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So it sounds like you have an overly strong historical society in your area! Perhaps you live in a very historic area that needs it? I agree to some extent with the dislike of the red tape/busybody aspect you all may have to deal with. That would be frustrating. We have it here to some extent but for other things. Up here, historic stuff gets torn down all the time in favour of strip malls + new housing projects.
I would be more in favour of the historical types providing some solid information in a situation like this, and then the owners still allowed to choose. I think in most cases, the owners get huge sales push from contractors, and in this case window manufacturers + don't ever see the other side: once you tear out the originals, you can (essentially) never go back + the difference in energy efficiency is small + will never payback vs restored. In Canada, we have a "cash for clunkers" style program for windows, where the government is actively trying to get people to tear out old windows to "save the environment". Well meaning people are sucked into the marketing bs + the restoration side has no voice at all. Many many well meaning people are tearing the character out of their historic homes (leaded windows, interior trim, other stuff as well in other programs).
The case you site, (and many cases like it) are complicated by the legal costs (busybodies/red tape) of the lead removal. Once that is done 1 time forever, the windows can be very cheaply maintained. Aesthetics aside (standard window options don't replicate the original look + customizations cost waaay more than $30k for 30 windows), the Pella windows, while well marketed + full of features, are not anywhere as well built as the originals + are likely to be replaced (another $30k) 20 years from now. I know because friends + family have torn out 20 year old rotting leaky Pella windows. They don't last. The same is true for most other brands (I know a guy who has to replace all his 20 year custom wood double pane windows on a 20 year old home he built). Vinyl doesn't rot, but seals still fail over time and if you get 20 years out of them, you're probably doing pretty well. Even before they leak, parts break + the relatively weak mechanisms generally aren't designed to be terribly repairable (if you can get the parts at all in some cases). Energy efficiency of a retrofit is highly dependent on the installation care of the contractor (most leaks are around windows, not through them, even in old leaky windows). Also, note that to easily install new windows, all the trim is usually removed, often either destroying it and/or necessitating lead paint abatement. Cost to replace trim, particularly to match old moldings is also very high. In contrast to this, old windows are easily repaired with a small amount of skill + care (easy diy actually). Every time I put a hockey puck through a basement window as a kid, I was sent to the basement with a pane of glass + some putty... Even if you don't DIY, the maintenance is not expensive: we have friends (also with young children) who chose to restore/repaint all their old windows when they got their house painted, and all the work included was a tiny fraction of $30k.
I guess in the end, I'm all in favour of people having choice. I guess my comments were aligned with the situation here, where most people are not aware of all the pros + cons, are heavily influenced by marketing, and even our government is pushing them... We have lots of old towns here that have lost their cores, replaced by strip malls, + so imho a little historical society clout wouldn't hurt in those cases... balance + sanity is key...
James...
posted by 216.59.250...
, Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:29:13
, Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:45:45
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