[MassHistPres] MassHistPres Digest, Vol 22, Issue 9

[Marc Cleary]

Hi Ryan,

Almost everyday I get phone calls from people asking if the old windows can
perform as well as the new windows.  If you ever need any help with a window
situation feel free to call me in the office and a lot can be determined
just from a phone call.  Our option along with many others is if a window is
restored (properly) and a quality storm window is added this window will out
perform and out last "brand name" windows  

This Old House had an interesting window survey put out comparing repairing
or replacing windows.  If you let me know I can email you the .pdf file.  
Peter McCarthy will do a window survey to tell you what can be done to the
windows and lay out in detail to allow the client to get what they want.
This is good sometimes to have a 3rd party give there opinion.

There are companies that will make historic replacement windows matching the
old window systems.  The cost for this historic replacement window can get
very pricey.  If you compare the cost of this historic window compared to
restoring a window (100+ years old) restoring the window will be many times
lower then the new window.

www.clearywindowrestoration.com

Regards, 
Marc Cleary
Cleary and Son, Inc.
Office 781-893-0723
marc at clearyandson.com
www.clearyandson.com


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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:54:09 -0500
From: rhayw12345 at aol.com
Subject: [MassHistPres] Wood Window Replacement
To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Message-ID: <8CA0A35F72F2CE1-358-18D4 at MBLK-M25.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

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