windows: replace vs refinish

[Anonymous]

curious on thoughts.

we have 80 year old double hung single pane 6/6 windows that are in much need of love.
to refinish will be costly (and not even include storm/screens), but wondering what kind of re-sale value it may add to a house - to people value having original windows vs replacement?

[Anonymous]

Is the home also 80 years old? How much has it been updated? I'm trying to get at how historic the home may be. I probably wouldn't try to keep the windows unless I was trying really hard to maintain the historical qualities of the rest of home.

I'm not an expert AT ALL, but it seems like the upgrade to double pane windows could be big for the home's energy efficiency.

[Anonymous]

op here - house is very simple (small) brick colonial, nothing special/historic about them, other than that things were built to last in the 40s, and to replace them with new windows ... my understanding is, then its going to need updating every 15-20 years as they fail/etc

[Anonymous]

If the house and the windows have architectural interest, I would conserve the relevant details and refinish the original windows (which is going to be costly if done well). If it's a simple brick colonial, and the windows are otherwise unremarkable, I would compare the cost of refinishing energy-inefficient windows vs. replacement with more energy-efficient windows. If I were to change the windows I would not use vinyl. I would probably do fiberglass (or equivalent) outside and wood inside, such as Marvin Elevate or Andersen 400 Woorwright.

[Anonymous]

^^ Woodwright

[Anonymous]

Replace. Much easier

[Anonymous]

If the house and the windows have architectural interest, I would conserve the relevant details and refinish the original windows (which is going to be costly if done well). If it's a simple brick colonial, and the windows are otherwise unremarkable, I would compare the cost of refinishing energy-inefficient windows vs. replacement with more energy-efficient windows. If I were to change the windows I would not use vinyl. I would probably do fiberglass (or equivalent) outside and wood inside, such as Marvin Elevate or Andersen 400 Woorwright.

This is what we did. Wood inside and fiberglass outside. Do not use vinyl.

[Anonymous]

Replace with double pane fiberglass windows, such as Pella Impervia series. These will not fail in 20 years because fiberglass, which is paintable.

[Anonymous]

Is your house historic? If so, then you can potentially apply for historic tax credits (state and county) to offset the cost of restoring windows. Restoring windows is expensive (think $2+K per window). That said, windows are the "eyes of the house" and you'll never be able to find the equivalent wood that was probably used on your original home (old growth forest trees). If you restore, they'll last for another 50-75 years, especially if you get storm windows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is your house historic? If so, then you can potentially apply for historic tax credits (state and county) to offset the cost of restoring windows. Restoring windows is expensive (think $2+K per window). That said, windows are the "eyes of the house" and you'll never be able to find the equivalent wood that was probably used on your original home (old growth forest trees). If you restore, they'll last for another 50-75 years, especially if you get storm windows.

For the record, we've been restoring windows a few rooms at a time. It's a PITA because the curing process can take 8-10 weeks (so you can have boarded up or plastic covered until finished), but the look when reinstalled is beautiful. It's also better for the environment and as I said, they don't make windows like that anymore. One thing to note, they almost definitely have lead paint in them so you should have them restored (or removed) by a contractor that follows lead abatement practices.

[Anonymous]

I asked a similar question not long ago and was firmly told on here to keep windows. I don't know what condition yours are in, mine are largely fine, just a bit drafty in the winters, but not hugely so and I do have storm windows too. The cost of replacing the windows will be extremely high, so keep that in mind. It was enough for me to decide to live with a bit of a draft.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I asked a similar question not long ago and was firmly told on here to keep windows. I don't know what condition yours are in, mine are largely fine, just a bit drafty in the winters, but not hugely so and I do have storm windows too. The cost of replacing the windows will be extremely high, so keep that in mind. It was enough for me to decide to live with a bit of a draft.

Forgot to add that I have the same six over six 1940s windows as yours.

[Anonymous]

op again - as i mentioned above, nothing noteworthy or historic about our windows. I am surprised at the resounding "replace them"

my quote was about $2,500/window to restore ... and that doesn't include the cost of storm & screens. I am going to look into costs for replacing next. It's sad, but doesn't seem worth the expenses to try and save these windows.

[Anonymous]

If you are going to replace, I can report that I'm very happy with my Marvin Elevate windows (wood inside/fiberglass outside).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:op again - as i mentioned above, nothing noteworthy or historic about our windows. I am surprised at the resounding "replace them"

my quote was about $2,500/window to restore ... and that doesn't include the cost of storm & screens. I am going to look into costs for replacing next. It's sad, but doesn't seem worth the expenses to try and save these windows.

Something like Marvin Elevate will cost substantially less than that.