 years

Average lifespan of high end vinyl windows10-15 years MAX

Average lifespan of correctly restored old window=250 years (with reglazing every 100 years)

COSTS AFTER 60 YEARS:

Vinyl windows (replacing every 10 years)- $45,000

Restoring wood windows (with simple mantainance)- $16,200

The comparison above shows that if you invest in restoring your windows, they will last 10 times longer and provide far more cost savings than replacement windows. A larger investment up front will save you and the home significant costs over the next 60 years. It will preserve original material that is far superior to wood today, and keep more material out of the landfill.

In addition, new weatherstripping/storm systems that have been developed specifically for old windows, so they can compete with new windows in energy efficiency. Say no to “replacement” window money traps, and say hello to your existing, beautiful, hand made windows that were built to last forever (with proper maintenance.)

Love ‘em, don’t chunk ‘em!

 

window services

  • Open sealed painted windows

  • Re-rope broken cords

  • full sash restoration

  • full frame & trim restoration