New Windows

For our very first major-home-improvement, we had our windows replaced.  All 19 of them!

The old windows were single-pane, cracked and warped and leaky.

Melted glass

Warped doors that wouldn't shut.

Cracks.

Anyway, we got three quotes, two which my dad facilitated and one that Sak did. I was too scared to meet with any contractors myself!  In the end we went with one that a friend had referred.  The cost was about $8.5k for 19 window retrofits, three of the windows being fairly large sized.

What's a retrofit?  I didn't know either. But apparently they cut the old window out, and insert a new window over the old framing. This method is about half the cost of a full re-framed window, and is pretty much just as good as a completely re-done window.  We chose retrofits since our exterior is stucco, and a new frame would have involved cutting and re-patching.  You can never perfectly re-patch stucco!

The drawbacks to retrofits is that you end up losing some window sill space, as well as some glass size since there's a lot of vinyl siding to cover up the old frame.

Old window:

New window (siding not finished yet):

See the gaps where the window fits into the old frame?

They put expanding foam in the cracks!

Kinda creepy looking.

And then the next day they finished with the siding.

Final window:

Bathroom window, some window sill room lost, but enough space for small trinkets still :)

Front window, I chose to have some lines in it for curbside visual interest:

Anyway, I really love the new windows! It makes the house SO MUCH quieter. Can't say I miss the crazy blue jay screeching or never-ending neighborhood construction noises.  I'm not sure how much it effects the heating/cooling of the house since it's been fairly normal weather lately, but we'll see once winter comes!

I also love how easy it is to open and close windows now.  Before it was nearly impossible!

Now, I just need to figure out window treatments. Two years later and I still don't know what to do with them. >.>"