I just purchased a 1991 builder grade brick house in SW Virginia. The house has the original double hung wood windows that aren’t functioning well and are poorly painted. We are renovating the entire house and are unsure if replacement windows would be money well spent. The current sashes don’t appear to be removable, but I think I could tweak on them enough to improve their movement and sealing ability.
Should I pony up and purchase vinyl replacements (any recommended brands?) or try to repair what I’ve got?
Replies
Look at Marvin inserts. Just remove the sashes, do a refinish of the sill and jambs with a high quality paint, and install the new inserts. What I like about the Marvins is the powder coated metal exterior. It looks like new forever.
If they are single pane I would look at rehabbing them, tuning up/adding the weather stripping then making up some storm windows perhaps. If they are double pane you might just as well replace them as double pane seals typically start to fail after 20 years or so. Single pane wood windows can last indefinitely if properly installed and maintained. Proper install of course means proper building design to start.
Unfortunately they are double pane. They don't look like anything special but I'm not an expert.
Yeah, when you are planning to renovate the entire home, I think it's better to replace the windows and add up some antique designs to the home. As most of the latest trend home designs are mainly concentrated on adding up Vintage beauty to the home as this helps to increase the resale value of the home as well as give an aesthetic appearance to the guest