5 Great Reasons to Keep Historic Wood Windows

[@joycemagann4227]

1845 house rochester NY. 14 windows, 8 foot, 2 over 2. 2 with original exterior 8ft single pane storms, and the rest with a more modern sliding 1 over 1 screen storm sash system. Plus a Porch with what seems like a million 9x9 panes. Refurbishing now with ropes and glazing. This video is a God-send and motivator. Thank you @brenthull

[@BrentHull]

Yay! So glad to hear it. Thx.

[@kimberlybeasley3112]

Sometimes I rewatch videos like this one to remind me why I'm doing all of the work! I know it's worth it!!! It's just a lot. Thanks for the good info to continue spreading the restoration love to others :)

[@BrentHull]

You can do it! It's definitely worth it! Thanks for watching, again!

[@rachelclare1398]

Trying not to cry as I stare at the new windows in my parents’ 1780 house 😭 I made too weak a case without enough knowledge to convince them to preserve instead of replace. Just found this channel. Hoping to find good reclaimed windows for my husband & mine build!

[@BrentHull]

Shoot, ok, good luck.

[@porchsinging4874]

Again, THANK YOU! I was actually thinking a little draft is most likely healthy as we will get some fresh air. These airtight homes do not impress me. I refuse to believe that can be healthy for us AND our homes. But now I know that very little energy is "wasted" in choosing to save my lovely old windows vs. replacing them with cheap so called "energy efficient" windows. You are LITERALLY saving so many of us from the heartache of cheap, ugly, expensive windows and a lifetime of replacing them. THANK YOU for saving the character of all these old homes!

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for watching!!

[@ASIRIDesigns]

Thanks Brent, this is really fascinating. There's another reason why you might not want to replace old windows in an old uninsulated house in a colder climate, and that's because it changes the moisture distribution in the house. Originally, the vapor would condense on the windows and not on the sheathing because there was a several degree difference between the two surfaces. But after the old windows would get replaced with more efficient double glazed windows, the vapor then started to condense on the sheathing because windows were technically "warmer", which resulted in the paint peeling off of the siding rather quickly.

[@BrentHull]

Interesting point. Thanks for sharing.

[@sammogaming9732]

Very cool! Love your explanations on the old wood vs new.

[@BrentHull]

Thank you very much!

[@artemioquintero7866]

Thank you for sharing I didn't know one could build screens amd storms for these old windows! I'm going to have to make some for my house I live in Idaho so it gets cold in the winter, definitely something worth having.

[@BrentHull]

Glad it helps! Good luck

[@LeahHa8]

This is great news! I love old windows. Now to find some in architectural salvage yards to rehabilitate and reuse. I grew up in a house with old windows and I miss their character and function. Coincidently, my neighborhood was named “Goodwood.” 😊

[@BrentHull]

Nice. I love it.

[@gregschoolland5551]

These videos are fantastic. Be encouraged to keep educating today’s builders. Love the thought provoking rational behind preserving and maintaining historic windows. Also, kinda depressing, to be honest. As a 21st century builder working for middle income customers, knowing as we stress and struggle and feel like we are getting better throughout our career, that we are sadly using disposable products. Going to have to think about what that means. For sure in renovation situations involving historic homes it won’t include encouraging replacing the windows! What do we do in new construction situations where we are trying to build homes for $150 per square foot to keep up with the local building culture? Vinyl windows to the…rescue? I know what you’ll say…build smaller with better details and products. I just don’t see demand for 1500 sq ft houses that cost what a 3000 sq ft house costs. More to think about. This is getting long, but you’ve got me thinking. What if I don’t (currently) find it attractive to simply find wealthier clientele who can afford these types of products, but am more interested in helping everyday folk make better choices? How can we take these ideas and incorporate them into our current work? Because $50k on windows is just hard to even start thinking about. And then they might not even be built of stable materials anyways! Ahhh! For real, thank you. Love the challenging content.

[@BrentHull]

Greg, thanks for the long comment. If nothing else, these are conversations we need to have with ourselves because we can get so focused on the daily work we forget to see where we are headed. I had the same thoughts when I heard Quinlan Terry (English Traditional Architect) speak about a new house he had designed. He said it was built to last 450 years without major repair. The idea of building for that long in our disposable culture was really challenging. It caused me to question the products I was using and promoting. My answer to your question is to focus on craft, and quality materials. Educate your clients about design and quality. I think you'll be surprised by their reactions, most of our clients are very open to hearing about what is available and what their options are. They are often willing to pay more for something better (like wood windows) when they understand about vinyl or other cheap products. Good luck, thanks for watching.

[@melissa-ur7kl]

Schumacher built my new farmhouse a year ago, they installed one of the windows wrong because it was warped from the manufacturer and they didn’t stop and order a new one. My new house is being ripped apart and redone already. We are absolutely planning to upgrade with old technology in the future. New is not better.

[@BrentHull]

Amen. Sorry you have to go through that.

[@weekendwarrior3420]

Or they warped it by installing. Installers always blame the manufacturer. The main problem in this country is that people have no honor and put the least amount of effort and do lousy job, hoping the customer doesn't notice.

[@ethanwhear7868]

Such a great video. I work as a handyman in the panhandle of Idaho and we've got lots of these old windows around. I've always believed the energy saving lie about new windows. Excited to restore the windows on my 1920s craftsman and hopefully convince some clients to let me do theirs too. Much thanks

[@BrentHull]

Good luck, I think this is a big deal.

[@crazyguy_1233]

I'm not restoring an old house I don't even own a house but these types of videos are incredibly helpful. I'm building up a bunch of helpful videos so that when I do buy an older house I will know how to do the work. I am the type of person who wants plaster walls and these wooden sash windows. The benefits of older elements really outweigh the downsides. Plaster walls are really good at insulating and they are good at sound proofing so you don't hear noises like a laundry machine in the next room. And these old windows are solid. If a house has had them for 100 years that should show that hey these are reliable. And one major thing people don't account for when they replace old windows is the pockets for the weights now being a void space. That void space completely negates the efficiency a new window would have had anyways. Back 100 years ago houses were built to withstand time and if you took care of the place it would look pretty new consistently. The problem is so many people didn't take care of these old places and now people today have to do that work to fix them back up. I went on a bit of a tangent but what I'm saying is I appreciate the work people do to keep these places standing and I appreciate people like you who show others about things they may not have known and ways they could do the job the right way the first time.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for sharing. I agree.

[@leeburt2226]

Awesome Channel! Ive learned a lot thus far. I live in SD so your info is valuable.ive begun work on my house windows. When its -40 windchill you really experience the gusto!

[@BrentHull]

Wow. Ok. Thanks.

[@ladydiana2905]

So cool. Thanks for sharing the knowledge

[@BrentHull]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching.

[@BEVERLYMORNEAULT]

I would love to keep the wooden windows in this 1946 house. I know that the cost of each window to be restored would be different, however, I would love to know what one would be, approximately.

[@BrentHull]

I would reach out to the WPA- Window Preservation Alliance. They have companies that restored windows all over the country. They can give you estimates.

[@ladylyonteeth3952]

I hate the green look to the new windows. It’s awful. My contractor says it’s code, even if it ruins everything. 😢 I’d love that window you have there though. Can I order a set for my house? ❤

[@BrentHull]

I think your contractor is wrong.

[@nohtgonahappen7314]

So what I've gotten from your videos, is telling me I have no way to make a new house in a Greek revival style home that well last. Do to codes and are ancestors cut down all the trees?

[@BrentHull]

We'll I'm sorry that is what you heard. What I hoped you would hear is that it is hard with standard new products and you have to work to get it right.

[@nohtgonahappen7314]

@BrentHull so to do a two story house it couldn't be balloon build which is fine, but flooring would be hard to get in a 20x20 room. Being long planks and old growth. And want about siding that would last? It would be bold cypress i think is what they used in southern states. It wouldn't be old growth so would it rot or last 200 years? Seems like it wouldn't be all long lasting without spending a fortune. I can understand a little bit.

[@JonathonPickett]

Yes, yes yes

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for your support!

[@firstname-qq3xp]

Everything is built not to last now

[@BrentHull]

Agreed.

[@LiveNLearn1968]

Most window contractors do not like this :)

[@BrentHull]

True!

[@danilorainone406]

in my big city location menards, home depot, local ace hardware stores none sell oil based putty 5 guys installing ten vinyl aluminum clad windows vs 5 guys to yank painted ten shut existing old wood windows,,reputty them install again,,if properly done they will last 50 to a hundred years,,,vinyl aluminum company guarantees their wk for 3 yrs,,they go out of business in 5,,adios folks srry

[@BrentHull]

Wow, sorry about that. It's challenging to do it right.

[@ltandrepants]

don’t throw your windows out the window

[@BrentHull]

100% Thx.