Man I LOVE those old fashioned kind of windows.

Energy inefficient or NOT. I think they are cool.
Someday they will be retro chic and you'll be sad without them.

Oh, see, and I just say, have a cocktail and go for it. You will save some money on energy (not much tho). The value of your house will increase. You will love them once you have them...I like spending other peoples money....I could go on and on.

On the other hand, I am the person who literally vomitted after writing the first $20,000 check to the contractor.

there are other approaches. save up part of the money first. and/or do the smaller windows first then the big ones one at a time over several years.

gulp. that's a big number.

i think instead of taking one big debty bite...maybe you could do some at a time? I really have no idea what I'm talking about, but eleven thousand dollars....wow.

i solicited advice from my neighborhood listserv, and am compiling the recommendations here:

* * *

Hey Christa!
I wanted to let you know that Kingford Windows did an excellent
job replacing my windows, and at a very good price, better than
any of the other companies in the area, did it in 1 day, and
great customer service.

* * *

C:
The Aluminum Co. of NC has a solid reputation. They may be on the high end, but I would at least get a quote from them as a comparison.

* * *

Hi Christa -
We replaced all the windows in our 1950 house 2 or 3 years back, and also glassed in our large back porch. After looking at several places, we went with Rodney Taylor of American Craftsmen of NC, who lives over in Trinity Park. I believe he has a website, but there are so many businesses with similar names, I can't seem to find the website.

Rodney is very personable and very much wants to get the job right. He formerly worked with the Aluminum Co of NC, but now has his own small business. On top of being very nice to work with, he does not ask for any payment until the job is finished.

His phone numbers are:
(919) 596-5873
(919) 683-8555

* * *

We used Gerald Jones...Todd was the rep (son-in-law of owner) and they were totally professional, etc. I don't thikn they're on the low-end but our windows are guaranteed for life...

* * *

We got our windows at Fitch Lumber, Nancy was the rep. She knows windows, has been doing them for ten years plus. Our windows are "Marvin" (as in Marvin Gardens) not the cheapest but very good. Nancy won't try to sell you anything you cannot afford....

You'll be amazed how quiet your house is with new windows. I had mine replaced on my house in Durham (I wish I remembered who did them). New windows, insulating the crawl space, adding insulation to the ceiling, and putting a moisture barrier down were the best home improvements I made...oh yeah, those and refinishing the floors and replacing the oil buring furnace and removing the old chimney - and the new roof...there's always something.

not to sound like a bummer but I've heard that windows do not do much to increase the value of a house. Some things do increase a home's value enough to make back most of their cost, like new kitchen cabinets or adding a garage, but my understanding is that people will not pay more for a house because it has new windows. So my opinion is, replace the windows if you want new windows, but don't do it because you're trying to add equity to your house.

On that same end, I would proabably *not* buy a house if its windows had been replaced. But I'm sort of a window snob.

good point, elizabeth. and i feel like i DO have some concern about maintaining the historical integrity of the house (i'm not painting the knotty pine paneling in the den, even though i have a strong decorator's urge to do so :-) but these old windows feel like such crap to me. some have broken handles, others don't close all the way, and ALL of them let so much cold into the house that my furnace works overtime to keep the place warm.

i actually don't like the idea of putting vinyl windows in the house (the quote i got yesterday was for vinyl) but i don't know that i could afford (or could maintain) wood windows. and the metal ones suck when it comes to efficiency.

when the tree smashed through the house during hurricane isabel, i had to go through several contractors before i found one who would repair the damage using similar lumber and building techniques to what was already there. most contractors wanted to patch the hole with plywood, even though the roof was constructed of slats. i spent probably $3k more than i had to, finding someone willing to install slats.

anyway, elizabeth, your comment touched on something that i think about a lot. there's a fine line between sensible, worthwhile upgrades and maintaining the identity of the house. i just don't know where that line is.

your windows are cool in a way, but i don't know that i'd consider them to be a huge part of the charm of the house, the way the panelling is. besides, much of your windows' charm is due to thier shape and size, and you're not planning on changing that.

i think if they suck, they suck, and if putting in new windows is going to gain you a lot in terms of heating and cooling efficiency, then don't worry about the retro-value of having the original windows, go ahead and put this on the list of home improvements you want to make.

it's probably worth it to look into the general insulation situation in the house as a whole. maybe windows won't give you the biggest bang for your buck if blowing insulation into the walls or putting bats in your attic is a lot cheaper. you've said yourself that your bedroom doesn't heat effectively because there's no insulation in the outside wall (i think).

i'm becoming convinced that someone blew insulation into my walls or else the aluminum siding does a damn good job of insulating, because i seem to need my heating and cooling a lot less than other folks i know, and i've still got the original wood & weight windows.

I know. I struggle with that issue a lot, especially because you
don't want maintaining integrity only to be a rich folk's game.

I lived in a cinderblock house (no wall insulation, more like an oven)
with those types of windows, and I cursed them a lot, especially since
some wouldn't close all the way.

I do think they sell replacement handles which can be a teporary
solution so you don't scrape your knuckles trying to crank them all
the time. If you want me to ask around I can.

They also sell replacement metal awning style windows that have
insulated glass, which are more energy efficient. You would probably
have to try a few contractors before you found one who was willing to
put up with that, but it sounds if you are experienced in that.

I can give you the number of someone who probably could take a look at
it, ;), but it would be about a year out before you could get on the
schedule.

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