I know that Karen has done extensive remodeling of her home. I wonder if she, or anyone else, has had experience with replacement windows? We just had all of our exterior doors replaced this past week. Both entry doors and storm doors. We got the doors at Lowes and Home Depot and had them installed by a local remodeler. He did a beautiful job. He is a perfectionist. We also bought high-end doors because we probably won't ever be doing them again in our lifetime. It is also a wonderful energy saver.

I told Drew that I want to replace some windows next Spring with the new vinyl ones. I have eleven windows, so I can only afford to do a few at a time. The one over my kitchen sink, I have no choice. It has a crack in it. I see ads all the time for replacement windows. However, my contractor says that I am better off replacing the whole window frame, etc. That is done from the outside of the house, as opposed to a "replacement window" that is just the sash and window glass, and is replaced from the inside. I didn't know that there was a difference.

The advantage to replacing the whole thing is that, if there is any rotted wood behind the frame, you will see it and can replace it. However, I have vinyl siding with nice window trim and all of that would have to come off. The "replacement windows" are replaced from the inside, using the original frame, so the exterior of the house is not disturbed.

I am torn. I get the feeling that Drew doesn't approve of the "easy way out" because he certainly proved that he is perfectionist with the way he and his brother did my doors. And I don't think that price is his motivation because his fee was not bad at all for all he did with the doors.

DH and I are sixty. I don't know how many years we will live in this house. We have been in the house for thirty three years with the exisiting windows. Do we really need to get that fancy?

I would appreciate any input and info. Thanks.

By Colette on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 06:36 am:

Hi Hol, I found this link for you

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/windows/msg0722181129684.html


sorry, I don't know how to make it clickable.

By Karen~admin on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 06:59 am:

Had hand surgery yesterday, can't really type, used Window World, 11 windows, dbl pane/dbl hung w/energy eff. gas btween panes, every one same $ no matter size, cut energy bill in 1/2, paid for themselves 1st yr.

By Ilovetom on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 08:11 am:

Oh goody Karen. You know we had a fire 6 months ago- just moved back in and we have those!

Can't wait to see our power bill. LOL.

By Yjja123 on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 02:14 pm:

We installed impact windows ourselves. They went in from the outside. They were not difficult to install, just time consuming.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 02:44 pm:

We've had all of our windows replaced. We have a brick house, so couldn't do any disturbing of stuff that was already there. When doing the upstairs windows in 2001, they replaced Sarah's rotten window sill and noticed a carpenter ant. We called in an exterminator, and nipped that in the bud. I'm glad we had the ones that were installed from the outside. Then, a few years later, we had the downstairs windows done. I love not having to put up screens and storms. I love that we are energy efficient. Our windows are like Karen's with the gas inside and stuff like that. We have 2 big windows in our living room, with one window that has 2 smaller dbl hung windows on either side. The big windows were more expensive, but the double-hungs were all pretty reasonable. He even honored the original estimate, even though we didn't finish the job, until a few years later. We had a window/siding/gutter place do our windows both times. They are busy. I often see their truck outside people's homes.

I don't know if we've really ever seen the savings on the gas bill. We replaced the furnace 10 years ago and the windows as we could afford them, but energy costs just keep going up. I'm sure we are saving money compared to the old windows and the old 1956 "Gas-mizer" furnace that we used to have. (Really was the brand name on it!)

By Hol on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 09:53 pm:

Thanks, all. Dawn, we had a black ant infestation, too. That's what started the whole "replace the doors" thing. Our front door got so it wouldn't close right, so we couldn't lock it. There was a gap at the top on one side. DH pulled the kick plate away and discovered the wood was all rotted, so the threshold was not level. We had nice solid wood doors and aluminum and fiberglass storm doors. When we called Drew, our remodeler, he came over in the evening. He said that it was a black ant infestation. He suggested that we replace the whole door and frame because they come all in one now. He told us to go pick out what we wnated. He suggested fiberglass since he said that steel doors build up condensation from the inside and rust out.

So, off I went to Home Depot to find a door. The array of doors was so confusing, I got fed up and left. There was just too much. I didn't feel well that day, and was in no mood to make a decision. I went on line to Home Depot and Lowe's to research them more carefully. I picked a nice door. I got one with the glass oval in it. I have always loved those. DH wanted the one with the "fan" at the top, but I love Victorian looking things. Well, then, you can't put a crappy old storm door over a new, pretty door, so I picked out a full glass one to show off my "oval".

Well, then, the new front doors would make the back doors look crappy, so I picked out a new back door. I got the one with the nine small panes of glass. It gives me a lot more light in my back hall. Then, I picked a nice new storm door with the self storing screen. By the time I was done, I spent about $1100.00 on doors. Then we paid to have them installed.

I would like to replace the windows, starting next Spring, a few at a time, as we can afford them. I'm glad to know that they are affordable.

BTW, when Drew pulled off all of our rotted wood, the ants came parading out. DH emptied a can of ant spray into their holes. Then, we dumped a half cannister of ant powder into the sills of both doors before the new wood was put on.

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, October 16, 2008 - 12:01 am:

Yuck. If we hadn't replaced those upstairs windows, we'd have never known about the single ant. There was a nest out in the yard, and we think this one ant was scouting out a new location. Carpenter ants are HUGE!