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.

Sorry but 200 tilt are low grade garbage made to compete with the vinyl replacement market...... That is why they need sash locks, otherwise in a breeze the sashes would self tilt. Once you replace the entire unit including interior trim for the 200's which you wouldn't have to do with conversion kits there can't be but a couple of bucks difference. But the difference in quality is priceless. Good luck with the 200 tilts unless you have an excellent experienced installer you'll need it.

My point is that many points have been confusing or misleading. Soft-Lite is called mid-sized in some post then Alside is called a large company to suit ones point. One says that large companies are much more likely to fold than smaller ones, but now just as easily. If I were a betting man, I would place my bets on the "large" companies(i'll say over a billion in gross sales) over all the others and especially the small ones (less than 15 million). I would take the top 50 over bottom 50 as well. Poor examples of large failed companies were used to make a point and not one mention of all the failed small companies.

There is an ancient paradox called the Ship of Theseus that asks if you have a wooden ship and everytime the ship returns from a voyage a number of the wooden planks are replaced. If you reach a point where all of the planks have been replaced, is it still the original ship? There is also a more modern version called Washington's Ax, that asks is an ax that once belonged to old George still his ax if the head and the handle have both been replaced over the years? So a question for Raye Smith since you are clearly a restoration advocate...if an older window during restoration needed a stile replaced, or a stile and a rail, or two stiles and a rail, or even both stiles and both rails...or perhaps what if 50% of an original rail and/or stile was repaired using wood putty, or what if it was 90% repaired using wood putty....when does restoration become replacement? If all four rails and stiles needed replacement with new wood during restoration, how would that differ from installing a new window as a possible option as millworkman suggested: If you had new windows made by a carpenter with individual divided lites and sash weights....?