Restoring vs. Replacing Windows in Historic House
Irdabo
| Posted in General Questions on
Hi! New to GBA. It’s a terrific resource. I’m gut renovating a historic home in Boston. The historic commission requires the use of single pane windows. We are debating whether to restore the windows or replace them with single pane wood replicas. The architect is recommending replacement since they have a better build and have a tight fitting internal energy insert (which is an internal storm with low-e coating). Any advice regarding which option to choose? If we restore, couldn’t we just install low-e internal storms? Thank you!
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There was an excellent article in Fine Homebuilding magazine with the past four (?) years featuring a craftsman who specializes in the restoration of historic windows. The search function on that site - as well as the one here - is totally useless for quickly finding specific articles when given vague keywords, but this might get you started:
https://www.finehomebuilding.com/project-guides/windows-doors/restore-wood-window-sash
Check out This Old House. They rebuild them all the time.
Welcome to GBA, Irdabo! This question has come up before, and we covered it in this post: Old Windows: Restore or Replace?.