Windows or Blown insulation?

The old farm house is going to get new windows or blown insulation this summer. Not going to have the money for both.
Which project will I get the most bang for my buck. I am kind of leaning towards new windows to cut down on the draft.

 

Are the windows themselves drafty, or are drafts coming from around the casing/trim?
More than likely (unless something's been updated), there's either none or pretty poorly done insulation between the rough opening and the window frame.
Even decent windows might be more than the insulation, so I'd suggest the insulation. Will this be walls, attic, or both? Cellulose or spray foam?
Seal first.

 

Blowing insulation in an attic hands down the best bang for your buck IMHO. Dirt cheap. Easy. Effective.
Windows would be one the last things on my list due to expense. If the wind is blowing through them, seal off the gaps.

 

"farm house" probably window weights 2-3 inch gap around all windows that won't be sealed by insulation. Insulation will be more bang for the buck. Attic will be the most bang, walls will be helpful, sealing the drafts will be the best results

 

I blew cellulose into the attic this past Nov and it's made a big difference. I did 1600sqft at roughly 15" deep for less than $1k. Look on CL or FB market place to see if anyone is selling left overs if you go the cellulose route. I made a nice score and saved a good amount by buying left overs.

Windows are on my list of things to address this year. House is 50 years old and the aluminum windows suck.

 

Yup. As said above, blowing insulation in attic is your best bang for your buck. In fact, the guy i bought my house from tracked utilities since 87 and had figured from before any of it, post attic insulation, post windows, with and without wood stove, and even a gas furnace update. Hands down winner was attic insulation. If you can hit a Home Depot, Menards, or small lumberyard, you can usually “use” their machine with insulation purchase. Typically pennies compared to windows.


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Yep......and, yep.

 

I could very well be coming around the casing. It is drafty and cold around the windows, but I can feel around and not really feel where it is coming from. I haven't researched much between cellulose or spray.

I don't know that attic insulation will get me big bucks or not. The house is 2 story with the door shut to the unheated 2nd story. If I could insulate between the first and second story I could see how that would help a lot.

I replaced the windows 8 to 10 years ago myself. I may have done it wrong. I didn't use any foam between the windows and the casing.
My grandson use to work for a insulating company. I will have to talk to him. Maybe get a free blowing machine if I buy enough insulation.

 

Insulation first would be my recommendation. I blew a little over a foot in my garage attic. HUGE difference !! Even though I can see light around the doors it cut down on the gas bill. (Yes I heat the garage with gas, shame on me)

 

Step 1 air sealing attic..
Step 2 air seal rest of house..
Step 3 blow as much as you can in attic

Wait for winter see what's leaking and reassess.

 

You can try what I did. Box in the window trim and apply the shrink window film. Did it to 9 out of 10 windows on my second floor and it has reduced the difference in temp between first and second floor.. Prob ran me $30 for the initial setup. Now $12-15 per year to reapply the film. Had to adjust the curtain hangars on the windows... the added frame is a bit unsightly but we’re not scheduled for a photo shoot on better homes and gardens ay time soon.. prob saves me .5 to .75 of a cord per year. here’s a pic. the windows are original double pane windows from 30 years ago.. you can see the 5/8”x 1 1/2” pieces used to box in the window frame..

 

If you have old loose leaky double hungs these indoor storms work fairly well.
If there's no insulation between the window and the frame then pull the trim off and use the low expanding foam.


I'd do wall and attic ceiling blown in first. There's a number of ways to make windows a little better.

 

I found that you can avoid burning through if you keep the hair dryer moving continuously. Don’t have to get the wrinkles out fast. Just need to get them out... In one of our old houses you could see the plastic bow in and out as the wind pushed right through our our original single pane windows.... Marshel54 what kind of attic access do you have? If pull down stairs, do you have something to block the flow of air up around the stairs? Often times a drafty attic access can can cause a chimney effect as relatively warmer air rises through the house and draws cold air in through gaps on the first or second floor..

 

Air sealing will make a huge difference!
Pull off the trim and seal the windows.
And blow insulation in the attic.

 

All excellent suggestions here.

I would like to add one more suggestion you may or may not be aware of. You're going o like this!

Out utility provider (elec/gas company) is affiliated with a program that rebates consumers for such improvements. Insulation, windows, doors, AC units, furnaces, water heaters, refrigerators..... you get the idea. Heck, even ceiling fans are included! Of course, there are requirements you have to fulfill-such as when insulating, you may have to add a certain thickness amount (R-value) and it has to be greater that a minimum square footage area-stuff like that. Windows would have to by energy start, blah blah.

Log on to your gas/elec provider and see what they have available for you!

 

yoops has a good point there.

also, are there any gov. tax rebates/incentives on that new stove?

 

As has been mentioned already, if you're going to blow insulation into the attic, make sure you seal it well first! My attic has blown in insulation, but they didnt seal the ceiling before hand, so I have a ton of heat loss up there according to the FLIR the engineer brought out when I put an insurance claim in for mold.