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I'm hoping to get some advice from some seasoned homeowners. We've been gathering estimates for replacement windows for a mid-century modern house and are surprised how expensive the estimates have been. We want to keep the aesthetics of the house as close to its original as we can, which means we have to look at something like Marvin's Ultimate line—wood with aluminum cladding exterior, wood interior. We knew they would be pricey, but we just didn't know how pricey. We have 25 windows varying in size with the largest being approximately 8 feet x 6 feet. We priced out some Marvin Ultimates and it came in at $76,000 to upgrade the entire house. I had figured on it being more like $30-40k, so $76k is certainly sticker shock.
My thoughts are we would probably never get this money back if we sold the house at some point. However, we looked at some less expensive alternatives but they just didn't seem to match the style of the house very well.
As for the comfort level of the house, it's been very pleasant as we've gotten into December in the northeast. We heat with gas and will be getting our next bill very soon so that will be a better gauge, but the house hasn't felt cold.
So what would you do? Is it absolutely insane to spend that much on windows, even if we spread it out over a few years? Or do we put that money into other projects (bathroom renovation, exterior stain, landscaping, etc)?
Our current thought is we will replace 4 or 5 standard size windows now, which would be around $10k. That would ensure the bedrooms are taken care of and it would give us a chance to really experience how these windows would look with the rest of the house and the larger windows. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
That is really high. I had around 15 and four skylights - don't remember exact price (was remodeling house), but I am guessing more in the $10k-$15k range - dual pane - very nice.
I'm hoping to get some advice from some seasoned homeowners. We've been gathering estimates for replacement windows for a mid-century modern house and are surprised how expensive the estimates have been. We have 25 windows varying in size with the largest being approximately 8 feet x 6 feet. We priced out some Marvin Ultimates and it came in at $76,000 to upgrade the entire house. I had figured on it being more like $30-40k, so $76k is certainly sticker shock.
Why do you want to replace the windows? Are they no longer functional (such as fogging, steamed up, not structurally sound)? It's one thing to replace components that are actively failing (you'd have to do it no matter what, especially if you ever plan to sell it) and another to "update" them to possibly improve energy efficiency or for aesthetics. Do you have to replace all of them?
FWIW, I just replaced half the double pane argon gas sealed windows in my house. The seals on the west-facing views that got the greatest temperature fluctuations and sun had failed so they were fogged and/or steaming up. An obvious noticeable problem in the main living area of the house. Before getting into all this I checked every window in the entire house over time and found that most of the windows in the bedrooms and back of the house that didn't get that exposure had not failed. Didn't replace those and saved a lot of $$.
Last edited by Parnassia; 12-17-2018 at 10:47 PM..
Are they double pane glass? And do the windows open and close ok? If yes to both, look into just replacing the glass panels (keeping the existing frames). Much cheaper and you won't be changing the style of the windows at all.
Replacement Windows: Are They Worth It?....Only you can evaluate your situation. In my case yes, I have about 500 standard size panes in need of re-glazing in some 40 odd windows...no way I'd want to tackle that job. And, with a period house, I too am concerned with aesthetics as well as efficiency....the original 1940's windows were top of the line for their era....but I have to look at the practical side of keeping vs replacing.
Thanks for the responses. Some additional info based on your questions:
• The windows I have now are original to the house (1966), all single pane, and a mix of large picture windows and aluminum sliders. They fog up a little in the cold mornings (no permanent cloudiness though).
• I think we could get the price down a little by not replacing things like the transoms (those were quoted at $10k).
• I actually like the original look, but in some cases, especially with the aluminum sliders, the windows do look a bit rough. They definitely look like they are part of the style of the house (big unobstructed windows with very little frame showing), but some of them do look a little tired (especially those aluminum sliders). In several cases the latch handles are broken on the sliders. They all close and lock but the handle broke off on several of them. The screens are a mess on most of them (little holes or just bent out of shape).
• Part of the high estimate is we have several very large picture windows that have aluminum sliders underneath them. They way they were built back in the '60s was basically framing off the windows with 2x4s, so we have very large windows resting in a groove at the edge of a 2x4. There's no way that setup could support double pane. So that whole thing (picture window and sliders underneath) would have to come out as all one unit and be replaced with a double pane picture window with awning windows underneath (these would replace the old gliders).
After lumber, windows are the second-largest expense on a house, so it makes sense that they would be expensive to replace.
Given that you have a mid-century house, where windows are the feature, you are going to have to invest more than you would on a tract home. It's almost like getting a custom job done.
I look at new windows favorably as a buyer. To me, it's as valuable as a brand-new HVAC unit because they really do improve energy efficiency in the home. But you really should get more estimates and look at other options, especially if you have walls of windows.
I had a friend who was remodeling a mid-century home, and she chose not to replace all the windows strictly because of cost. I remember her sharing one number that it was about $35 per sq. foot on the glass, frames and installation, but she had those floor-to-ceiling windows.
After lumber, windows are the second-largest expense on a house, so it makes sense that they would be expensive to replace.
Given that you have a mid-century house, where windows are the feature, you are going to have to invest more than you would on a tract home. It's almost like getting a custom job done.
I look at new windows favorably as a buyer. To me, it's as valuable as a brand-new HVAC unit because they really do improve energy efficiency in the home. But you really should get more estimates and look at other options, especially if you have walls of windows.
I had a friend who was remodeling a mid-century home, and she chose not to replace all the windows strictly because of cost. I remember her sharing one number that it was about $35 per sq. foot on the glass, frames and installation, but she had those floor-to-ceiling windows.
That's where I'm torn. I know it would be a really nice upgrade, but that kind of money would cover a lot of other projects associated with the house (renovating bathroom, re-staining the exterior, landscaping, etc.).
One thought we had was to replace a few of the sliders in the bedrooms. Those are cheaper to do than the large picture windows and would enhance the comfort and aesthetics of the bedrooms. It would still be around $9-10k to have those 4-5 windows done but it might be a good way to start improving the window situation without trying to go all-in. Then we would just spread out the replacements and do a few each year.
One thought we had was to replace a few of the sliders in the bedrooms. Those are cheaper to do than the large picture windows and would enhance the comfort and aesthetics of the bedrooms. It would still be around $9-10k to have those 4-5 windows done but it might be a good way to start improving the window situation without trying to go all-in. Then we would just spread out the replacements and do a few each year.
Unless the replacement windows look very similar to the originals, your house will look odd with a mixture of window-types. If you decide to go this route, I would suggest changing out all of the windows on a single side of the house at the same time, so that it's not immediately apparent that the house's windows come from different eras.
Our house came with single-pane windows and we had them replaced with double-pane ones. I could feel the difference in comfort, as the new windows helped retain the heat better and eliminated drafts.
Unless the replacement windows look very similar to the originals, your house will look odd with a mixture of window-types. If you decide to go this route, I would suggest changing out all of the windows on a single side of the house at the same time, so that it's not immediately apparent that the house's windows come from different eras.
Our house came with single-pane windows and we had them replaced with double-pane ones. I could feel the difference in comfort, as the new windows helped retain the heat better and eliminated drafts.
The sliders would all run along one side of the house—so that side would be all new windows. That was another reason we thought it might make sense to do those first (they would be the cheapest and all match on one side of the house).
Does $9,200 for 4 slider windows sound outrageously expensive (even for Marvin Ultimates)?
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