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As a home owner - updating / improving my windows is a luxury I very much wish I could afford. It’s hard to imagine being able to mess with the windows unless i

As a home owner - updating / improving my windows is a luxury I very much wish I could afford. It’s hard to imagine being able to mess with the windows unless it’s with a newly purchased empty property.

jbjbjbjb 2y ago
Judging by home owners around me it looks to be quite a popular change. As far as I can tell they're pretty much changing like for like (upvc with double glazing) without the energy efficiency upgrade. Changing from white to black frames seems to be the driving factor.
- morkalork 2y ago
  Living in a suburb built in the 60s and 70s the two things I see after every sale is new windows and doors, and digging up and replacing the French drain.
more_corn 2y ago
Depending on your heating and cooling bill it could be cost-effective. The new windows are so much more energy efficient that you start to payback the insulation costs pretty quick.
tastyfreeze 2y ago
Replacing windows is actually one of the easier DIY home jobs you can do. Hell of a lot easier than building a deck that a lot of people do. They are installed after framing and meant to be removed if they break. Removing the trim inside and outside will give you access to the fasteners holding the frame in. Usually, the hardest part is finding windows that fit and match your taste.
- kirtakat 2y ago
  That's true for relatively new construction, but for instance, I have a 100 year old house with stucco. Replacing my windows is a nightmare job. Whereas my back deck was a far simpler project
  - kylehotchkiss 2y ago
    I have a stucco home, I've been doing replacement windows (I like milgard) and my stucco hasn't been touched. I have other people install them though.
  - gazook89 2y ago
    Same here. We removed trim inside the house and it wasnt that bad, but I was just replacing the trim— not the windows. I could see that removing the windows would be a pain the ass very quickly. And it has already been done once.
  - mrj 2y ago
    Yeah, for me my windows weren't standard sizes so had to be custom built, anyhow. At that point, you might as well get installation as well. Some stucco had to be chipped back to insert the new window but it's covered by the vinyl frame. Low-e windows are amazing though.
  - blodorn 2y ago
    100 year old windows were designed for easy maintenance and repair. Are the double hung windows? If they are, you can make sure to have storm windows on which effectively work as a double pane window. If this new glass were available, you could replace every pane in your window without removing a nail.
    - drjasonharrison 2y ago
      I seriously doubt they would provide the glass without frames, which requires removing the moulding around the existing window.
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
      - pests 2y ago
        Selling panes of window glass that you then frame in is a common method for larger windows or odd shapes. Here is a random product on Amazon, custom cut Low E insulated window panes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHD4F3HY https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHD4F3HY I see no reason why the company in this post wouldnt.
- fellowniusmonk 2y ago
  Finding the right size windows without having to go custom has proven to be nearly impossible. It's not a hard project but unless you are fortunate with window dimensions it is far more expensive than building a deck.
  - nemomarx 2y ago
    naive question- couldn't you resize the hole in the wall to use a larger window pane?
    - tastyfreeze 2y ago
      It depends on how the home was constructed. With stick frames the window frame is built to take the load from the studs above it and direct it around the window and to the studs below. It can be done but it is not an easy job. Going smaller is easy though. Just build a smaller frame inside the existing one.
    - arwineap 2y ago
      Generally, if you don't want to pull a permit, you can change a windows height but not its width This is because of how the wood around it is framed to provide support to the wall above
    - quickthrowman 2y ago
      You can, but you’d need to remove the siding and drywall and reframe the window opening, see a window framing diagram here, can’t cut the king studs or you lose structural integrity: https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/how-to-frame-a-new-window https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/how-to-frame-a-new-windo...
  - Freak_NL 2y ago
    What's wrong with a custom size? I replaced two small windows with triple glass ones, and just ordered the right size online. I don't think it's even possible to buy windows in a standard size (whichever that may be) here in the Netherlands. A professional glazier would order the windows from the factory just as the shop with a fancy website with a configurator did for my order.
- KerrAvon 2y ago
  > Replacing windows is actually one of the easier DIY home jobs you can do I think you're assuming a baseline level of competence that many don't have. I'm comfortable with electrical work and some plumbing but I wouldn't do my own window installation.
thathndude 2y ago
Mine are due to be replaced, and I’ll definitely keep my eye on this. But, if that wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t be running to replace windows before end of life.
scarecrowbob 2y ago
I've replaced windows before, and I'm handy but not a professional. Depending on the construction it's not super hard to pull them out and put new ones in, it takes about 20-30 min per window.
oblio 2y ago
> As a home owner - updating / improving my windows is a luxury I very much wish I could afford. What has gone wrong in super capitalistic America that much poorer Romanians, for example, can afford average quality double glazed and triple glazed windows and Americans can't?
- onlypassingthru 2y ago
  Labor costs. Work in the trades can pay VERY well in the wealthier parts of the US. Plumbing, electrical, carpentry, tile journeyman can all make over six figures in the major metro areas.
  - oblio 2y ago
    That looks a lot like several inefficiencies: 1. Why aren't more people trying to get those jobs? 2. Why aren't locals trying to bring workers from low cost of labor areas?

jbjbjbjb 2y ago

Judging by home owners around me it looks to be quite a popular change. As far as I can tell they're pretty much changing like for like (upvc with double glazing) without the energy efficiency upgrade. Changing from white to black frames seems to be the driving factor.

morkalork 2y ago
Living in a suburb built in the 60s and 70s the two things I see after every sale is new windows and doors, and digging up and replacing the French drain.

more_corn 2y ago

Depending on your heating and cooling bill it could be cost-effective. The new windows are so much more energy efficient that you start to payback the insulation costs pretty quick.

tastyfreeze 2y ago

Replacing windows is actually one of the easier DIY home jobs you can do. Hell of a lot easier than building a deck that a lot of people do. They are installed after framing and meant to be removed if they break. Removing the trim inside and outside will give you access to the fasteners holding the frame in. Usually, the hardest part is finding windows that fit and match your taste.

kirtakat 2y ago
That's true for relatively new construction, but for instance, I have a 100 year old house with stucco. Replacing my windows is a nightmare job. Whereas my back deck was a far simpler project
- kylehotchkiss 2y ago
  I have a stucco home, I've been doing replacement windows (I like milgard) and my stucco hasn't been touched. I have other people install them though.
- gazook89 2y ago
  Same here. We removed trim inside the house and it wasnt that bad, but I was just replacing the trim— not the windows. I could see that removing the windows would be a pain the ass very quickly. And it has already been done once.
- mrj 2y ago
  Yeah, for me my windows weren't standard sizes so had to be custom built, anyhow. At that point, you might as well get installation as well. Some stucco had to be chipped back to insert the new window but it's covered by the vinyl frame. Low-e windows are amazing though.
- blodorn 2y ago
  100 year old windows were designed for easy maintenance and repair. Are the double hung windows? If they are, you can make sure to have storm windows on which effectively work as a double pane window. If this new glass were available, you could replace every pane in your window without removing a nail.
  - drjasonharrison 2y ago
    I seriously doubt they would provide the glass without frames, which requires removing the moulding around the existing window.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - pests 2y ago
      Selling panes of window glass that you then frame in is a common method for larger windows or odd shapes. Here is a random product on Amazon, custom cut Low E insulated window panes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHD4F3HY https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHD4F3HY I see no reason why the company in this post wouldnt.
fellowniusmonk 2y ago
Finding the right size windows without having to go custom has proven to be nearly impossible. It's not a hard project but unless you are fortunate with window dimensions it is far more expensive than building a deck.
- nemomarx 2y ago
  naive question- couldn't you resize the hole in the wall to use a larger window pane?
  - tastyfreeze 2y ago
    It depends on how the home was constructed. With stick frames the window frame is built to take the load from the studs above it and direct it around the window and to the studs below. It can be done but it is not an easy job. Going smaller is easy though. Just build a smaller frame inside the existing one.
  - arwineap 2y ago
    Generally, if you don't want to pull a permit, you can change a windows height but not its width This is because of how the wood around it is framed to provide support to the wall above
  - quickthrowman 2y ago
    You can, but you’d need to remove the siding and drywall and reframe the window opening, see a window framing diagram here, can’t cut the king studs or you lose structural integrity: https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/how-to-frame-a-new-window https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/how-to-frame-a-new-windo...
- Freak_NL 2y ago
  What's wrong with a custom size? I replaced two small windows with triple glass ones, and just ordered the right size online. I don't think it's even possible to buy windows in a standard size (whichever that may be) here in the Netherlands. A professional glazier would order the windows from the factory just as the shop with a fancy website with a configurator did for my order.
KerrAvon 2y ago
> Replacing windows is actually one of the easier DIY home jobs you can do I think you're assuming a baseline level of competence that many don't have. I'm comfortable with electrical work and some plumbing but I wouldn't do my own window installation.

thathndude 2y ago

Mine are due to be replaced, and I’ll definitely keep my eye on this. But, if that wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t be running to replace windows before end of life.

scarecrowbob 2y ago

I've replaced windows before, and I'm handy but not a professional. Depending on the construction it's not super hard to pull them out and put new ones in, it takes about 20-30 min per window.

oblio 2y ago

> As a home owner - updating / improving my windows is a luxury I very much wish I could afford. What has gone wrong in super capitalistic America that much poorer Romanians, for example, can afford average quality double glazed and triple glazed windows and Americans can't?

onlypassingthru 2y ago
Labor costs. Work in the trades can pay VERY well in the wealthier parts of the US. Plumbing, electrical, carpentry, tile journeyman can all make over six figures in the major metro areas.
- oblio 2y ago
  That looks a lot like several inefficiencies: 1. Why aren't more people trying to get those jobs? 2. Why aren't locals trying to bring workers from low cost of labor areas?