[MassHistPres] windows and stretch code

Thu Jul 3 11:09:51 EDT 2014

In Plymouth, which has stretch code, I recently replaced a failed aluminum slider and some 1970s Anderson casements.  In a way the  Andersons were a loss — real glass-edge Thermopane that will never fail and is not made any more — but they were visually jarring in a 19th C and 1930s shingled gambrel pond-side cottage — not to mention that the carpenter had installed them plumb in a cottage that was not!  I used a single glazed door with glazed wood storm door and single glazed DHs with Harvey TruChannels.  No objection from the building inspector — the same guy that made us put Sonotube footings under an 8” thick concrete porch slab that had been sitting flat and undisturbed on well drained compact sand for 60 years,  because I added a wood deck and a barn door like sliding wind wall.

Dennis De Witt

On Jul 3, 2014, at 10:25 AM, jdianeol at aol.com wrote:

> It isn't just lobbyists who have influenced this mind set of "new is better" with regards to windows & other  building components. Most contractors and a few too many architects are getting their product educations in continuing education seminars sanctioned by accrediting organizations but created and offered by product manufacturers. Homeowners are getting too much of their information from commercials first and then from commissioned salesmen and then contractors and occasionally architects. The only place I've run into the lobbyist issue for sure has been with the MassSave auditors who offer big loan discounts for homeowners to replace their single-glazed wood windows with double glazed replacements for "better efficiency". This is an issue that really needs to be addressed since these auditors are the primary "experts" so many people are turning to right now to upgrade their home energy efficiency.
> 
> I had no problem getting local permits though for replacing failed double-glazed cheap vinyl windows in my mid 18th Century colonial (National Disctrict contributing property) with good quality new single-glazed wooden TDLs with exterior storms under the new energy codes, at least in my town, and I did fear that it would be an issue here. 
> 
> Diane Oliver-Jensen, rla, LEED A.P.
> West Brookfield, MA
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: heartwood restoration <jade at heartwoodrestoration.com>
> To: Alison Hardy <ahardy at window-woman-ne.com>; 'Dennis De Witt' <djd184 at verizon.net>; 'MHC MHC listserve' <MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu>
> Sent: Thu, Jul 3, 2014 8:02 am
> Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] windows and stretch code
> 
> i hope the only thing that  does change is the recognition of houses built prior to 1950 as pre-existing non-comforming when it comes to replacing or significantly modifying historic components of a home...there is nothing 'green' or 'environmentally friendly' about replacing components that have stood the test of time with inferior products shipped half way across the country and which will likely need replacement by the time the next generation graduates high school...
>  
> respectfully caring for and undertaking energy efficiency upgrades in an old home should not be so difficult and frustrating for homeowners...my cynical self suggests lobbyists have a lot to do with the NEW IMPROVED EASY DISPOSABLE PLASTIC way of stewarding a house these days.......
>  
> thanks again for the feedback....
> ...jade
>  
> jade mortimer
> heartwood window restoration
> 26 forget road
> hawley, ma  01339
> 413-339-4298
> you can see right through our work.....
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Alison Hardy
> To: 'Dennis De Witt' ; 'MHC MHC listserve'
> Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2014 3:55 PM
> Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] windows and stretch code
> 
> Code applies if the renovation/addition requires a building permit.
> For historic home owners, understanding the ramifications of the stretch energy code is critical because most building inspectors only understand the prescriptive path and most builders will take the less “risky” path of just buying the specified products and putting them in.
> The performance path is considered riskier as the rating can only be done at the end for the whole renovation/addition. If the insulation was done badly, or the foundation leaks, or if a door was not installed properly then it’s possible the renovation in it’s entirety will not get an adequate HERS score.
>  
> Thankfully houses that are on the National or state register are exempt (and let us hope that rule does not change!). Many builders and building inspectors are also not aware of that exemption so it’s important that the homeowner knows.
>  
> I have been asked to salvage too many beautiful antique windows by homeowners tell me their builder told them they HAD to put in new windows when they remodeled or added on.
>  
> Alison Hardy
>  
> <image001.jpg>
>  
>                     58 Pulaski Street
>              Peabody, MA 01960
>                         978-532-2070
>  
> As seen on This Old House. Please visit our web site at
> www.window-woman-ne.com to see all episodes.
>  
>  
>  
> From: Dennis De Witt [mailto:djd184 at verizon.net] 
> Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2014 11:24 AM
> To: MHC MHC listserve
> Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] windows and stretch code
>  
> Does the code apply if she is not changing the window?  Can the code force her to replace an existing window?  I’d have    thought it would only apply to new work.
>  
> Dennis De Witt
>  
>  
> On Jul 1, 2014, at 5:56 PM, Jim Wald <jwald at hampshire.edu> wrote:
> 
> 
> As Ms. Hardy says, there are two paths.
> 
> Option 2, the "prescriptive path, or partial house option., is the more traditional, with, e.g., set Energy Star specs for new windows and doors, etc. etc.
> 
> But Option 1, the "performance path," based on the whole house, is based on the aggregate energy savings (using HERS, pegged to square footage). This is more flexible, and therefore, as Ms. Hardy says, better suited to historic structures. E.g. if you have older windows that are not super-energy-efficient, you can make up for that through efficiencies elsewhere, as long as the total comes out right.
> 
> See:
> 
> http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/doer/green-communities/grant-program/stretch-code-summary-jun20-2011.pdf
> 
> Here is general information on the stretch code and changes going into effect July 1:
> 
> http://www.mass.gov/eopss/consumer-prot-and-bus-lic/license-type/csl/stretch-energy-code-information.html
> 
> 
> Jim Wald
> Amherst Select Board
> liaison to Historical Commission
> past chair, Historical Commission
> 
> On 01/07/2014 14:07, Alison Hardy wrote:
> There are two ways a renovation or an addition can meet the requirements of the Stretch energy code:
> 1.       Buy rated products and install them according to directions.
> 2.       Have an energy audit and produce a HERS score for the entire addition.
>  
> Obviously if the homeowner wants to restore they are not going with option one but can go with option two. Some inspectors are OK with it, others only seem to know about option 1 so there may be some educating. There are many energy auditors who can produce a HERS rating score.
>  
> Alison Hardy
> Window Woman of New England
>  
> From: heartwood restoration [mailto:jade at heartwoodrestoration.com] 
> Sent: Monday, June 30, 2014 7:33 AM
> To: Mass ListServe
> Subject: [MassHistPres] windows and stretch code
>  
> greetings all......
> i have had a call from a homeowner in belmont concerning windows and the stretch code...as i am not familiar with all the particulars, i turn to the informed folks on this list serve...
>  
> the homeowner is converting a once unfinished (uninsulated, unheated) room in her house to a heated living space...the home is not on the registry and is not in an historic district...she would like to restore the existing window sash and install new storm windows...my understanding is that the stretch code is adopted by each town/city and the code may be slightly different from town to town depending on how the citizens/inspectors constructed the code...what should the homeowner know prior to applying for a permit for the conversion?  we all know that an old window with a new storm and weather stripping will offer the same U value as a new window but it can be an uphill battle convincing those who make the decisions...
>  
> thanks in advance....
> ...jade
>  
> jade mortimer
> heartwood window restoration
> 26 forget road
> hawley, ma  01339
> 413-339-4298
> you can see right through our work.....
> 
> 
> 
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