The exterior paint on the Okna and many other brands of vinyl windows is quite durable. It is not a cheap option nor are SDL’s especially in 20 plus lite window.

oh my gosh - the house does not look that old to need all new windows - what is the reason for the replacement? (and so sorry!)

Again, why do the windows need to be replaced? Can they be repaired?

Good advice from Todd, I wouldn't heistate to go with a painted exterior, they are very durable. Excellent product choice as well, with the metal sash lifts and sdl's, that is one of the richer looking vinyl windows on the market.

I'd look into restoring the WOOD windows, before I replaced with vinyl.

The house is charming ! .........."update" what outside? Take a closer pic of the shutters?

Show the inside too.

you mean retro fit vinyl windows? those are going to look horrible on that home.

are you replacing because these are single pane? or??

can they be repaired?

So, long story short, the previous owners did not keep up the maintenance on this home. When they got ready to sell, they tried to “hide” some of the issues. Most of the windows are painted shut. Only about 5 open and they don’t stay open - slam shut - not good when we have a 3 year old. There is some wood rot, lots of air (and bug) infiltration, broken seals, broken or missing locks, springs don’t hold the top sash up…etc. FWIW, I agree, I think vinyl windows will not look right on this home. I am not a fan of very traditional styling but I pushed for the SDLs because I think grids between the glass do not look nice. While we prefer a much more modern style, this is not a modern home, so when I say update, we are trying to preserve its traditional charm while bringing in color and design that is more current but not hyper modern. My husband drank the replacement window Koolaid and believes wood windows are way too high maintenance. Cost is also a huge consideration as we also need to update every bathroom (all original and not well maintained) and the kitchen and we’ve had some unexpected costs that were just purely functional.
Glad to hear that the paint is more durable than we were told. The difference between vinyl replacements and alternatives (fiberglass or replacing with wood) is over $40k and that’s going with a higher quality vinyl.

You will be wasting your money and ruining the appearance of that house with vinyl windows.

I would explore other options to save your existing windows or save the funds to do this correctly.

Check on This Olde House YouTube Series to see what your options are.

Following

Wood window repair may be more of an option than you think. Most old historic homes have repaired originals since vinyl is a no-no when maintaining the historic integrity. Before you jump onto an expensive replacement wagon,do more research. This Old House is just one place you may get help.

Better to put time and money towards talented labor and keep the original windows, if at all possible.

https://www.finehomebuilding.com/project-guides/windows-doors/should-your-old-wood-windows-be-saved

Painted shut ? A non issue!!!.

Flashing ? Same, quite common

Sash cord? Gets replaced. You can even have chain

Before I got sucked in by the salesman for any replacement? I'd start making calls. At least investigate

If it was 400.00 apiece to do 50 windows? You're still at 20 k. ..........hardly 100k. they don't all need to be done in the same week or month.

We don't know what the locale is, we don't know who built it, when it was built. I do know your inspector at sale didn't do much due diligence, and the rest of the work inside? You probably were compensated in home sale price,

You'd be very surprised what restore can do.

But I wouldn't wreck the house, that's for sure: ) Be as modern inside as you like, that's decoration.

https://www.finehomebuilding.com/project-guides/windows-doors/should-your-old-wood-windows-be-saved

This is a beautiful home. Take your time, don't muck it up. As @JAN MOYER points out, you don't have to do everything at once. I have a 50+ year old house that I incrementally replaced windows on. Each year, I I budgeted for a section of the house that was visually grouped yet separate from others so when you saw the new windows, you didn't see them compared to the old. It took 5 years to complete but I am so glad I chose quality over immediacy. They are wood windows, clad with fiberglass on the exterior. Low maintenance, good look.

Slow down. Unfortunately you will find EVERYTHING costs more than you expected. You mentioned a 3 year old. I am assuming you are relatively young (at least compared to me, lol). Your tastes are going to change within the next 5 - 10 years. Take that time to really drill into what styles you and DH both like. Don't spend a fortune on renovations yet. Live in the house, ponder it and save, save, save your money to do it right.

Trends seem to be going through a radical change right now. My neighborhood is one of tear downs to make room for multimillion dollar homes. Painted brick on new construction was the thing for years. Now it's all about beautiful brick, unpainted on new houses. It looks so refreshing! Tall pitched Hobbit house meets Swiss chalet roofs are giving way to low pitched roofs that don't tower over the neighbors' existing homes. I'm excited to see what's going to change next.

Your house is a classic. Keep its style on the outside and if you want modern on the inside, go crazy!

All the best to you, keep us posted on your progress

IMO double paned windows are a must no matter where you live but I agree if the wood windows are double paned and intact as far as air leakage the repair to me would be the answer. Yes they are higher maintenace but vinyl replacement ones on that house would not be my choice and I love modern IMO if you cannot save the windows then start replacing the worst ones with wood or maybe even metal framed in black could look pretty sharp on that house. I always try to find that happy place where the change suits the house and oftn it is done over time. I love renovating but it needs to be done to suit the home style. As you go along with replacement it will take some time if money is tight so be aware this might not look perfect for awhile . I think removing the shutters and the grids will have a huge effect on the exterior look .

I think removing grids will have a hugely awful effect on the house.

Just because a thing......any given thing is traditional, does not mean we must take a wrecking ball to it.

We're going to look back at all of these proliferating the USA.......and ? Oh yeah , Texas, Atlanta and 2o whatever....2020, 2023....etc.

And even these have grids

Maybe not the wrecker update,

I think removing grids will have a hugely awful effect on the house.

Just because a thing......any given thing is traditional, does not mean we must take a wrecking ball to it.

We're going to look back at all of these proliferating the USA.......and ? Oh yeah , Texas, Atlanta and 2o whatever....2020, 2023....etc.

And even these have grids

Maybe not the wrecker update,

" You will be wasting your money and ruining the appearance of that house with vinyl windows. "

BS. the OKNA with SDL's is a beautiful wind and will look perfect in your home. Spending the same money to completely rebuild builder grade wood windows that are that bad is a fools errand. Dropping a balanced and blueprinted 454 engine in a Yugo is still a pile of poop.

Not a professional but I’ve been around the window issue in several homes. After seeing how easy it is to restore wood windows, I dread the idea of having anything else ever. Spend time locating a skilled carpenter to work with you over the long haul. You can restore the paint and learn to glaze and caulk. Find old stock at a rehab shop and practice. Rigid Insulation in the space behind the trim allows the weights to move freely.

There are many pros on HOUZZ that can answer questions.

Thanks everyone for your insight and keep the information coming! I appreciate the input on both sides - repair vs. replace.

For clarification, we absolutely do not want to get rid of the grids. I think the home would look wrong, for lack of a better word, without them. We did consider reducing the lites to 6 over 6 to increase the glass and modernize a bit while keeping the overall aesthetic. And no way, would I do grids between glass. While I love modern design, I appreciate the beauty of this traditional brick home for what it is and want to preserve that beauty. Which is why this is such an important decision IMO.

One change that we would love to make is the exterior window and trim color - which is why my original question referenced the painted vinyl option. But now very much considering, at least exploring the repair option.

Also, the windows are double-pane and one of the replacement window guys who came out thinks they might actually be Andersen windows. The home was built in the mid-90s so they are nearly 30 years old.

Call a restore source in your area. That's your FIRST step

^^ agree 100% with @Diana Bier Interiors, LLC — we also live in a 1920’s colonial and have original windows - I am sure some don’t open/stay open but we don’t open every window around the whole house. After living there a few months we figured out which windows gave us the best cross breezes and we focused on making sure those worked well - just another idea for chunking out repairs

eta - high end storm windows can help with efficiency

Interesting the number of folks recommending restoration of windows from the 90's with ZERO mention of cost, availability of tradesman, warranty, longevity, or the ease of these process.

Replacing all the window is misery...trust me. Especially if you stay with SDLs in this case (not needed in my opinion as we routinely see 7 figure+ homes built with GBG). SDLs are a throwback to a historical necessity, but if we are going to be purists, lets make sure we use lead paint and wood roofs too. Long story short...I don't think you need them and the reality is that outside of the very keen eyes of the designers on here...99% of the people won't be able to tell the different from the street.

While the previous owner may have NOT maintained the windows, very likely and plausible, the idea that regularized painting and maintenance would prevent the rot and failure is an abject fallacy. Unclad wood window, given current and 90's era timber strand, will ROT. Death, taxes, and wood window rot (clad or otherwise) are inevitable.

Restoring the window does not mean the window will NOT continue to rot. These are not wood window from the early 20th century that are of a quality timber that will have some natural resiliency to rot.

I hesitate in saying these are throwaways...because I know that that project is going to cost you...but restoring these windows is the equivalent of throwing a deck chair off the Titanic. You aren't going to avoid the inevitability of replacement.

That said, if you have a skilled craftsman (I would ask to have him do 1 window and show you the finished product before committing to a larger contract value and potentially squandered dollars) and the rot is incremental and limited...restore away. Again...I would want to see the finished example on 1 before I committed to 20.

There are scenarios that make more sense in a vacuum and without context. To me, restoring 90s wood windows if there is a decent bit of rot, fall pretty squarely into that categorical designation.

Wood windows from 1990's are a very different thing compared to wood windows from the pre-WW2 era. Wood has changed. Wood worth preserving was from trees allowed to mature at a natural pace. Modern wood is harvested from fast growth tree farms -- it's not as strong, not as durable.

It's an attractive house, and much as I love 'real' wood windows (the gentle 'clink' of the weights!) I wouldn't hesitate to replace these with good-quality vinyl. (And I don't mind fake divided lights; from the street almost zero people would be able to tell the difference. So personally I'd save money and go for double pane with removable fake grids -- easier to paint, also.)

Not sure if @nickel_kg is a professional or just an informed homeowner, but that is solid advice and accurate perspective.

I'm not convinced that all 53 windows need replacing. Have you spoken with a contractor and shown him/her what the condition of the windows is? He/she might be able to determine if the windows could be repaired.

While it is true that virgin wood is long-lasting, there are homes built whenever with windows that don’t rot. If the source of rot is not addressed, replacements are fruitless.

Is this house in SC? I have some observations but want to first confirm my suspicions.

It’s in North Carolina, Raleigh (Piedmont region)

Your house has great curb appeal.

How old are the windows? I lived in the South for years, in my experience corners were often cut in tract homes, even in the "nice" neighborhoods. Did your home inspector find any leaks near the windows or note how many should be replaced?

I would ask around to find a good handyman to repair the immediate issues - leaks and things potentially dangerous. Neighbors should be a good source because I am sure yours is not the only house in the neighborhood to have this issue. Then budget to eventually replace them, it's not necessary to do them all at once. There are probably sides of the house where the windows have more sun damage and rot than others.

@melfairrn I'm in Raleigh too. Get ready for big prices and loooooooong wait times for everything. We might be neighbors! I'm in N Raleigh.

Are you the original owner? Do you know by chance what brand window these are? Extent of rot and brand of windows will tell you more about feasibility of repair.

Could sash replacement kits work? If the jambs are square and solid sash replacement kits typically cost less than full replacement and are less destructive. Would be a good option especially if you want to break the project into phases,

@tozmo1 Yes, we are in North Raleigh. And no joke, everything is $$$!

@millworkman We are not the original owners. Purchased it from the original owners late last year. We think the windows may be M&W.

" We think the windows may be M&W. "

Get replacement windows and do not even bother thinking about repair. Unfortunately M&W were barley builder grade when brand new and certainly not a window worth spending money on rebuilding.

"Interesting the number of folks recommending restoration of windows from the 90's with ZERO mention of cost, availability of tradesman, warranty, longevity, or the ease of these process."

Yes, this. I looked at restoration, and it was not worth it, and it was clear that I would not be improving much for the amount of money I'd need to spend for "restoration".

My home had wood-clad windows which I replaced entirely with wood-clad. For several reasons...I looked at Okna windows, and while I liked them, they do not look like wood windows - they look like excellent vinyl windows; I didn't think they'd go with my home. Second, my neighborhood's HOA insists on wood-clad windows for everyone, and no amount of petitioning them for Okna vinyl would convince them. This HOA is actually not a real demanding one as HOA's go, but on this point, they would not budge.

Third, I was able to afford wood-clad (Marvin) windows only due to what some of the comments here already mentioned - I did room by room at a time, replacing the worst ones first. It took several years. There were a few windows that I felt that if I just gave a gentle push, they'd fall out of the wall, they were that rotted. Those were on the ground floor facing north, got the worst of the weather and temperature swings, and so those were replaced first. I recommend this strategy of checking which windows are worst, and doing a few at a time, as a way to afford replacing your home's windows.

As an aside, I chose Marvins because that is what my contractor uses, and I had used this contractor on a previous home and wanted to work with him again. I also liked the Andersen brand, and if my contractor had used those, I would have been happy with Andersens as well. This same contractor just did my neighbor's windows, and has added Kolbe to the windows he carries in addition to Marvin. However, my neighbor said the lead time was insane on the Kolbes, and thought Marvins would also have a long lead time, but not as bad as Kolbe.

M&W are not worth repairing and definitely don't waste money on sash kits with that window either. Flawed construction and the sills will have rot in them as well. Being a brick veneer home, the likelihood of interior rot with failing windows (as these type fail) is slight. Sash kits, while great on glass impact, don't address sill rot and other Achilles longevity issues.

I probably have to agree now that we now know more. I still would look at sash kits but probably not feasible- everything is probably low end finger joint...

https://www.andersenwindows.com/windows-and-doors/materials/composite-windows-doors/