+13 votes
by (860 points)
Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day. I have another question for those of you who live in old homes. Did you keep your old windows or get vinyl? I know some people restore the old ones to keep the look of the home but I’ve also heard that there are ways to make vinyl look more natural. What are your thoughts?  
Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day.

12 Answers

+10 votes
by (390 points)
We got new windows but had to keep the street facing windows the same (wood) because we are considered in the historic district, but got vinyl for windows in the back of the house.  
+9 votes
by (2.1k points)
Please research the issue as you are doing before getting new windows. We had to get new windows for the upstairs because they were falling apart. These windows were not the original windows. The windows downstairs are original. If you treat them right or restore them they should last forever. New windows are not made that way and will have to be eventually replaced. The old wood windows are made out of solid wood and have grown and shaped with the house. If you do the math, it's hard to make the money back you spend on the new windows through energy efficiency, because sometimes the windows don't even last that long.  
by (2.1k points)
Also, I doubt you can ever find vinyl windows that look like the original windows. If you can, I would love to know cause I would get them for our upstairs!  
+10 votes
by (620 points)
This may be an unpopular opinion but I would not recommend replacing original wood windows with vinyl. There are lots of places who can get them working great again if they are stuck and you can get triple track storm windows to keep cold out. You’ll lose that gorgeous wavy glass look that comes with 100 year old windows and vinyl just isn’t as durable or efficient. I replaced 30+ windows in a gorgeous old OP house thinking I was “improving” it and it was such a mistake - and we spent a fortune on top quality windows - metal on outside/wood on inside. Just Sashes in the city is a great place that restores windows.  
by (210 points)
@terisateriyaki17 where do we get the storms?  
by (620 points)
@sisco0 I got mine in Maywood at Kramer Windows - they manufacture and install themselves - great prices -  
https://www.kramerwindow.com/
+5 votes
by (920 points)
We replaced original windows with new wooden windows. A very expensive choice, but they looked amazing
+11 votes
by (510 points)
We replaced all 70 windows in our House with triple tracks. They look great! Our heating bill dropped drastically and when the windows are open it is like air conditioning. One of the best decisions we have made!  
+3 votes
by (1.7k points)
Following! This thread is confusing though  What if we just bought a home with windows that don’t open and crazy high utility bills in the summer? Doesn’t that mean the house needs new windows?  
+6 votes
by (2k points)
I spent a ridiculous amount restoring our old windows, but finally broke down and bought new windows from Marvin. They are not vinyl, but wood. They look exactly like the originals, inside and out, (they used our original hardware) and we are very happy. Windows have come along way in terms of insulation , security and ease of use in the last 100 years.  
+4 votes
by (420 points)
We got new triple track storms for all and only replaced two windows that were very damaged. Rest of the windows were in good shape. We did replace all our basement windows with Marvin wood windows and they look great
+3 votes
by (610 points)
Kept the old. Added storms
+1 vote
by (560 points)
We have been gradually replacing with new ones.  
+2 votes
by (620 points)
If anyone needs help restoring the old windows or building new wood windows to match the old ones, this company is great - they will even use old wavy glass if you ask. My 1916 house had all the original windows except two, and they were able to match the originals exactly - very happy with their work.  
https://www.justsashes.com/
+8 votes
by (1k points)
We replace a few each year with Feldco. We are in the historic district and the village is not only ok with their vinyl windows, but the inspector told me he uses them as well. They are so fast, and they are “one and done”. meaning they will replace them for life. We typically use them when they are running their $1 installation sale, or the b1g1 sale.  
by (320 points)
@thundery4560 my contractor recommended Feldco as well. We are still waiting to have them installed but I'm excited! They are taking longer because of Covid.  
by (1k points)
@dessalines5 yes, but be sure to stay on them. Overall we have been super happy, but the last round they had forgotten to pay the village for the permit, and it held things up a bit. Easy fix, but took time because they didn’t know what the holdup was.  
by (320 points)
@thundery4560 good to know!  
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