[MassHistPres] Replacing wooden windows

[Heli Meltsner]

Ryan,
Contact Alison Hardy at Window Woman of NE. http://www.window-woman- 
ne.com/contactus.html She can make a through assessment of the  
problems and tackle only those that need fixing. She's careful and  
fast and knowledgeable. That's your best bet. Or try the people in  
Boston at http://www.windowrepair.com/replace.html also good.

A fine general source is the Cambridge Historical Commission's web  
page. It will tell you why your homeowner needs to keep her windows.

http://www.cambridgema.gov/~Historic/windowguide.html

Heli Meltsner

Good?Afternoon Everyone. I was wondering if you could offer any  
insight in the replacement of windows in historic districts? Let me  
explain the situation.

The Medford Historical Commission has a resident living within the  
Marm Simonds Historic District. She lives in one of the historic  
houses (The Charles Brooks House, 18th Century) and wants to remove  
the wooden windows and replace them with those which are more energy  
efficient. The windows, to our knowledge, are not original to the  
house. Some do date to the 19th century.

The owner originally proposed to us to remove all the wooden windows  
throughout and replace them with vinyl insert windows. The commission  
has expressed concern about two issues. The first, and more important  
issue, is how these windows change the appearance of the house. In my  
opinion they alter the visual impact of a house by reducing the size  
of the windows. The entire commission shares a similar interest in  
how it will alter the look of the house. The other issue is the life  
span of these windows. Vinyl windows are built to have an average  
life span of between 10? and 15 years. If we were to approve these  
windows, it would impact other decisions made within the entire  
district in the future (I.E. the you approved it in that house line).

We are currently researching alternatives to vinyl windows for  
replacement windows. The owner has expressed addition concerns about  
cost. She has mentioned refurbishment of these windows would be  
costly as the frames are warped and have settled in some locations  
leaving large gaps. She has not had a quote for restoring the  
existing windows.

I have thus far researched the archives of this list and found it is  
a well discussed topic. I have noticed that generally, windows which  
are restored or just have both sash's replaced and have a storm  
window will have just about the same energy efficiency as a normal  
vinyl replacement window, but will last many more years if properly  
maintained. I have few sources which provide any concrete proof to  
this and would hope that someone may be able to help.

With that said, I was wondering if you could provide me with any  
information you had on window replacement and related information.  
This information will be useful to us in making decisions down the  
road concerning this same topic.

Thank you!
Ryan D. Hayward
Medford Historical Commission