Consider Restoring Old Windows Rather Than Replace
Windows and doors are very important to the front facade of our many old St. Louis homes. Attend a meeting of the Preservation Board and you will likely hear a situation where a homeowner replaced original windows with completely different windows, often jarringly different. Â Back in July the New York Times had a great article (recommended) on windows, starting with an example of Barbara Jones who decided to restore her windows:
Old windows have acquired a bad reputation over the last few decades as drafty, inefficient and ecologically suspect: fixtures that should be replaced rather than refurbished.
But over the last decade or so, homeowners like Ms. Jones are becoming more common. Many people are keeping their old windows, fixing what they have in the name of appearance, history and, for some, cost savings, according to architects, preservationists and window restorers.
Your typical window replacement company would have tossed out the 125+ year old windows of my friends house shown above and put in bright white vinyl with a flat top and fake divisions. Â There was a time when large panes of glass meant wealth, the poor couldn’t afford large pieces of glass.
The process of window restoration isn’t for everyone but if you are handy in the shop doing so might save the appearance of your home as well as save you some money over a high quality replacement. Cheap windows won’t last 10 years much less more than 125 years.
Storm windows can be added on the exterior or interior to increase efficiency. Interior storm units are great for front facades where aesthetics are important.
Odds are you don’t have windows that are 8 feet tall, but no matter the height considering retaining at least the front windows is a good idea. Here are a few resources for further reading:
- How To Restore Sash Windows, Old-House Online
- How to Repair Sash Windows, This Old House
- Hard Decisions to Make When Old Windows Need Lots of Help, This Old House
- Repair, Don’t Replace Old Windows, Old House Authority
- The Truth about Windows -Â Historic Wood Windows & Storm Windows vs Replacement Windows, The Old House Guy
- What Replacement Windows Can’t Replace: The Real Cost of Removing Historic Windows, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
- Preserving Historic Windows: Shattering the Myths of Replacement Windows, Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation
Thanks to Bill Hannegan for staying on me to do this post and thanks to Susan & Tom T. for allowing me to photograph your windows.
– Steve Patterson
Thanks for posting this, Steve! Been fighting with this dilemma since I bought my house.. windows are 102 years old, single-paned and the original storms are rotten and unusable. Love the idea of interior storms to preserve the architectural integrity of the home.
Ashley (@ayjaySTL:twitter)
Thanks for posting this, Steve! Been fighting with this dilemma since I bought my house.. windows are 102 years old, single-paned and the original storms are rotten and unusable. Love the idea of interior storms to preserve the architectural integrity of the home.
Ashley (@ayjaySTL:twitter)
The original sashes on your house, and in those of many, if not most of those in St. Louis are likely made from cypress. Hewn from the bottomland forests of southern Missouri and Illiois, your sashes are probably composed of wood which may have come from a five hundred, or one or two thousand year old tree. If properly restored and card for, your sashes could easily last another one hundred years.
Single pane windows are absurdly inefficient even with the addition of storms.  New windows offer many advantages over 80+ year old examples; better sound attenuation, vastly improved air seal and the low-e coatings will dramatically reduce solar heat gain.  There just isn’t any comparison.
Its true that vinyl windows would be a sin for a home like the one above.  I have just gone through the window shopping procedure for my 80+ year old south side cottage.  The wood windows I purchased are basically an identical match for what is being removed but are fully modern in every way.  If your willing to look beyond Home Depot for architectural quality products good solutions do exist.  Round top, radiused corners and even stained glass reproduction.
Single pane windows are absurdly inefficient even with the addition of storms. New windows offer many advantages over 80+ year old examples; better sound attenuation, vastly improved air seal and the low-e coatings will dramatically reduce solar heat gain. There just isn’t any comparison.
Its true that vinyl windows would be a sin for a home like the one above. I have just gone through the window shopping procedure for my 80+ year old south side cottage. The wood windows I purchased are basically an identical match for what is being removed but are fully modern in every way. If your willing to look beyond Home Depot for architectural quality products good solutions do exist. Round top, radiused corners and even stained glass reproduction.
Yes, it is entirely possible to reproduce the proportions and detailing of old windows but most replacements fall way short. In my last two places, buit 1924 & 1917, I kept the inefficient wood windows because I couldn’t afford proper replacements.
Could you afford the energy loss of having inefficient windows? If you work out the cost, over a few years it probably comes out to more than the replacement cost.
Actually, the cost for real wood windows, and some vinyl windows, is rather cost-prohibitive from a time-weighted standpoint. Replacing all of the windows in a typical STL brick house (anywhere from 8 to twenty or more), would take somewhere on the order of ten to twenty five years to pay off. It is also a myth that replacement windows always perform better than the originals. In fact, if replacements are not installed correctly, the inefficiency may actually increase.
I priced out 8 replacement sash packs from Marvin, and the cost came up to about 5-6000USD, for quality wood windows. So I’m working on restoration, accompanied with quality storms. I won’t have vinyl in our home. It’s a poison, a known carcinogen. Not to mention the toxic nature of the manufacturing process surrounding its production.
I agree that original windows offer more aesthetic benefits, but be careful if you decide to restore them yourself! I learned the hard way. I decided to remove all my original wood windows and then strip off the old paint, before repainting them. Somehow, along the way, after the windows were reinstalled I noticed they had warped! No amount of weatherproofing could have salvaged them. I ended up buying vinyl windows, which wasn’t a nightmare because my house, while very old, was not architecturally significant. But, secretly, I really like the new vinyl windows.
I agree that original windows offer more aesthetic benefits, but be careful if you decide to restore them yourself! I learned the hard way. I decided to remove all my original wood windows and then strip off the old paint, before repainting them. Somehow, along the way, after the windows were reinstalled I noticed they had warped! No amount of weatherproofing could have salvaged them. I ended up buying vinyl windows, which wasn’t a nightmare because my house, while very old, was not architecturally significant. But, secretly, I really like the new vinyl windows.
The original sashes on your house, and in those of many, if not most of those in St. Louis are likely made from cypress. Hewn from the bottomland forests of southern Missouri and Illiois, your sashes are probably composed of wood which may have come from a five hundred, or one or two thousand year old tree. If properly restored and card for, your sashes could easily last another one hundred years.
Steve, thanks for this great post. Glad for a cause we agree on!
Steve, thanks for this great post. Glad for a cause we agree on!
Yes, it is entirely possible to reproduce the proportions and detailing of old windows but most replacements fall way short. In my last two places, buit 1924 & 1917, I kept the inefficient wood windows because I couldn’t afford proper replacements.
My house, built in 1930 has all the original windows (except the kitchen) with aluminum storm windows added in the 50’s. The large 3 section front window has leaded panes in a diagonal criss cross pattern. 5 years ago I took them out of their tracks, repainted them, repuddyd (reglazed) them, replaced the old rope sash cords with the copper chain type. They are on the north side so my paint job should last, not getting the blistering sun. Of course they aren’t very energy efficient, so I found a way to deal with that too. Many years ago I worked for a graphics company and we would throw away a large piece of clear mylar every day. I saved some and rolled it up. I now tape it up over my windows on the INSIDE. It’s very sturdy and won’t crack or wrinkle like the cheap flimsy stuff. If you put it up nice & smooth you can’t even tell it’s there if it’s behind a sheer panel drape. With white tape to match the window frames completely all around the edges it totaly seals out the cold and I would guess is even MORE efficient than new windows. I first took it down completely each spring, but now I just leave it taped across the top, roll it up and hide tuck it it behind the valance. I just wish I’d saved more of that nice clear mylar to share with my fellow old house owners.
My house, built in 1930 has all the original windows (except the kitchen) with aluminum storm windows added in the 50’s. The large 3 section front window has leaded panes in a diagonal criss cross pattern. 5 years ago I took them out of their tracks, repainted them, repuddyd (reglazed) them, replaced the old rope sash cords with the copper chain type. They are on the north side so my paint job should last, not getting the blistering sun. Of course they aren’t very energy efficient, so I found a way to deal with that too. Many years ago I worked for a graphics company and we would throw away a large piece of clear mylar every day. I saved some and rolled it up. I now tape it up over my windows on the INSIDE. It’s very sturdy and won’t crack or wrinkle like the cheap flimsy stuff. If you put it up nice & smooth you can’t even tell it’s there if it’s behind a sheer panel drape. With white tape to match the window frames completely all around the edges it totaly seals out the cold and I would guess is even MORE efficient than new windows. I first took it down completely each spring, but now I just leave it taped across the top, roll it up and hide tuck it it behind the valance. I just wish I’d saved more of that nice clear mylar to share with my fellow old house owners.
What kind of tape is it that you’ve used to secure the mylar? The tape that comes in the kits (with the flimsy plastic) was completely worthless when I tried it. Might give plastic another try this year if I can find a better way to secure it.
It is a 3m product. Looks just like masking tape only this is white. Regular masking tape you get in a hardware store would work fine but this is nicer since it’s white like my window frames.
What kind of tape is it that you’ve used to secure the mylar? The tape that comes in the kits (with the flimsy plastic) was completely worthless when I tried it. Might give plastic another try this year if I can find a better way to secure it.
Old windows are nice looking but poor for energy usage. There are insulating blinds you can buy to help with heat loss. The prices vary, but can run from $50 to $200. Replacement wood sash are not cheap, but Messing Planing Mill on Arsenal can make them with insulated glass. No matter what you do though, insulating strips along the perimeter of the sash etc, they still are not going to be top performers. Here is a website I found going over the basics of insulating blinds. http://www.theblindspot.biz/energy-efficiency.htmÂ
Old windows are nice looking but poor for energy usage. There are insulating blinds you can buy to help with heat loss. The prices vary, but can run from $50 to $200. Replacement wood sash are not cheap, but Messing Planing Mill on Arsenal can make them with insulated glass. No matter what you do though, insulating strips along the perimeter of the sash etc, they still are not going to be top performers. Here is a website I found going over the basics of insulating blinds. http://www.theblindspot.biz/energy-efficiency.htm
Could you afford the energy loss of having inefficient windows? If you work out the cost, over a few years it probably comes out to more than the replacement cost.
 It is a 3m product. Looks just like masking tape only this is white.  Regular masking tape you get in a hardware store would work fine but this is nicer since it’s white like my window frames.
Check out the storm windows my neighbors are getting. Pretty nice but expensive.
http://www.proviadoor.com/Windows/Storm/default.aspx
Check out the storm windows my neighbors are getting. Pretty nice but expensive.
http://www.proviadoor.com/Windows/Storm/default.aspx
Actually, the cost for real wood windows, and some vinyl windows, is rather cost-prohibitive from a time-weighted standpoint. Replacing all of the windows in a typical STL brick house (anywhere from 8 to twenty or more), would take somewhere on the order of ten to twenty five years to pay off. It is also a myth that replacement windows always perform better than the originals. In fact, if replacements are not installed correctly, the inefficiency may actually increase.
I priced out 8 replacement sash packs from Marvin, and the cost came up to about 5-6000USD, for quality wood windows. So I’m working on restoration, accompanied with quality storms. I won’t have vinyl in our home. It’s a poison, a known carcinogen. Not to mention the toxic nature of the manufacturing process surrounding its production.
I just saw this post and had to comment. I run a business dedicated to window restoration and have found that the original wood windows…if properly restored and weatherized (coupled with a quality wood storm window), will come very close to the performance of a new insulated window unit. The process is not complicated, all the old windows were built to be maintained and will last indefinitely, but it is labor intensive and takes some time to master the task. Energy efficiency gains promoted by window manufacturers are premised on a complete breakdown of an old window…with no weather sealing. The energy cost payback formula they use is misleading and you could be living in your home for several decades before you realize the economic benefit. By then your new windows will have become old (most new windows warrranties don’t go beyond 10 years) and will need to be REPLACED not repaired, because windows built today are not meant to be repaired.
We just restored all the old windows on the historic Beauvais Manor at the corner of Grand and Magnolia…go by and see. They are over 150 years old and look like they will last another 150 years.Â
My other business is custom home building…so I have used several different brands of higher end windows…Marvin, Kolbe, Lincoln, Pella, etc… Most of the them make a nice window and I have had success with them, but the wood is new growth pine or fir, if you want to pay the upcharge, and will not last nearly as long as the old ones.
The bottom line should not be saving a few extra pennies with Ameren if you have to sacrifice historic integrity.
I just saw this post and had to comment. I run a business dedicated to window restoration and have found that the original wood windows…if properly restored and weatherized (coupled with a quality wood storm window), will come very close to the performance of a new insulated window unit. The process is not complicated, all the old windows were built to be maintained and will last indefinitely, but it is labor intensive and takes some time to master the task. Energy efficiency gains promoted by window manufacturers are premised on a complete breakdown of an old window…with no weather sealing. The energy cost payback formula they use is misleading and you could be living in your home for several decades before you realize the economic benefit. By then your new windows will have become old (most new windows warrranties don’t go beyond 10 years) and will need to be REPLACED not repaired, because windows built today are not meant to be repaired.
We just restored all the old windows on the historic Beauvais Manor at the corner of Grand and Magnolia…go by and see. They are over 150 years old and look like they will last another 150 years.
My other business is custom home building…so I have used several different brands of higher end windows…Marvin, Kolbe, Lincoln, Pella, etc… Most of the them make a nice window and I have had success with them, but the wood is new growth pine or fir, if you want to pay the upcharge, and will not last nearly as long as the old ones.
The bottom line should not be saving a few extra pennies with Ameren if you have to sacrifice historic integrity.
How many man hours did you have in restoring each window?
If your windows and doors let air through, it’s time to replace them. There may even be foggy or have condensation between the panes. In this instance, look for windows and doors with high-performance insulating glass technology to prevent drafts.
I undoubtedly agree to consider restoring windows rather than replacing it. Restoring your windows would be a greater idea than replacing it because it would be less the cost and risk. Although, restoration of windows might be a hard job for you, so try to consider to hire a restoration contractor to do the job. The windows Murrieta are very efficient in performing this kind of service.