Window Replacement: Increase Wealth, Health and Happiness

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It was officially 119° here in Mesa on June 20th, 2017, when I started writing this post. I could feel my legs frying as I biked my measly three miles home from work. Upon arriving home, the house was quite comfortable inside. Why? Of course, the A/C was running constantly along with every neighbor’s A/C, but the real answer does not reside with the new air conditioning unit. The home’s comfort results from window replacement.

This 1980’s tract house originally had grid style, single pane, aluminum builder-grade windows (as pictured in the photo above). Have you ever seen or heard about pointing sunlight through a magnifying glass on an ant in the summer? Try sitting in front of a single pane window with some Arizona sunshine pouring in during the middle of the summer. Single pane, aluminum builder-grade windows are the magnifying glass. You are the ant!*

The only thing worse than a single pane aluminum builder-grade window is no window at all. Come to think of it… during summertime sunlight, no window may actually be better…

I touched on the idea of window replacement briefly in the post about starting your house projects now. The sooner you do it the longer you get to enjoy it!

Loving window replacement: oh, let me tell you the ways!

Upgrading to energy efficient windows is on the short list of home improvements immediately putting money back in your pocket. The sooner you act upon energy efficient window replacement, the sooner you start getting paid back for your investment.

• Your air conditioner will like you more since it has to work less. Cha-ching!
• Your air quality will improve as less dust enters your home through the windows. Recall the haboobs (sandstorms for folks who do not live in the desert southwest USA or the Middle East) you see in Arizona pushing dust through the cracks in the old window seals and the fine grit sand in your dryer from the vent. You save on boxes of Kleenex and bottles of Zyrtec (affiliate links added so you can determine how many boxes and bottles equate to the price of a new window if you have a window with a draft). You may have fewer doctor’s visits (allergy triggers from outside, anyone?). Improving indoor air quality equals an investment in your health. Double cha-ching!
• The sound quality inside improves due to the noise reducing capabilities of high efficiency windows, as well. Perhaps you may enjoy quieter indoor home “staycations”. Cha-ching!
• Light transmission reduction. Low E glass coatings reduce the bright summertime glare that may have you wearing sunglasses INSIDE, too. Cha-ching!
• Let’s not forget wintertime. Your heat is less likely to make the warm, moist air condensate on contact with the colder window holding old man winter at bay. Nor will that heat slip away and be replaced with pockets of cold. You can turn up the heat or throw another log on the fire just because your really do want to be in a bikini in February by choice.

In the end, your bank account will be bigger for all of these reasons (and you can be a bit more comfortable while not going broke).

However, it is not just about the money you save and improvements to your health. Window replacement will also change how you use the space in your home.

The front two south facing bedrooms in my home were unbearably hot in the summer. As it is, I don’t recommend** friends and family to visit me in the summer. Offering a hot bedroom seems less than welcoming. I certainly feel like a better host after replacing these two five by five foot windows.

The same can be said for the bay window facing north.

The space immediately inside the window is no longer noticeably the same temperature as outside. We now actually want to sit and watch airplanes from the local airports through the bay window.

Showing your one year old daughter how to slow down and watch the morning sunrise: priceless!

We actually started using this space! Sure, in an unlikely manner since this is supposed to be the formal dining room–we have chairs permanently set up to look out the window. But we actually use this space every morning where we don’t race off to work.

However, there is no getting around it. A high quality Low-E, Argon filled, dual or triple pane replacement window is expensive! Will the savings actually offset the cost of the new windows? Here are a few questions to consider:

• Do you currently have drafts?
• Are the drafts coming from the seals or between window panes? A new window is a good answer.
• Are the drafts coming from insulation/sealant between the flange and the house? This is fixable and a window replacement is not the solution.
• How efficient are your current windows? If they are semi-decent perhaps some blackout/thermal window coverings could help the comfort of the room.
• Do you have wood windows that can be fixed? Replacing broken panes, adding or replacing window stripping, and reglazing (the putty to affix a pane in place), etc. are all viable options to extend the life of the window.
• Are you in a historic district where vinyl windows would detract from the look of the house, decreasing the value? New wood windows do not hold up as well since they are from new growth wood. In this instance, check out options of restoring the current window. Or, look into new wood clad window systems offered by window companies such as Anderson Renewal, Pella, or others.
• How much will new windows appeal to the next renter or buyer?

In my case, I had drafts between the grid window panes as well as between the two overlapping halves. Second, single pane is extremely inefficient. Two bedrooms were horribly hot in the summer to the point of being unusable. What is the point of having a house where you have to cut off significant portions? Third, they were not pretty. Despite my artistic side, the mathematical side of me was starting to lean towards window replacement as well.

I had quite the sticker shock when I first priced out the windows.*** I quickly realized replacing all sixteen windows at once was not an option.**** The sales representative from Home Depot had a great answer since I personally do not believe in financing anything other than a house: planned phased window replacement.

I triaged the windows, ordering them by sun exposure. The first set included the two master bedroom windows increasing my comfort at night. The master bathroom window with only a measly air conditioning duct was also replaced. This first set was only three because the tempered glass required by code for a bathroom window, in addition to its arched shape, *really* bumped up the price.

The next window replacement set was installed half a year later. This set addressed the huge windows in the two south facing bedrooms and another arched window in another bedroom. It also included the three windows in the living room including the large bay window.

A year later, delayed due to a huge roofing problem, I got around to the remaining seven windows which were much smaller except for a very large bay window which I replaced with a picture window.

Old bay windows.

The picture window is flanked by two smaller windows, still allowing a good amount of air flow (when it is cool enough!).

New bay windows. There is a Roman shade in front of the picture window.

In comparison to the original grid style single pane windows, these replacement windows are amazing! The temperature in the house is more balanced and all the rooms are livable. On occasion I still touch the glass and smile at the fact it does not feel like I’m sticking my hand against a hot cup of coffee. A sucker for aesthetics, I also love the more modern look of clear unobstructed (no grid!) glass.

Other thoughts for window replacement:

If you replace your windows make sure they are high quality so you are able to get all these benefits. For instance, in an area with unforgiving sun exposure, make sure the replacement window flange is made of high quality vinyl so it stands up to the incessant sun. This works for us, but your region may vary…

Second, take the weather into account. While you are saving up for the windows you may want to wait just a little longer if the pleasant season is right around the corner. There is the obvious day where the windows are going in and out. If anything happens you may need to account for another day later in the season if a window requires reordering.

Here are some real life examples with only a sample size of sixteen… One window was originally measured too small. The crew reordered the window to the correct specs and replaced the new window a couple weeks later.

Another window had sealant issues–my warranty with Home Depot even covers re-caulking. Normally I would fix this myself, and I have on a few, but hey, I was still growing back the arm and leg which paid for the windows. Why not? So I called it in when I realized the birds should not sound as loud as if the window was open. Sure enough, once I pulled back the blackout curtains I could see daylight between the window frame and the house. The gap was a result of no spray foam and the outside caulk shrinking.

The technician came out and thought the window should have originally been larger. Upon replacement they discovered the smaller window was correct since the  window frame is not square. So the original replacement window went right back in with the correct amount of spray foam and caulk. Both of these separate instances of replacement windows (of replacement windows) were scheduled during periods of beautiful weather.

Third, consider changing the functionality or the way windows opens for both cost and functionality reasons. For instance, I mentioned above the eat-in-kitchen had three opening windows which I replaced with a picture window and two opening windows. A picture window certainly costs less than a window that opens. It also helps bring the outside in with no break halfway up the window when looking at the stencil on the block wall outside.

Similarly, did you notice the slightly different design with two smaller opening parts on the five by five foot box bay window? Not only is it an unusual modern look, but it is also so much easier to open than the two front bedroom windows because the glass in the slider is so much smaller.

Another entertaining thought:

If you plan on painting the outside of your house, consider replacing your windows right after painting.  Then you don’t have to spend the time carefully blocking off the windows.  It is especially more fun if you are using a paint sprayer.

*The first summer before I replaced the north facing 10 lite single pane window I hung a twin sheet to block the heat from the sun. It bleached the sheet.

Notice I said north facing, not south facing. South facing windows are the worst for heat transfer with the direction of the sun in the summer. So if the north facing window bleached a sheet I say the faux wood blinds that came with the house in the south facing windows ARE AWESOME! They are still going strong.

**I now use the word recommend due to limited activities outside. Before window replacement–that first year of homeownership–I did not allow friends and family to come in the summer since the rooms were embarrassingly varied in temperature.

***ANTI DIY ALERT! I did not want to replace my windows myself so the pricing also included installation. Recall the original windows were grid style single pane windows. Builder grade windows often feature mounting flanges sandwiched between the framing of the exterior wall. Meaning, the glass is removed first and then you somehow pry out one side of the frame and then pull out the rest of the frame. Three of the windows had 24 panes. I don’t like seeing my own blood. All I could do was imagine any number of glass panes breaking on every single window. I’ll happily point and pay on this one.

Sure enough, many of the panes broke. The seals were baked and the installers had a tough time removing some of the windows. I call it money well spent.

****Note to self: do not buy a house with sixteen windows ever again. Or make sure window replacement is already complete.