[MassHistPres] Wood Window Replacement

[Susan Bragdon]

This has been a hot topic in Marblehead.  Homeowners are interested in the
"energy efficiency" and not preservation.  Most members in Marblehead feel
that the single pane true divided light window, depending on the year of the
house, is the appropriate replacement and preservation.  I understand that
Marvin makes a wood storm window that is energy efficient and we here think
this is the way to go.
--s

-----Original Message-----
From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu
[mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of rhayw12345 at aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 12:54 PM
To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: [MassHistPres] Wood Window Replacement


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
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