Cost of new windows worth it?

[guppy]

We have a small house with 8 windows on our first floor and 9 on our second floor. The house was built in the early 50's with metal windows in brick (evidently that makes it more difficult to replace?) that are very drafty.

We've had over the phone estimates of 550/window to remove and replace with a double hung vinyl window with a full lifetime warranty. I am going to be paying cash and replacing in sections (maybe half the house each time). Obviously I need someone to come in and look at my house before I can rely on the numbers that have been quoted.

I guess my question is has anyone else recently replaced windows and was it a noticable difference in heating costs? Our fuel bills normally run in the range of 800-1400/year.

[disneysteve]

Our house was built in 1964. We bought it in 1994 and replaced the windows soon after. It definitely made a big difference in the temp in the house and the heating and cooling bills. If you plan to stay in your house for the long term, I would do it for sure.

[bjl584]

New windows will help, but it depends on a lot of other factors. Where you live and how cold the winters are the main ones. Is your house shielded from strong winds by trees or a hill? Keeping the wind off your house helps greatly. The overall efficiency of the furnace makes a huge difference as well. So does the quality of the insulation in your house. Obviously, new windows will help cut heating and cooling costs, but it will most likely take a number of years before they pay for themselves. If you plan on staying in the house long term, then it may be worth it to change them.

[klarose]

Do it!

I have an old farmhouse with the original 100 year old windows in most of it.

They are odd sized and large, so it costs $350 a piece to replace them. I am slowly saving up and doing it 3 at a time.

I can really tell a difference in the rooms with the new windows. Way way less drafts, and it holds the heat better.

I'm not sure about it lowering my bills, but it made it a lot more comfortable in there.

That said, as a poster stated above, it will likely take years to recoup the costs.

But I think it is money well spent. They look better too.

[Like2Plan]

Our next big project is new windows, too. guppy, if you don't mind sharing--which brand are you looking at? I was wondering if they were pretty similar or if some brands are better than others? (We have pella, Anderson and Thompson creek in our area.) I visited a pella showroom, but there are lots of different types of windows, too.

For those who have replaced their windows, did the new windows help with making the house more sound proof? (We have a neighbor that has a dog that barks at various times--always sounds like right under our window. )

[disneysteve]

For those who have replaced their windows, did the new windows help with making the house more sound proof?

Yes! We went from the original single pane windows to double pane replacements and definitely noticed that. We live right near the highway so there is a constant background noise from that and it was much less noticeable.

One thing to keep in mind from a cost standpoint is that when you replace your windows, you might have to replace your window treatments. Our old roller shades no longer fit in the new frames and all had to be replaced which added to the overall cost of the project.

[Like2Plan]

One thing to keep in mind from a cost standpoint is that when you replace your windows, you might have to replace your window treatments. Our old roller shades no longer fit in the new frames and all had to be replaced which added to the overall cost of the project.

Thx, I was wondering about that, too.

[disneysteve]

Thx, I was wondering about that, too.

It depends on what you have, of course. We had roller shades mounted inside the frame. The new frames were much less deep, plus I didn't want to screw into the vinyl anyway. I had to get new shades and mount them outside the frame.

If your current treatments are already outside the frame, that won't be an issue.

The one thing I hate is that outside mounted shades don't block the light nearly as well. We end up having to tape the blinds closed in our bedroom to have a good seal.

[ua_guy]

We replaced our aluminum-framed single-pane windows in our last home which was built in the 1960's. The adhesive holding the glass to the frames had weakened over the years and became a source of air drafts, not to mention a health/safety hazard. The casement boards around the windows had some surface rot from the moisture/condensation that is prevalent with single paned windows, so we replaced those too. The new windows came with screens.

We did all the work ourselves including the casement boards. We went with vinyl-framed double-paned "low-e" windows. All the windows in the home measured in standard sizes, so we were able to buy them at Lowes. The materials to install and finish the project were pretty nominal-- maybe $50 per window including insulation, flashing, caulking, paint, and trim boards. The rest was time. Cutting out the old window would take about an hour; hanging and shimming the new window along with closing air gaps with insulation and spray foam and caulking the exterior took about 2 hours, and then interior finish work with the new casement boards and hanging trim was another 2-3 hours. It's quite a bit of work, but it saved us a LOT of money.

Replacing the windows along with a similarly old, decrepit glass sliding door with a vinyl slider increased comfort in the winter amazingly; no more drafts, and it really added to the appearance and overall quality of the home. It was tough to get a gauge on how much it reduced heating costs because replacing windows was part of an overall project where we also replaced some older doors and we also did some major work on reconnecting, sealing, insulating the heating ducts. When we were done, cold air stayed out, warm air stayed in, and opening/closing a door or window produced a noticeable pressure change inside the house which means everything was sealed up very well.

Do it; you will not be disappointed, it will save on heating/cooling costs, and it helps the appearance and resale of your home.

[Like2Plan]

It depends on what you have, of course. We had roller shades mounted inside the frame. The new frames were much less deep, plus I didn't want to screw into the vinyl anyway. I had to get new shades and mount them outside the frame.

If your current treatments are already outside the frame, that won't be an issue.

The one thing I hate is that outside mounted shades don't block the light nearly as well. We end up having to tape the blinds closed in our bedroom to have a good seal.

They are all inner, so we would have to get those replaced, too. Pella had an interesting option where the window treatment was inside the window. It was more expensive, but maybe not much more than replacing the window treatments separately.

[guppy]

Thank you for the replies!

When I have more information to share, I will. I was hearing second hand about the over the phone quote so I'll have to find out which brand it was.

DS- Good point about the window treatments. Ours will no longer work so I'll have to ancipate those costs as well.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Well worth it. It makes it life bearable in our 1880s victorian which had no insulation and we blew in. We were paying a ton to heat and couldn't get warm.

[tylerdurden]

It is definitely worth it if you plan on staying in the house for a while. We bought our house in 2009 and replaced the windows (all 24 of them) in 2011. It was expensive, but made a significant difference for winter heating bills. It was not as cost effective for us since we moved to a different state last year; fortunately, the increase in house prices helped cover the cost of the windows.

As some others have mentioned, be wary of needing new window treatments. And you may have to paint the wood trim around the windows as well (they replaced those when our windows were replaced).

[agarlits]

We have a small house with 8 windows on our first floor and 9 on our second floor. The house was built in the early 50's with metal windows in brick (evidently that makes it more difficult to replace?) that are very drafty.

We've had over the phone estimates of 550/window to remove and replace with a double hung vinyl window with a full lifetime warranty. I am going to be paying cash and replacing in sections (maybe half the house each time). Obviously I need someone to come in and look at my house before I can rely on the numbers that have been quoted.

I guess my question is has anyone else recently replaced windows and was it a noticable difference in heating costs? Our fuel bills normally run in the range of 800-1400/year.

You will save significantly on heading and cooling when the project is complete, older style windows were used merely as a means to keep moisture out but were not good at keeping the home insulated. You will not make your money back the first year but over time the savings that you will have on heating and cooling will far outweigh what you pay for the windows. Assuming you plan to stay in the house for an extended period of time.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Guppy, my house is brick and had new aluminum, double pane windows put in something like 24 years ago. I was not the owner at the time, but they clearly were able to retain the existing wood trim & sill parts. (All the wood, sorry I don't know what it is all called.) They fit the aluminum and glass to the existing materials. I could see evidence of a couple different styles of attaching curtains over the years, so these are definitely the original 1910 wood parts.

The windows are a good tight fit, the best by far of any house I've lived in as an adult. No drafts. A neighbor told me the previous owner had paid $3000 for the ten windows (about 1990) so about $300 per window. Maybe nowadays for that $550 you would be able to find someone to retain the existing window openings and fit the windows to them, very custom.

But I do live in an city that is largely brick, so there might just be a lot more companies with the skills and equipment to do the window in brick job accurately and without second thought.