This is the biggest home-improvement project we've ever done, so it's kind of a milestone for us. The whole project took 4 months, but most of that was just waiting for the windows to be ordered. I did interview about 7 companies over 6 weeks, and I did a lot of research as well. (Angie's List was a great help, although nothing can beat a personal recommendation from somebody you trust.)
We decided to make this our first big project on the house for a few reasons. First, we'll get some return on our investment with the energy savings we'll experience. The old windows (original to the house which was built in 1981) were very drafty and inefficient, so it will simply be more comfortable in the house as well. There was also the tax credit which isn't huge, but we figured we might as well do it sooner rather than later. I have no idea if new windows will increase the value of our home, though, and I didn't even look into it. We never make home improvements for that purpose. It's nice if it happens, but we have never looked at our home as an investment. We only spend money if we get the value out of it while we live there. And we never make design choices for anyone but ourselves. So far, this policy has never hurt us financially.
The old windows also had almost no soundproofing. Last spring I was awakened every morning by a bird in the tree outside my bedroom window. It might as well have been in the room. The sliding glass doors sounded like nails on a chalkboard when you operated them. The screens were broken. There was a hole in one of the storm windows. There was some dry rot in a couple of the sills because some idiot had filled in the weep holes (look it up). There was mold, or at least some strange kind of dirt, on a couple of the windows. They were ugly. They rattled. And half of them were impossible to open.
We're very happy with the new windows. We got the standard double-pane vinyl windows that everybody gets now. They open and close so smoothly that I'm much more likely to open them on a nice day. The house is so much more quiet now. I love letting the dog out in the back yard because the door is such a pleasure to operate. The windows tilt in so I can easily clean the outside of them. And they look great! I didn't take any "before" photos, but here is a picture of our next-door neighbor's window, which is exactly what ours looked like before:
And here is a photo of one of our new windows:
We're slowly, slowly, making this house into our own home. I really enjoy the process. The next big project is replacing the deck and landscaping the yard.
When I started reading this, I though, "Why is installing Windows 7 such a big deal? Did they switch over from Apple computers or something? I'm all for setting the bar low in order to exceed expectations, but this is going a bit far..." ;o)
ReplyDeleteWow! What an amazing change! Your new windows look great and I'm sure you will get a lot of value out of them in the years to come.
ReplyDelete"[W]e have never looked at our home as an investment. We only spend money if we get the value out of it while we live there. And we never make design choices for anyone but ourselves. So far, this policy has never hurt us financially."
I completely agree with you here. I know a lot of people that agonize over what improvements will be best for the resale value of their home without even considering what they want to look at and enjoy every day. We are going to have a tile backsplash installed in our kitchen soon and were encouraged by a friend to choose a more neutral color for resale purposes--to which I said no way! We chose the tile we liked best, regardless of what a potential buyer might think of it.
I first heard this advice from a financial talk radio host whose show I thoroughly enjoy (even if I don't always agree with him): Clark Howard, http://clarkhoward.com/. His show is syndicated--you might enjoy him if one of your local stations carries it.