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I replaced my old aluminum windows with vinyl double pane windows from Window World (made by Alside in NC), it's been about two years and so far so good. My biggest reason for replacing the old ones is that they sweat really badly during cold weather, not a problem with the new ones.
I replaced the single-pane aluminum windows in my home with vinyl dual-panes primarily for increased security (you're not gonna break out a double-pane window without losing some blood) & also for noise control (the difference in noise inside the home is massive). Energy savings is actually low on my list, that said, the windows I pulled out were drafty, had bad screens & didn't operate well. And it didn't cost anywhere near $15,000 - more like $2k for pella windows on sale at lowes.
Not every home has 1930's "old growth" wood frames, nor is every home in a historical neighborhood. And most dual-pane windows last a very long time, and come with a warranty. Will my windows last 50 years? I don't know or really care, at the price I paid, I can pull them out & replace them if they don't- it only takes a couple hours per window & costs a couple hundred bucks. Not worth getting excited over.
Funny, I actually put the storm windows on for noise control too (I'm just off a highway and near a service station that likes their air tools), and while I custom built mine to maintain the historic look I did use double-strength glass with a Low-E film ~ I'd put my windows up against yours for security Any day of the week. If you live in a stick-built house, the Walls are your weak point for entry. In my brick house, my full-glass doors, of which I have 6 into the house, are the weak point. Anyway, noise issue resolved, window security increased, energy efficiency increased. I spent about $6k doing custom storm windows on my 26 frames. Fro $2k you must only have about 10 windows?
My original windows Also don't operate well, morons have been painting over them and not doing Any kind of preventative maintenance for decades. It takes me about 4 hours to get one perfectly functional again, and less than $5 in materials (glaze, sash cord, paint, etc...) I know, my time, but I enjoy doing this stuff.
This may seem like a slight deviation but bear with me. Do you have kids? Do you think about their future? Do you want to do everything possible to give them the Best future possible? Then why are you generating more trash to be thrown "Away" (where is "Away" anyway)?
I'm not saying there's only one way to skin a cat here and not to buy double/triple pane windows, just that there's more to it than "M'eh, I could care less if I have to rip them out and replace them". Depending on where you live in this world, there's already a trash crisis... in 50 years it probably Won't matter where you live, there will be a trash crisis. Why add to that?
Vinyl windows are basically set up for failure from day one. Vinyl expands and contracts a fair amount and at a very different rate than glass. This means eventually they lose their seal, amongst other problems. I've said for years a single pane window with good weather stripping and a good storm window are a better option. They'll last a lifetime at least and glass replacement is simple.
Personally, I hate wood windows. My first house had them and every one of them needed reglazing and painting. It was a tedious job that I never plan to do again.
I grew up in a house with single-pane windows. They were eventually ripped out and replaced with double-pane uPVC windows. It made a significant difference in terms of heat retention and noise cancellation. All modern houses here have double-pane windows.
My house is 14 years old and the double pane windows are still clear and moisture free.
I have two different brands of double-pane windows in my house (built in 1992). One brand still works like new, the other brand (think of Georgia peaches) is crap, nearly all of them have gone loose, lock systems broken and fog in between the panes.
The brand you choose makes a difference, some are good, some are crap.
My house was built in 1993 and nearly every window has lost its seal. I don't feel like dropping 20k on windows though since my power and gas bills are fine, so we just live with the annoyance. In my case, it's because they are garbage builder-grade windows. Nearly all of my windows are leaking.
A house across the street chose the upgraded windows when they had the house built (also in 93) and all 30+ of them are still fine.
I think the O.P is beating on a straw-man. I replaced the single-pane aluminum windows in my home with vinyl dual-panes primarily for increased security (you're not gonna break out a double-pane window without losing some blood) & also for noise control (the difference in noise inside the home is massive). Energy savings is actually low on my list, that said, the windows I pulled out were drafty, had bad screens & didn't operate well. And it didn't cost anywhere near $15,000 - more like $2k for pella windows on sale at lowes.
Not every home has 1930's "old growth" wood frames, nor is every home in a historical neighborhood. And most dual-pane windows last a very long time, and come with a warranty. Will my windows last 50 years? I don't know or really care, at the price I paid, I can pull them out & replace them if they don't- it only takes a couple hours per window & costs a couple hundred bucks. Not worth getting excited over.
My parents are in the process of replacing windows. The original were wood and single pane and done quite poorly. They replaced some a few years ago. Those double pane windows are holding up ok but aren't great. Still no major issues beyond difficult to open sometimes and definitely an improvement over the old ones. They just replaced some more last spring with a different brand (and a different contractor instead of whoever Home Depot gave us). These are really nice. I can open them with one finger and I could tell a huge difference in keeping the house cool over summer. It used to be a struggle keeping the downstairs cool with the A/C set on 76 but last summer I worked from home and kept it nice and cool at 78. And like you, it isn't costing close to 15K.
My house was built in 1993 and nearly every window has lost its seal. I don't feel like dropping 20k on windows though since my power and gas bills are fine, so we just live with the annoyance. In my case, it's because they are garbage builder-grade windows. Nearly all of my windows are leaking.
A house across the street chose the upgraded windows when they had the house built (also in 93) and all 30+ of them are still fine.
So I agree with Zymer- it's all about the brand.
That's when our house was built. Typical rushed construction when Atlanta was booming. We moved in back in 98 and my bedroom window would whistle every time the wind blew a certain direction. The house wasn't even 15 years old and there were already rot issues with the wood around the front windows. Paint was all chipped as well. Really just a mess.
I think the O.P is beating on a straw-man. I replaced the single-pane aluminum windows in my home with vinyl dual-panes primarily for increased security (you're not gonna break out a double-pane window without losing some blood) & also for noise control (the difference in noise inside the home is massive). Energy savings is actually low on my list, that said, the windows I pulled out were drafty, had bad screens & didn't operate well. And it didn't cost anywhere near $15,000 - more like $2k for pella windows on sale at lowes.
Not every home has 1930's "old growth" wood frames, nor is every home in a historical neighborhood. And most dual-pane windows last a very long time, and come with a warranty. Will my windows last 50 years? I don't know or really care, at the price I paid, I can pull them out & replace them if they don't- it only takes a couple hours per window & costs a couple hundred bucks. Not worth getting excited over.
You're right and so is Shamrock4. Kudos for preserving those old windows. We still have our 1911 windows with storm windows and we are making interior storm windows for about half of what we can buy them for. They also look like they're just part of the window and were meant to be there.
You're right as well Zippyman. We replaced really bad 1960's windows in a rental with tilt in vinyl about 5 years ago. The house will be sold in the near future so we don't have to worry about replacing them again.
I just hate it when old growth historic windows are removed and replaced by vinyl. Those panes of wavy glass can cost well over $100 to replace. I know I broke one . We were lucky and John found an antique window in the trash, yet another historic home turned into a modern nightmare. This is part of why we're having such a hard time finding our dream home in Maine. Finding that Victorian that is all original with unpainted wood work is difficult if not impossible. Leave those old windows with the beautiful wavy glass alone.
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. We were lucky and John found an antique window in the trash, yet another historic home turned into a modern nightmare. This is part of why we're having such a hard time finding our dream home in Maine. Finding that Victorian that is all original with unpainted wood work is difficult if not impossible. Leave those old windows with the beautiful wavy glass alone.
