HISTORIC
WOOD
WINDOWS
Repair vs. Replace

Windows Need Work?
The Dilemma: Repair vs. Replace
Assess overall condition

 Painted shut
 Weights dropped
 Ropes frayed/ stuck
 Broken glass
 Glazing chipped, broken
 Sash or frame rotted/ termite
damaged

Historic Wood Windows vs. Modern
Replacement Windows: The Issues
Aesthetics/ Historic Integrity

Longevity/ Maintenance

Energy Savings

Environment

Economics


Historic Wood Windows: Aesthetics
Appropriate for home style

Retain historic integrity/

original fabric of your home
Custom shapes and styles

difficult/expensive to replace
Appropriate historic profile

“Historic wood windows are
an important part of what
gives your older building
its character.”

Replacement Windows: Aesthetics
Style/ configuration/ shape/ size

Inaccurate historic profile (muntins,

frame)
Inappropriate installation details

(sills, mullions, casings)
Bright white….


Historic Wood Windows: Longevity
Your wood windows already have a 75+year

track record of service
Infinitely repairable with standard tools

Made of old growth lumber

“If your wood windows are 60
years old or older, chances are that
the wood they are made of is old
growth—dense and durable wood
that is now scarce. Even high-
quality new wood windows, except
for mahogany, won’t last as long as
historic wood windows.”

Replacement Windows: Longevity
Replacement wood windows

Poor quality of wood rots in Florida’s climate

Vinyl , metal, metal clad

Generally a 20 year max. life for

replacement windows
Not repairable (No Maintenance=Can’t be

Maintained)
Springs give way, seals break, glass clouds

Replacement windows are called “replacement”

for a reason. Manufacturers often offer lifetime
warrantees for their windows. What they don’t
make clear is that 30% of the time, a
replacement window will be replaced within 10
years.

Historic Wood Windows vs. Replacement
Windows: Energy Savings
Studies have demonstrated that a historic wood

window, properly maintained, weather-stripped and with a
storm window, can be just as energy efficient as a new
window
Windows contribute only 10-12% of overall infiltration to the

building envelope. Much more infiltration occurs at roof
eaves, foundations and even through wall receptacles, dryer
and plumbing vents and fireplaces.
According to studies, it can take 240 years to recoup enough

money in energy savings to pay back the cost of installing
replacement windows
Opening your windows during temperate months in Florida

(and turning off your AC) provides better energy savings
More cost effective energy savings ideas include

awnings, shutters, window treatments… plus
insulation, caulk/seal, solar attic fans…

Historic Wood Windows:
Environmental Issues
Embodied energy=energy to produce existing

windows
Lead concerns with rehab of wood windows


Replacement Windows:
Environmental Issues
Energy required to construct new windows

Replacement windows that contain vinyl or PVC

are toxic to produce and create toxic by-products
Each year, Americans demolish 200,000

buildings. That is 124 million tons of debris, or
enough waste to construct a wall 30 feet high
and 30 feet thick around the entire U.S.
coastline. Every window that goes into the dump
is adding to this problem.
Aluminum, vinyl and glass are among the

greediest materials in terms of energy
consumption and resource depletion

Historic Wood Windows: Economics
Cost to replace vs.

repair
Life cycle cost

 Maintenance vs.
future replacement
Return on

investment
 Energy
 Resale value of home

Presentation prepared by: