There is also information available in the National Parks Service Preservation Briefs about windows and many other aspects of preservation. I never discouraged anyone from changing their windows if there are no guidelines in their district for doing that. Actually I think lots of good information has been provided here by homeowners who are not working in the preservation business and speak from personal experience in either keeping or replacing windows. My frustration comes from people who buy homes in our historic district because they love the charm the guidelines have maintained and then decide they need to change protected aspects. No one has forced them to choose to live here. Appropriate energy efficient windows are not inexpensive. Anyone living here may choose to have those windows. Most requests here are for inappropriate windows and cost is the argument given. Shortsightedness at the time of purchase is not a justification here. We all "LIVE" in our homes and I would like to belie the insinuation that those of us who choose to maintain the architecture, including windows, are living in a "museum". That may be your perspective, but it is not my experience. Oberon works in the window industry. He provides lots of useful information and his opinion is valued. Many of us who choose to practice preservation are responding from personal experience and the outcomes we have had. In my neighborhood, there are guidelines for preservation and it has been proven to increase property values in this historic district. There are larger studies with similar quantified results. Most homes are under contract in less than two weeks. Therefore, it seems Oberon and I each have positve financial reinforcment for our opinions. I will not deny that my decisions also have an aesthetic factor. For those of you expressing concern for the environment I need you to know that by living in town and being able to walk to most destinations means I use less than one tank of gas a month. I also do not have air conditioning. I open my energy inefficient windows when it is warm. Imagine how much energy that would conserve if everyone did that. My point is moot for many because it is not realistic that the majority of people can, or are willing, to do that. I have noticed that brownouts and blackouts occur more during hot summer months than at any other time of the year. Is air conditioning and that comfort level also a drain on power? I don't have figures for how many less power plants the elimination of air conditining would result in. But, brownouts would seem to suggest use during hot weather does strain those resources. If we are truly concerned about energy consumption we should all get new windows and eliminate, or restict, air conditioning. There will always be some compromise. Comfort level is very individual. Windows are only one source of lead paint in older homes. I'm sure I'll be corrected, but the greatest issue with lead and windows is in the areas where there is any rubbing that could produce dust from the paint. Flaking paint on any surface should be a concern and abated or encapsulated especially if you have, or plan to have, children. If lead paint is the only concern with windows, the rub areas can be stripped and therefore eliminate the dust caused by the friction of opening and closing windows. Or, new tracks can be installed and the weight pockets can be insulated at the same time. Booksat makes a good point in taking into consideration many energy consumption aspects of older homes. Energy audits have been suggested a number of times on this forum. Windows are one aspect of loss and there are many ways to increase R-values in homes and windows. Window Guy is also in the window industry. He is sensitive to the window needs of historic districts and energy efficiency. I hope he will join this discussion to explain that you can maintain both aspects. Solutions may require compromise, but they should not be viewed at an either/or decision based on emotion. Also, energy conservation is multifaceted in older homes and in general consumption practices. If you are truly concerned about energy please look at all aspects of personal consumption. I agree that this is a sometimes emotional discussion. People on this forum will tend to lean toward conservation. Many would not have purchased older homes or participate on this forum if they did not like the qualities those homes possess. You will find lots of information about replacement windows on the Window Forum. Oberon an others involved in the window industry also offer their advice about new windows on that forum. We all have our passions.

Never ending, Yes, I would do it again. Even though our cabs from GD were dirty and worn, they were well-built. I did sand down and re-stain all the doors and drawer fronts, and DH polyurethaned them. Jim, our carpenter, did put new red oak veneer on two cabinets where the sides and fronts were going to be seen more, and where they looked too worn for his standards. I paid $3600 for the kitchen full of cabs, $2000 to get them to Michigan, and $4000 for Jim to make three more for my space. Other than inconsistencies in my and DH's finish work, I don't think you can tell them from new. I will never regret doing the work. If we had not done this, we would still have our old kitchen. If you can be creative and flexible in your design, and have someone in the family or a friend or a professional you know with some carpentry skills - go for it. We got our entire kitchen done - new ceiling, an added wall, a new skylight, all new LED lighting, new Marmoleum flooring... for about $17,000.

As above. Retrofitted weep vents might better channel the flow and certainly look better.Rytons Retro Weeps Just inspected a home this morning, repossessed and under restoration. Three-year old build. Here's how they handled the issue:Note weeps above window and below sill. (Messy caulking between the two sill pieces is unnecessary; every window was done that way.) *************Lipped brick installation Lipped brick. I must say I've never seen that. (Or maybe I have but didn't notice.) But if the brick supplier doesn't offer it, I can only imagine the upcharge by the masons!

Considered both of your assertions regarding spacing, got out of my own head, and left the #1 as is...followed suit for #2. My sincerest thanks to both of you for your prompt responses. I hope the two of you will be around commenting in six and 12 months when I tackle the remaining six windows on the back of my house. FYI...I’ll need to figure out drip caps and the proper way to replace 4x segmented windows inside my kitchen...2x 33” x 64” DH windows and 2x 11” x 33” picture windows...installed very closely to one another to almost appear joined from the exterior. Issues with kitchen windows: From exterior, one easily view what appears to be protruding, swollen, rotting, and/or molded (blackened) wood below the 2x transoms and above the 2x DH. From inside kitchen, the cross or “t” separating the windows isn’t quite that. The horizontal line goes across down then proceeds across. I suppose that’s what you get from Ryan Homes. Goal for kitchen windows: Take transom windows out of the mix entirely provided there is obviously rotted wood that must be demoed; Eliminate poor attempt at “t” all together; Actually join 2x ~35” x ~ 80” DHs Uncertainty: Permissible to remove “t” without shoring up vertical support for loading on exterior wall? Appropriate way to incorporate drip cap with j-channel...drip cap between window frame and j-channel? Appropriate cuts to drip cap when also using j-channel? No need to answer here as I will re-post a ahead of actual need date.