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Old Windows-use?

| Posted in General Discussion on May 6, 2000 08:58am

*
Going to change windows in old(1880)brick farm house. It has double hung-6 lite windows with the old wavy glass. The owner wonders if there is any value or use of the old sash, rather than just throwing them away. The full window is 28×72-about 20 of them! I told him I would see what I can find out. I told him he could probably store them for many moons and then end up throwing them out, I didn’t feel there would be much demand for them.

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  1. Guest_ | May 01, 2000 06:29am | #1

    *
    Take them to a firm that recycles old building materials. They'll take old doors, lighting fixtures, plumbing, etc as well.

    1. Guest_ | May 01, 2000 04:45pm | #2

      *In my area, "old wavy glass" is called restoration glass. That fancy name commands an even fancier price...around $15 to $18 a square foot. It's mostly used in custom windows when new construction is added on to an older house.Market demand (thus price) varies with locale. I'd contact slavage yards and tell them you're looking to buy what you're trying to sell. See what price they're asking, then work your deal. You could also check into small custom window shops. While they may not buy the glass themselves, they may be able to point you to an architech/builder who may be interested.

      1. Guest_ | May 03, 2000 05:29pm | #3

        *Why not suggest that they keep them in place? Add storm windows if necessary. While they have salvage value, their true value is that theyi arethe original windows. You can do all sorts of repairs, weatherstripping, etc. for less than the cost of new windows.

        1. Guest_ | May 04, 2000 02:40am | #4

          *Well I'll do you a favor and haul away all that old junk for nuthin'. How far are you from Cleveland anyhow?Pete Draganic

          1. Guest_ | May 04, 2000 04:42am | #5

            *I call that "waverly" (yeah, I know it's not a word) glass because things appear to waver when viewed through them. It's one of the reasons I chose this house. Any antique store would be a good place to solicit, or, my first choice, convince them the value of their home will decrease if they are removed.

          2. Guest_ | May 04, 2000 05:57am | #6

            *Either donate them to Habitat for Humanity--or equal type organization--or take them to a recycle yard. Or, use them for a garden shed or the like. DO NOT DISPOSE. You may not know this, but there is a good demand for these windows.

          3. Guest_ | May 04, 2000 06:38pm | #7

            *Hey, you can toss a brick at me for taking the food out of the mouths of your younguns.Tell the customer that his windows are valuable right where they are, enhancing the home he lives in now and maybe increasing the sale value later. No good reason to put or cause them to be put into someone elses place.But maybe you could sell him some storm windows after you repair what is wrong, if anything, with the current window assemblies.So what are (were) you replacing them with? Pella? Marvin? Anderson? Mill finish aluminum awning style? 6 mil plastic stapled to a wood frame works for me.

          4. Guest_ | May 06, 2000 04:46am | #8

            *I didn't think the windows looked that bad. They do have full storm windows. They're probably all painted shut, so not much air infiltration with the storms. The customer wanted to do the leg work on getting new windows, so I said that I would install the new windows. they wanted a cream color that matched the existing color trim of the house. They got vinyl replacement windows-Thermo Technoligy( I think, never heard of them)out of PA. Can't find anything about them on the internet, must not have a web site. It was the only windows they could find with the color they wanted. They delivered them today, haven't unwrapped them yet, but at first glance they didn't impress me very much! Don't know what they cost, but I think the pay back will be a long way down the road. They do have the grilles in between the glass, so they will look very similiar to the existing windows. They do have stainable wood veneer bonded to the vinyl on the inside so they can match existing stains that are in the house. Some of it will be painted. I'll install them, but that is as far as it goes, no free warranty work. The windows were measured by a third party(dealer)-hope they fit!!! BTW this is someone that I have done work for before, always wanting to save a few dollars, time will tell.

          5. Guest_ | May 06, 2000 06:47am | #9

            *Based on your description of the "new" windows, here's my recommendation...store the old windows in your garage, because within a year or so they're going to be wanting them back.

          6. Guest_ | May 06, 2000 04:40pm | #10

            *Amen! Time will tell is right - not much time either. Just long enough for the seals to fail.

          7. Guest_ | May 06, 2000 08:58pm | #11

            *That's an excellent idea! And when the time comes, you can explain to the customer about this amaizing new product that will make the old windows the color they want...paint.Rich Beckman

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