[MassHistPres] Fibrex/Renewal Windows

[slater at alum.rpi.edu]

>the best way to care for your home is to maintain your existing
windows, after
>all they have survived 50,100 or 150 years of weather and all manner of
>abuse...they are, in reality, irreplaceable....i agree that adding a
storm
>window will protect your primary window's exterior and offer a means of
better
>efficiency...
>
>no plastic window will ever hold a candle to an old mortise and tenon
wood
>window....

I agree, but at least in Springfield, we were fighting a losing battle,
and were losing substantial political support of the entire concept of
historic preservation over replacement windows. Virtually no one came to
bat for original windows, and most people's opinion was that they lived
in a historic house *despite* the windows.

We took the approach that people *can* replace their windows with
supposedly "energy efficient" windows, as long as the appearance of the
replacement window closely matched the original. We developed strict but
fair guidelines to achieve that:

http://www.springfieldcityhall.com/planning/fileadmin/Planning_files/Win
dow_replacement_guidelines-final1.pdf

Prior to our publishing the guidelines, every one of our meetings was a
heated discussion -- often accentuated by shouting and threats of people
moving -- over replacement windows. We were subjected to calls from city
councilors, letters to the editor decrying the "high cost of living in a
historic house where original windows had to be hand-crafted replicas",
etc.

Since we put the guidelines out, we get very few requests to replace
windows with cheap vinyl. Now that we have an achievable standard for
appropriateness, people do the right thing (mostly...)

Given that most people have ugly brushed aluminum triple-track storm
windows to begin with, in many cases, since the storms are now gone, the
houses look more appropriate than they did.

Personally, I don't buy the hype, and I am restoring my windows (which
are ornate) and installing Allied Storm Windows, which allow their
beauty to be easily seen since they are not triple-track and have a very
close profile.

It is very hard to combat the marketers. Every day I hear radio ads
about replacing windows, saving energy. It has become the "in" thing to
do when you buy a house. I have friends who replaced replacement windows
when they moved in. It is now an accepted belief that original windows
are a liability.

We had Home Depot representatives telling us that a homeowner would see
a 60-70% reduction in their heating bill if they put in vinyl windows. I
asked him if Home Depot would make up the difference if those savings
never materialized, and I've never seen someone do a better weasel
dance...

In order to turn the tide, preservationists need to combat the
marketing. Only then will people not want to replace their windows.

Ralph Slate
Springfield, MA

>
>please feel free to copy and handout the New England Window Restoration
>Alliance's 'Top Ten Reasons' put together by our own Alison Hardy of
Window
>Woman of New England...
>http://www.windowrestorationne.org/topten.pdf
>
>here's another good one: 
>http://www.restoreomaha.com/resources/WindowEnergyAnalysis.pdf
>
>argh, this is so funny (sad, really) and timely....i just got off the
phone with
>a woman whose next door neighbor is an anderson salesman...he quoted
her $17,000
>INSTALLED to replace 54 wood windows that are original to the
house..."don't
>worry about the old windows, we'll bring a dumpster and get them out of
your
>way"....he touted the benefits of this new FIBREX material!!! kudos to
her for 
>wanting to find a home for the windows rather than having them end up
in a
>landfill...
>
>call your friendly window restoration specialist today, you'll be happy
you
>did!!! historic commissions love us......
>
>.....jade
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Smiledge, Lynn W 
> To: MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu 
> Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 10:48 AM
> Subject: [MassHistPres] Fibrex/Renewal Windows
>
>
> Does anyone have experience with "Renewal" brand windows by Andersen?
They're
>made of a plastic polymer/wood fill material called Fibrex; the
salesperson
>claimed that the windows are gaining acceptance in historic districts.
They are
>paintable and available with divided lights. The warranty is only 20
years,
>which should concern homeowners.
>
> Lynn Smiledge, Historic Planner
> Dept. of Economic & Community Development
> City of Methuen
> 41 Pleasant Street, Suite 217
> Methuen, MA 01844
> (p) 978.983.8564
> (f) 978.983.8976
> Mon. through Thurs. 8:00 - 4:30 pm
>
>
>
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