Sixty years ago would mean the windows were manufactured in the mid 1960's. If the second floor is a more recent addition, the windows would be more recent as well. In both cases, the windows would not have any great historical value nor would they be from the eras when windows were much better made with better materials than they are today, although there can be exceptions. Unless the existing windows are in extremely bad shape replacing them entirely is not a great idea. The replacement window option is, imho, close to out and out fraud. In most cases what is already there is superior to most new replacement windows. The best means of increasing energy efficiency - keeping in mind that heat loss through windows is relatively minor compared to the attic and basement - is first paying attention to sealing with caulk. Then installing good quality exterior storm windows. These two steps will do a great deal, but the addition of interior storm windows is a possible third step. If you can do the repairs on the existing windows yourself, these two or three steps will be far less expensive and far more effective than replacement.

MaineGrower - I don't like replacement windows. Especially the plastic parts on them. We had Anderson give us an estimate on decent replacement windows and it was crazy how much they would cost for the whole house.

I wonder, what is the difference between getting a replacement window and just purchasing a new window as if it were new construction? Why can't you just buy a new quality built window?

I would agree, the windows on the second floor are not as good quality as those on the first floor. We already have storm windows on all the windows, but if you go near the windows in the winter, you can feel the drop in temperature. Especially this winter with extended single digit temperatures.

We are planning on updating the insulation in the attic etc. When you say sealing with caulk, you mean around the entire house?

I have seen those inside storm windows, but I like to open my windows in the winter sometimes, so I'm not inclined to go with that.

I have no idea if we could do the repairs to the existing windows. Is it skilled work? My husband has repaired individual window panes and did an adequate job, but, the putty around the pane was a little thick/thin/uneven. [g] The windows also stick and are not easy to open and close. A couple of them are not fitting together to lock them. I suppose there is a book somewhere that explains how to do it?

Windows from the 60's are seldom worth "restoring" or repairing. By the time you are done you could replace them for about the same money. Post this to the window forum with some pictures and you will get some good help from the pro's there.

prariemoon2: it is debateable whether windows intended for new construction are any better than the replacement ones. Besides which new windows would require stripping exterior trim and/or siding and the rough opening for the old windows and new ones would have to be the same or very close to it. In short, not worth doing, either.

Sealing around the windows with caulk or weather stripping was what I had in mind. Feeling a temperature drop around a window in near 0 temperatures is probably inevitable. There's really no way to insulate a window to the degree a wall can be. Air leaks are, however, different and this is what caulk/weather stripping can cure. A stick of incense is a good way to locate leaks - if there are any -from the inside.

There are inside storm windows that are held in place by magnets so they are easily removable at any time. There are others that use clips to accomplish the same thing.

Repairs to the existing windows should be possible by you and your husband. Applying new putty is time consuming but the more you do the easier it becomes. Sticking and not closing properly can usually be cured with sandpaper and silicon no-stick spray unless things are seriously out of alignment. Don't know of any book, but there are probably chapters in more general books and online.

Oh…magnets on inside storm windows….excellent idea! That would really interest me.

Like the incense idea too, to find the leak.

I hadn't even thought of the changes to the exterior.

Thanks, Mainegrower, [my favorite state by the way :-)] You have made it sound doable. I will check on line, As a matter of fact, I will check out YouTube. The This Old House website might have something on it, I know they did a show on it once.

Millworkman - Thanks, I forgot there was a window forum. I could try that too.

This book is pricey, but very comprehensive when it comes to window care.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/146628644X/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3HO059H7CMLBQ&coliid=I2GQSAUH9VJZ4E

I believe that good quality, double pane windows make a lot of sense energy-wise if you have also got a decent amount of insulation in the ceiling, floors, and walls. In addition, if you live in an area which has a building department, they often treat window replacement as a remodel requiring a permit and that you use new windows that match the current energy code, which would undoubtedly be double pane and possibly frames with a thermal break. Before you spend any money on any kind of window refurbishment or replacement, you should check to see if this would be governed by the local building code. The last thing you want to do is spend $20,000 dollars on windows and be told they have to be taken out because they don't meet code.

keep in mind that window change out will only save
you 7-15% in energy savings. big dollar item for
small savings.
the storm windows are something I'd investigate
& save the thousands for a window change out
for air sealing & insulation...or hvac...
whatever upgrades save you money & improve
comfort.

best of luck

This is another good, comprehensive book and not so pricey:

http://www.amazon.com/Working-Windows-Guide-Repair-Restoration/dp/1599213117/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426402280&sr=1-1&keywords=windows+restoration

also look here: http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/index.htm

I live in MN where temps are around zero about 8 months of the year - or so it seems by March. My windows are 102 years old. Last winter I had been working on one, reglazing and rehanging. I also have, I'm sorry to say, what must be the world's oldest triple track storm windows - rusted aluminum if you can believe that - but they're sturdy and strong and mostly work. and I'm thinking I'll just paint them to look more like old fashioned storms unless I win a lottery or something.

My point is, it was a cold day. I had finished the window a short time before and stood by it on a cold windy day to see how cold it felt. It didn't. Not at all. Then a friend called me over to see her new, "top of the line" fancy replacement windows that were going to save her so much money. It was really cold standing a foot away from them. I've never asked how her heating bills are.

Another friend, same thing. All our houses are stucco outside, plaster inside, tight, no air leaks, not much wall insulation. The second friend got the windows for efficiency, doesn't have storms, but has never checked her gas bill to see if her heating cost went down. I do not get it.

I'd say read up on windows - even if you get books from the library. Read on the historic homeworks site and the windows forum here - learn about windows. Then you can make a decision about how good your present windows are, if they're worth keeping and if you can do the work yourself.

Katya - Thanks for that book on window care. Has very good reviews.

Kudzu - yes, replacement windows are expensive. If we do windows, it would be part of a larger remodel, so a permit would be necessary anyway, but, now I know to ask about what the local building code is. Thanks.

EnergyRater -

That is a pretty small savings for such a big expense. We have storm windows on the outside, already. If we tighten up the windows we have now, I guess that would include checking the storms to make sure they are functioning at top efficiency.

The air sealing and insulating is something we plan on doing, still checking out options for havoc.

DirtCred -

Eight months at zero or below?! lol I knew MN was cold, but never thought of it that way.

Thanks, I see that book, Working Windows is in my local library and I just put a request in for it.

And I’ve saved the link for Historic Home Works.

We have aluminum storm windows too, that have been on the windows since we moved in. Hard to believe aluminum rusts though. wow. Since mine are not rusty, I sure would never paint them and give myself another job to keep up with, but if they were rusty, I sure would.

You make a very good point about not checking to see if you are actually getting a savings on heat bills. The contractor we just interviewed, said they measure the heating costs before and after and test everything once it is done. He was not recommending new windows, but keeping the old ones too.

Glad to know there is an alternative to new windows and boy that would make me pretty mad to get new windows and not get a real savings on heat costs. I don’t get the not checking either.

This aspect of a remodel looks like something I could get involved in more. I definitely will be reading up on it and figuring it out. I think our windows are not that bad. I can think of two windows in the house that don’t open easily and will need attention mechanically, but otherwise, it may be just testing and caulking etc. With a little information, it could be a project we can do one window at a time too. Thanks.

This isn't directly on track but I have yet another friend who had a whole lot of work done on her old house directed at energy efficiency. Not only did her furnace break down many times over the first winter, the new, "efficient" double glazed windows iced over and even cracked in the cold. She's been going after the contractor ever since. He actually said that all windows ice over in the cold and mine don't only because they are probably so leaky. (They're not.) Then my head exploded and I couldn't talk to him any more. My point being - watch your contractor, read carefully everything you sign and there's probably a contractor thread here you could learn from.

And, yeah, I was exaggerating about the cold in Minnesota - but I did say it just seems that way by March - when it seems like it will never be warm outside again. (It was almost 70 yesterday so I'm getting over it again this year.)

I am kind of in the same boat as you are in. I have windows from the 1950's. They have storm windows and are much better IMHO than then new windows I installed in my previous house. My heating bills are low, and even in the worst windy storm the house remains quiet. But..... I can't find any company to restore them. I have searched high and low and everyone just wants to sell you new windows because they are "better." So frustrating.....

1950's thru the 1970's wood windows are never worth restoring. If they are in good condition maybe a little maintenance, new balances, fresh putty if necessary and there are good storm windows. A well installed & maintained wood window with well installed and maintained storm window will in fact be better than many of the builders grade crap available thru the 70's, 80's and 90's thru today's builders grade crap. When people speak of restoring windows it is what was at the time a generally high end window with true divided lite, old growth wood, historically correct for the building and or required by landmark commissions. Nothing made in the last 50 or 60 years will meet any of that criteria realistically.

DirtCred - That’s surprising to me. I was under the impression that new energy efficient windows were an improvement. They are so expensive too. My windows never ice over either.

I am sure I will find a lot of threads on here about contractors. Good idea.

Glad it is warming up there, we haven’t seen a 70 degree day yet. It was 22 degrees this morning after being 50 yesterday.

AcadiaFun - I’ve reserved one of the books recommended at the library and I’m hoping that we might be able to figure out how to do some of it ourselves. You could try asking on the This Old House website. They have had people on their show that restore windows, they might have a list of people you could call.

Millworkman - Our windows are from early 50s on the first floor. They are true divided light 6 over 6 pane windows. The second floor was finished later than that and I can see they are not the same window, but they are real divided light wood windows.

I guess I’m not sure why wood windows would not be worth restoring. Especially if you are also saying that windows since the 1970s are crap? Is it going to cost as much to restore them as to replace them? Of course, if you do it yourself, you’re putting in sweat equity.

True but you still get a single pane window of mediocre quality that will have some new parts. It's up to you that's just my opinion. The newer windows have better glazing, and better weatherstriping. I cannot tell from here what you have in the nramd of windows but my parents have 1970's true divided lite Woodco Double Hung's (crap builders brand by todays standards) and they were made for years before my parents house was built (and used all over the country) and in reality the sash are held in place with a small plastic piece the glass is 1/8" clear, the balances while ok are a mediocre at best type system. Again just my opinion but unless there is some historic value my original opinion still stands that it is "lipstick on a pig".

@acadiafun1 - maybe a handyman who knows what he's doing?

@millworkman - especially since I'm 20+ years away from the 1972 windows in my last house, I can't argue with you! They seemed fine but they had storms in a milder climate than I'm in now. I think there was some plastic and those teeny tiny think little cords.

@prairie moon - I'd definitely do some reading here:
http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/index.htm

Millworkman - I can't argue with you about your 'lipstick on a pig' analogy. [g] I guess I am just looking at it from a different perspective. If most windows were this mediocre window that most builders used, then I guess that would make my windows pretty average. And my house is pretty average, so I guess they fit together. lol

Plus, these windows have been in the house for almost 65 years and they don't seem close to being discards, so how poor could the quality have been, to last that long?

I am sure that you are right, that there are much better quality windows available now, but -- do I need high quality windows, unless I have a high end house in a high end neighborhood and have $20,000 -$30,000. to spare? Of course, if the cost of restoring my old windows approached anywhere near the cost of new windows, that would be a different story.

I haven't made any decision about the windows, just gathering information, so I appreciate your point of view entirely. That is the information I wanted to know. I wouldn't have even suspected my windows were lower quality if you hadn't told me. Thanks.

I need to get further along with seeing what each option is going to cost.

Thank you DirtCred - I haven't had a chance to read that website yet, but I've saved the link and will get there eventually.

The thing of it is, it will be expensive as their are only so many places to get the parts and generally the sum of the parts equals more than the whole! Again I just said it is my opinion and from here I cannot tell you anything about your windows and I am speaking in generalities as I have scene and been told of. In your situation you be 100% correct that the repair / restore will be perfect.

Thanks Millworkman - I'm not surprised that buying the parts gets to be as expensive as replacement. I've recently tried to replace a couple of parts on a food processor and for what it was going to cost it was almost to the point of what a new one would cost, so I'm waiting and then getting a new one. I think it's sad, that so many things become throwaway now.

I pretty much agree with just about everything millworkman has written. It is entirely your choice. The parts question, though, depends a great deal on the style of window and the kind of hardware necessary to restore it. Complex counter balance systems, special latches, etc. may be hard to find, but the Internet is a tremendous resource for finding old(er) house hardware, as are arcitectural salvage yards. My own windows are simple 6 over 6 double hung types which are easy to repair and maintain. They have been in use since roughly 1810. About 80% of the glass panes are also original. I'm pretty convinced that no window you can buy to today, no matter what the cost, is likely to last 200+ years.

MaineGrower - Boy, your windows are 200+ years old!! lol That is amazing. I can't believe you have most of the original glass! I'd love to know what you do to maintain and repair them and I'm curious how you learned how to do that. Self taught?

We only have double hung windows. Pretty sure they have a counter balance system in the side and only one of our windows needs that repaired. The upstairs windows were probably added in the mid 1970s and are also double hung.

We have a window in the bathroom over the tub that was a vinyl replacement window that's only 15 years old, but that will be replaced.

prairiemoon: Here's a more or less full confession: Most sensible people would not put up with inconvenience and primitiveness of these windows. They stick, but are manageable. You need a wooden prop to hold them open. The reason they have lasted has far more to do with the quality of the wood used and the joinery employed than with anything I've done. Keeping them painted and puttied is really about all I have done. The windows, like the rest of the house, are relics of a bygone era. Not for everyone for sure.

Mainegrower - Just the same, if I were 200+ years old, I'm sure I would need a wooden prop too. lol I understand that 200 years ago, the wood they harvested was probably much denser than what they have available now. It's sad to see old houses aging. Even sadder when they've all been replaced with current construction.

Thanks for sharing and I've enjoyed hearing about your 200 year old windows! :-)

Exactly why I qualified my statement for windows from the 50's thru the 90's. The wood and workmanship is NOT the same quality. And again without seeing your windows it is only my opinion that they are not worth "restoring". Not saying you cannot d a little maintenance and part replacement but that is definitely different than "restoring" which is essentially what mainegrower did and I tend to agree 200 yr old windows very well may be worth the money spent.

I agree Millworkman - I am thinking I would only have to do a little maintenance and a small amount of part replacement, not actual restoration. But we will check all the windows much closer before we decide. I haven't even noticed what condition the putty on each pane is in. Now THAT would be a job to re-putty every pane!

But just think how good you'd be at it by the time you finished, prairiemoon - you'd be a bona fide expert!

The purpose of double paned windows is the air between acts as an insulator. If you have old wooden windows and there are not two sets of them (an interior and an exterior) to make air between the windows then upgrading to new windows will help a lot. If you have two sets of windows to make the air gap then sealing them properly (weather stripping and caulking) to prevent drafts and leaks into the insulating air gap will be your most cost effective option.

If you are getting new windows you might as well get the good ones with argon between the panes as the cost to install them is a big factor and you might as well install a good product.

If you stick with the wooden double pane setup (two windows with air gap) then look at interior storm windows for more savings after proper sealing of the old windows. Climate seal is the interior storm window that attaches with a magnetic seal. Innerglass is another interior storm window brand that has compression fit, double hung, and sliding interior storm windows.

Yes, DirtCred - But do I really want to be an expert at it?! [g] I actually saw a course offered on restoring windows not long ago, but I don't think it is still offered. With all the push to replace windows, I'd think there wasn't much call for an expert window restorer.

:-)

Vithdude - We have the old windows, but we also have aluminum storm windows on the exterior. I think we would need to seal them better than they are. I was thinking of testing the air flow with incense. I also like the idea of inside storms with the magnetic seal. I haven't priced them yet though, and I wonder how much I'll like them after I do. [g]

Thank you...

Old House Guy - Great link. I've already started reading the material there and it makes so much sense. Thanks.

I've got the book Windows that Work home from the library and hope to make some progress in reading that this week.

I'm definitely leaning more toward bringing our old windows and storms up to speed. If we can manage to do it ourselves or find someone reasonably priced to do it. After looking at some of the photos of windows with rotting wood that need repair, we don't have any windows that need the interior wood repaired. It's more of a mechanical operating repair that might be needed on some windows and caulking and weather stripping. Not sure yet if the panes of glass need re-puttying. Still waiting for snow to melt around the house to check them out. [g]

Old House Guy - that's a great site - thank you!