[djmcmath]

My house was built in 1927, and I believe that most of the windows are original. We've made it through the winter by putting plastic up over the windows*, but a long term solution is obviously in order. So the options:

1 - Renovate the windows. Pull them out, one by one, salvage what's salvageable, replace what isn't, and put in new glass. Clean the counterweight pockets, reattach the counterweight lines. The only real heat loss gain would be in the replacement of the seals. As far as I know, I can't replace the single-pane glass with double-pane glass on this, right?

2 - Replace them. That's expensive, especially if we try to get quality wood windows. Because each window is a little different size, each one will either have to be custom made or I'll have to modify the framing for each one. That's a hassle. But it'd be modern frames that would probably last 20 years, and I could get more efficient glass.

So ... is double-pane glass worth it? Has anyone here done the window-renovation process, and can you speak to the time investment involved? What other options have I missed?


Thanks,
Dan




*The "plastic over the windows" was actually a pretty innovative solution that a friend of mine suggested. We bought window-covering clear plastic -- basically saran wrap -- and put it on custom wood frames made out of 1x2s. It sounds a little chintzy -- and it is -- but the difference in airflow through the windows was distinctly noticeable.