Hello Which do you prefer? 1. Replacement Windows - Quick and easy - Window Company approx $400 - $500 each 2. New Construction Windows - Anderson Windows approx $250 each from Home Depot My neighbor gave me a replacement window a few years ago that would fit one of my opennings exactly, so I popped it in. Easy to do, we just took out the upper and lower window and side track. Then we put insulation on the top and bottom of the new repplacement window and sqeezed it in. All done and vinly inside and out. Currently I am replacing a few windows that I have not done so far. It takes time so I have been doing them as I can over the years. The full length outside screen is a nice feature. No more trying to change the screen with storm windows! I decided to go with the new construction windows and foam seal the area between the window and the studs in the wall. The worst part about the old windows is the drafty area around the window between the window and the studs. The new replacement windows do not even fix that area! The bonus with new construction windows is the new inside and outside window casing but more work to install. Also I do have outside paint and extra shingles because many of them do not fit exactly. That is the trick part but can be worth it! Pic 1 - old drafty window inside Pic 2 - old drafty window outside Pic 3 - old drafty window minus casing. See uninsulated space between window and wall studs Pic 4 - old window shows basement paint colors over the years. 60's Aqua Pic 5 - New Anderson 400 series in box1 Pic 6 - New Anderson400 series in box2 Pic 7 - New Anderson400 series in box3 Pic 8 - New Anderson400 series inside with valance
Few more pics Pic 9 - New Anderson400 series inside with valance and blinds Pic 10 - New Anderson400 series outside with new plastic shutters Pic 11 - New Anderson400 series inside with wood sill Pic 12 - New Anderson400 series outside with shingles and with shutters
Nice Don. So, you got new construction with the flanges? I plan to do this in my stove room ASAP. There's usually about 1/2" on either side between jambs and studwork that needs to be insulated. I think manufacturers suggest not using the foam, but I use the window and door low expanding stuff.
I just replaced a window in my kitchen with a Pella fiberglass window. Popped out the old window, throw the new one in there, couple shims, 4 screws, and some low expansion foam and it was done. Super easy and looks great.
I changed all of mine when I resided the house 4-5yrs ago. All Pella double hung solid vinyl with the grate between the glass. If you go a size smaller with the flanged nailer and fir the opening with 2x4 and 1x4 you can use wider interior trim and case the outside with the solid vinyl 1x4
I'm not a fan of white vinyl so I'd go with new windows even though all the finish work. I did put some (off the shelf vinyl replacements ) in a kitchen once. Quick, easy,warm, done in an afternoon. But white windows with blue trim took a bit of getting used to.
yes they do have the flanges. Helps keep the water out but makes then harder to install. No pain No gain! LOL I am using foam also, it works the best!
I have an older house with lots of original trim inside. I used Harvey replacements where I wanted to do minimal disturbance to the woodwork. I used Andersen 400's on gutted rooms to replace the old wood double sash windows. Both types had there uses. Andersen did not have the Renewal line out at the time. All interior visible sashes are wood and outside are clad. The key was to properly seal/insulate in the old window pockets and around the perimeter of the new windows. Having the new construction windows perfectly square in the rough opening was another priority.
Yes, replacement winows are good and strong too, but only in white vinyl. This is why it is taking a few years to do mine, the hardest one was in the kitchen where I got a smaller window and moved it to the right so I could cut an Air Conditioner in the wall! Now I still have the window and an AC unit in the summer Works much better but a tough install initially counting the home run to the fuse box. However I can turn the microwave and the AC on at the same time now! LOL
I did my house with Marvin tilt packs when we bought it, about 18 years ago. Basically a kit with the two window halves and 2 side tracks to rebuild a double hung within the old dbl hung frame. They are pretty good. Some don't close up as tight as I'd like. Full replacements definitely would have been better but I have cedar shake siding and I didn't want to start messing with that. The low e glass is amazing. Big difference right there.
Marvin Tilt Packs seem like a good way to go if the sills and frames are in real good shape. My sills are rough but much worse are the storm windows. Are the tilt packs double pane? Do you still need the storm windows?
Double pane, low e argon, yes. Storms yes or no. I took the triple track storms off and put up full sized screens. The screens wound up being pretty expensive. You will have some air leakage with the tilt packs, it's the nature of them. They can't be as tight as new construction. If I did again I would keep the storms because mine were in pretty good shape. If you get windy below zero nights for weeks at a time you want storms. If negative temps happen only once every few years you can get by without. You do need solid sills and frames. Poke every single one of them with an ice pick before hand. I did 21 of and on the 21st the sill fell right apart. I wound up milling parts with my table saw to rebuild it.
Whatever fits best and fits your wallet. Even consider having them done. Whatever you do, you want no maintenance and air tight. My windows are Anderson thermo pane, even then I added their storm windows. No climbing on a ladder for me. Shopping around can save a lot of money. I had a local company give me a price half of what HD wanted for a job when I had the house resided. They did a really good job and I got a lot more for the money.
These windows do not fit so we have to make them fit! However The Marvin Tilt Packs which are a good idea, do not address my warn sills. The replacement windows custom made for the old window frames are a perfect fit but do not address the problem of air leaks between the window frame and wall studs! These Anderson 400 series are very well built. Vinyl Clad Dual Pane Wood Frame Low E Glazing with Argon Gas. Do you know what these specs mean on the window sticker? Are they good? To qualify for a tax credit, the U-Factor must be 0.30 or lower! ! ! Or To qualify for a tax credit, the SHGC must be 0.30 or lower! ! ! This may help us? http://www2.buildinggreen.com/blogs/how-read-those-darn-window-performance-stickers U-Factor as opposed to R value? R-value measures resistance to heat flow; U-factor is the mathematical inverse (1 divided by R-value gives you U-factor), and measures the rate of that heat flow. In a cold climate a good U-factor for a window is between 0.17 and 0.39. (That's between R-6 and R-2.5) Lower is better with U-factor--the opposite of R-value Window sticker U-Factor 0.29 J.S.(I-P)= 3.45 R-Value In cold climates on south-facing walls, a higher solar-heat-gain number is better--this supports "passive solar" heating. In this situation, an SHGC value of 0.42 to 0.63 is desirable, and higher is better. (In hot climates, look for values as low as 0.25.) Solar heat gain coefficient 0.31 -- over .30 is better for NE Visible Transmittance 0.54 Summary Older single Pane windows are approx R-1 According to DOE: "Common ENERGY STAR windows only have an R-value of 3 The "30/30" rule is common: U-factors of under 0.30 (which is good) are often paired with SHGC's of under 0.30. That's a good target for the South. For colder climates, I would propose for discussion a "30/40" rule. See pics below Click to Enarge
Hello Glass coatings are very important to pull the R-Value up. Here are some more comparison figures. Clear double pane U-Factor of 0.48 = R2.08 Clear triple pane U-Factor of 0.37 = R2.70
