Replace old weighted pulley windows with replacement vinyl windows?
5 years ago
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PRO5 years agoRelated Discussions
Has anyone replaced newer windows with old salvaged ones?
Comments (42)Amazing thread! Great tips. I began salvaging the old double-hungs from our 1913 house we sold to a builder -- he gave me 7 days to get everything out I wanted and was amazed that I pluck so much: all the doors, windows, stair rail, cabinets, even the lovely trim around all the doors and windows. I used them to rebuild a house on our ranch in Texas. Fortunately I had a skilled carpenter who built the house around the salvage material. The next house he built required more windows, which I found through a demolition company who called me whenever they had a house with windows in good condition. Great way to harvest shiplap as well. We're in the process of building again, and this time my "picker" got windows that need work, so I sent them to a carpenter who is framing them so the crew can just slip them in like a store bought. The key is to get the entire window out, in the frame, and don't forget the weights! You'll save a lot of money if you don't have to build the frame and all the mechanisms of the weighted window. My attempts to deal with the vinyl replacment contractors has FAILED -- they simply refuse to take the time to pull the window out in the frame, like the pictures show above, they leave the frame and rip up the sashes as they pull them out. Crazy!!! I offer them good money, too. Fortunately we live in a neighborhood where anything pre-1940 is being bulldozed and replaced by McMansions. That's the best place to hunt....See MoreReplacing Old Windows, Help!
Comments (19)littlealexa, I went through the same process last year. You can look up the threads which has additional useful information, and with some of the same useful folks offering their opinions. I opted to rehab my windows, at considerable cost, and if I were to do it again, I would opt for a really nice, aesthetically sympathetic replacement window. In the end we paid about $600 a window for cosmetic and structural rehab, including all new spring bronze weatherstripping, weatherstripping routed into the sashes, etc... We also paid about $200 a window for the top rated Harvey's. I also caulked well around the exterior and interior of the windows. In the end, our drafty windows turned into leaky windows. A nice improvement - no more need for the plastic sheets over the windows, but the level of comfort is still not where it should be. Neighbors replaced their old double hungs with a nice Marvin for $800 a window. The difference is really really noticeable. Their air infiltration, that used to be similar to ours is now about nil. The weight pockets will always be a draft problem unless they are insulated. This involves having to take the trim off from the inside, an enormous pain, and not part of the normal old window rehab process. I am reluctanlty about to begin this process. Not needing a storm is also a nice convenience, I now think, and much nicer aesthetically from the outside. I would strongly suggest that you get a good referral for a Marvin or similar dealer and see what they say, and if possible ask for a reference where you can see where they have replaced "old" windows. All cases are different, but I would urge you to thoroughly check all options. I know it gets cold in Chicago! Good luck....See MoreRepair, Don't Replace, Old Wood Windows
Comments (154)Mary, Are you referring to window restoration or just sealing up some existing windows? The two are going to be very different type professionals. If it it just sealing up some exterior trim on windows, a decent painter can do that. If its window restoration, that is a different ball of wax. Window restoration is a very niché marketplace. The best thing to do is start with a Google area search near your home and especially in those areas that are more heavily concentrated in older homes. Next would be to ask around any of the historic districts that are in your area and see who they might have a list for. Hope this helps....See MoreRepublic vinyl replacement window service
Comments (3)Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I think that teal color is indicative of little... all of my windows have that same color cap on the balance, regardless of sash width or height. What factors impact balance failure? Weight? Usage? Age? Reason I ask is because all of my windows seemed to have developed this difficulty at roughly the same time, so I'd have to guess relative age, perhaps mitigated slightly by use? One of the windows that I rarely open is now virtually impossible to move. It can't be dirt, as it's never open, and it can't be size, as it's in the middle of the pack as far as that goes. The tilt function is as easy to operate as any of the others, too. I have two sashes in which the dessicant seems to have had its fill as well, as they're fogged and/or full of condensation. In researching the subject I've run across numerous references putting the average lifespan of middle-line vinyl windows at about 15 years. These are right there. If I put $40-$50 into a pair of balances for each window (presuming I try one and that fixes the problem) how much longer am I extending the lifespan? At 10 windows, that's a total of +/- $500, and I still have 15 year-old vinyl windows.Does that buy me another 10 years, nothwithstanding the condensation/dessicant issue? One's in the bathroom and the glass is occluded anyway so who cares, and the other is in a guest bedroom that faces a nothing view, so that doesn't bother me much either. Just a question of how much dessicant remains in the others. Other than the difficulty opening and closing, I see no cracks and they seem to be fine. Perfect, no (I never thought the capping an especially good job,) but imperfect enough to warrant spending money to replace them all? Not sure about that either. Window replacement companies would be the LAST resource I'd check for an honest opinion about this. Ideas, anyone?...See MoreRelated Professionals
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