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Yes, absolutely. I live in a city with a ton of old freestanding houses that were built around 1900, and they're incredibly sturdy. You can see this all through

by NickM 8y ago

Yes, absolutely. I live in a city with a ton of old freestanding houses that were built around 1900, and they're incredibly sturdy. You can see this all throughout the construction: The frames are built from really thick wooden beams that can take a beating. I had a large tree fall on my house earlier this year, and the trunk bounced/slid off, doing only superficial damage to the roof and siding; I talked to multiple contractors and insurance people who said a newer house built using modern construction standards would've been flattened, or at least suffered serious structural damage. Things like windows are built to last too. The original wooden sash cord designs are still functioning 100+ years after they were built, with the exception of a couple windows that needed the cords replaced, but that's relatively cheap and easy. I expect the same windows will continue to work another 100 years as long as they're cared for and maintained. This isn't about "the democratization of luxury", as another commenter suggested. Cheap construction costs more in the long term. This is about a cultural shift toward favoring short-term over long-term thinking. Long-lasting wood sash cord windows would not be expensive to build in this day and age, and they could be quite energy efficient too with modern glass and weather stripping, but people don't think or care about the long term the way they used to, and so they'd would rather settle for cheap, shiny vinyl windows that yellow and crack and fall apart in a matter of decades.

Jarb 8y ago
Slight rant, but those types of windows were one of the first things that bugged me when I moved over from Europe. IMO, not only are they not as practical, but they also leak more energy than what we had in Germany. You can't poke your head out all the way and need to bend over awkwardly to get some fresh air. It would be one thing if it was only on older houses, but new ones use them as well. By contrast, even my grandparent's house, built in the 50s, had windows that swung open like a door or leaned inwards at ~10°, if you only wanted a little bit of a breeze. They even had windows built into the roof that could be opened either in the middle or from the top, thanks to dual hinges. Best part, the "Rolladen", aka roll-up blinds built into the walls that helped with heat-retention in the winter, provided sound-dampening, and could be automated by a timer. Maybe it's just the area where I live, but I get the feeling that for many architectural features in the states we decided about 100 years that everything is good enough as it is and the only continued innovation was geared towards cutting corners and getting cheaper materials to work. /rant 0 https://goo.gl/images/QS5oJj https://goo.gl/images/QS5oJj https://goo.gl/images/1nRYHt https://goo.gl/images/1nRYHt https://goo.gl/images/kDVPkv https://goo.gl/images/kDVPkv https://goo.gl/images/TfDtoK https://goo.gl/images/TfDtoK
- berlinstartup 8y ago
  You need to provide evidence for your claim that they leak energy, first of all. You also don't seem to understand how sash windows work. They are meant to be opened from the top and bottom at the same time, which creates a continuous flow of air from the outside. They can also accommodate window A/C units. Your German windows can do neither.
wahern 8y ago
> Long-lasting wood sash cord windows would not be expensive to build in this day and age They'd be relatively expensive because they require more labor to install, and these days labor is the biggest cost. Older homes had better craftsmanship because labor was much cheaper back then, even highly skilled labor. Engineered, cookie-cutter building materials are a substitute for labor. They're also a substitute for the fact that high-quality, old-growth lumber is gone, so if you want dimensional stability and moisture resistance you have to rely on engineered solutions. I have 90-year-old sash windows in my house. I think they're great aesthetically and mechanically but previous owners didn't properly maintain them (because labor is expensive!) so they're nearing their useful life. Equivalent replacements will be quiet expensive, not to mention the labor to make sure they're installed properly, modern or not.

by NickM 8y ago

Jarb 8y ago

Slight rant, but those types of windows were one of the first things that bugged me when I moved over from Europe. IMO, not only are they not as practical, but they also leak more energy than what we had in Germany. You can't poke your head out all the way and need to bend over awkwardly to get some fresh air. It would be one thing if it was only on older houses, but new ones use them as well. By contrast, even my grandparent's house, built in the 50s, had windows that swung open like a door or leaned inwards at ~10°, if you only wanted a little bit of a breeze. They even had windows built into the roof that could be opened either in the middle or from the top, thanks to dual hinges. Best part, the "Rolladen", aka roll-up blinds built into the walls that helped with heat-retention in the winter, provided sound-dampening, and could be automated by a timer. Maybe it's just the area where I live, but I get the feeling that for many architectural features in the states we decided about 100 years that everything is good enough as it is and the only continued innovation was geared towards cutting corners and getting cheaper materials to work. /rant 0 https://goo.gl/images/QS5oJj https://goo.gl/images/QS5oJj https://goo.gl/images/1nRYHt https://goo.gl/images/1nRYHt https://goo.gl/images/kDVPkv https://goo.gl/images/kDVPkv https://goo.gl/images/TfDtoK https://goo.gl/images/TfDtoK

berlinstartup 8y ago
You need to provide evidence for your claim that they leak energy, first of all. You also don't seem to understand how sash windows work. They are meant to be opened from the top and bottom at the same time, which creates a continuous flow of air from the outside. They can also accommodate window A/C units. Your German windows can do neither.

wahern 8y ago

> Long-lasting wood sash cord windows would not be expensive to build in this day and age They'd be relatively expensive because they require more labor to install, and these days labor is the biggest cost. Older homes had better craftsmanship because labor was much cheaper back then, even highly skilled labor. Engineered, cookie-cutter building materials are a substitute for labor. They're also a substitute for the fact that high-quality, old-growth lumber is gone, so if you want dimensional stability and moisture resistance you have to rely on engineered solutions. I have 90-year-old sash windows in my house. I think they're great aesthetically and mechanically but previous owners didn't properly maintain them (because labor is expensive!) so they're nearing their useful life. Equivalent replacements will be quiet expensive, not to mention the labor to make sure they're installed properly, modern or not.