Replacing windows on older home?

[Cosmic]

It can be more involved than what most peeps say.

The numbers given are correct. Your typical house runs about $3000 on average for a decent quality window. The typical markup is 100%, so if they are contractor installed, figure $6000.

Also know the typical contractor is going to spend about 15 minutes per window tops on the installation. With some houses that is where the rub is. Some houses might require a far more extensive rebuild in the window area for the new window to be effective. Especially true in older houses that had weight pockets to operate the windows. They typically leak air around the window frames like a sieve. About the only way you really solve those problems is a pretty good tear down around the window itself. Also the only way to really get it well insulated and air tight, in some houses expect the window frames themselves to be dry rotted, many will be badly bowed. Your typical window contractor does not attempt of address any underlying problems. It is shoot more caulking, slap her together and NEXT. A lesson in how to use caulking as a structural material.

I replaced all the windows in the old shack I now have. Plaster walls and weight pockets in a house built in 1923. 14 windows costs at $2800 for a custom window to my specs. About what was expected, impossible to seal up the window areas without a complete tear down. Every window area had rotten plaster for about a foot around its perimeter. Those weight pocket areas act as areas of air / moisture interchange and over the years funny things happen. The plaster can go into about a sand like crumbled state. I probably wound up with something like 4 hours on average to replace each window, if you factored in the tear down / insulation time. Huge gaps between the old window frames that can only be really insulated by removing the interior trim. I like the window designs with a full U-Channel all the way around and insulate that as well and every crack, gap and cranny. Not all window designs are the same, some do not have a full channel. You want all the structural gaps filled and insulated, every air leak fixed. The best window replacement is done as part of a remodeling project that allows tearing into the walls.

To really get the most out of the replacement windows you want to measure them more carefully than most contractors will. I like to measure them very tight fit and then use a block plane to shave the vinyl edges for a perfect fit. You only get that type installation if you are willing to do it yourself. Very little caulking is required.

It is going to vary all over the place what will be required, depending on a particular house. In many houses they never look right with the old interior trim. That can also be a major expense if the trim must be replaced. Can be as much as the windows themselves, especially if natural high quality wood is required. They now use a vinyl type trim but in many houses that looks sort of cheesy. The things they never tell you up front. Again you can solve the problem yourself by using recycled wood. I liked to save old fir beams and those where resawn to get the materials to do first class natural wood window trim outs. You typically need woods free of knots. The more modern houses use a foam covered plastic trim, again can look horrible in older houses.

You actually get the best job doing all the work yourself. Even with something like a 1950's era house or one that used drywall, the original initial window installations were flawed. I probably can count on one hand all the new houses where I thought they did a good complete job installing windows. The insulation contractor never gives all the gaps the attention required.

If you do get a good installation, replacement windows can be super great. First you will notice the noise reduction, second is the difference in A/C and heating bills. Good windows designed to reflect and block out summer sun make a huge difference. Something like 30% or even as much as 50% in extreme cases. But just remember the quality of installation counts as much as the window quality.