Let's see if I've got this straight; you have a man with good ideas and excellent recommendations but you don't want him in your house as he is lacking some license you think he should have. Evidently others have a lot of business and don't care to mess with the old windows. Seems like your options are do repair them yourself or go back to the bum whose license you don't like.

Thank you for your unhelpful comment texasredhead.

He is neither licensed, nor insured, nor bonded. The windows are on the second story of our house. If he were to fall off a ladder and injure himself we would be liable for his medical bills and whatever else his personal injury lawyer could come up with. Sorry, not interested.

Why not fix them yourself?
It's hard work and time consuming, but not brain surgery.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wood Window Repair

Why would a fix it man have to be "bonded"? Even if he doesn't have a license he may still have insurance. In my area you dont have to be licensed to fix or install windows unless you are installing a new egress window. If you are that worried about him falling check out your home insurance policy, mine covers this type of thing for my rental properties. I also have an umbrella policy for additional coverage. If you cant find anyone else to fix windows and you are set on it, hire him. Make sure you have the proper insurance (maybe you need to increase your limits or get an umbrella for a month), but you likely will not have any problems.

Thank you buddyben!

Beyond financial risks, unlicensed workers tend to "disappear" when problems arise, and there is no recourse then.

Anyway - I'm still hoping someone will answer my original question, which was why people don't want to repair windows, only replace them. Is it too time consuming?

Totally agree with the "desappear" problem. I still wouldn't be worried about him falling if you had correct coverage. I have had 4 roofs replaced due to hail, and a 4 car garage burn up. None of these items have affected my rates. Sorry if I came off harsh, bad thing about internet is you cant tell ones tone. Still am curious if a guy needs to be bonded. I have never checked this and am curious why I should. I have checked this with property managers where they were collecting my rents and holding them for a month. ANYWAY

I believe people don't repair windows as its not a big money maker. I have fixed a few things on double hung windows and you never know what you are getting into untill after you've started. I would say to repair a window is almost the same amount of labor as installing a new window. The new window allows the company to profit on labor and materials. So for it to be cost effective I would guess the window company would actually have to charge more labor for fixing a window than installing one. Other thing my window installer friend said is old windows just aren't as efficent as new ones and its just a good idea to replace if working or not.

Good Luck!

You yourself said this man came highly recommended. By whom? Did someone who you respect recommend this fellow. Regarding new windows, most are double pane which makes them more energy effecient. What are your energy bills? Consider that new windows might help that issue. Also, most new windows are made so the can tilt inside for cleaning. Saves getting on a ladder to clean the outside of second story windows. We recently had the 27 windows in our home replaced with vinyl double pane windows. The movable windows are double hung and can all be cleaned from the inside. If on the other hand you have windows that you feel are more appropriate to the age and style of the home, You may have to bite the bullet to have them repaired by someone you trust.

Hmmm...It is all about profit. Window contractors (WC)
mainly replace and install new windows because it is easier
and much more profitable then repairing old wooden
windows. They also do not have the skill level to make
repairs/build old wooden windows.
The only repairs they do are on warranty repairs and on old
metal windows where there are still parts made.
Plus it take more labor and a lot of time to work on old
windows and that is a big minus to the WC profit.

Look around for a good license carpenter that works on
windows. It is hard to find but they are some out there.

Good referrals or not...always go with a license contractor
in any type of job. Otherwise if anything happens the home
owner pays big time and it is not worth the trouble.

I have heard of a place called 1-800-de fog it. They drill a small hole in the window on one side and another small hole on the other side. Run sum chemical through it and clean it up. Then they seal it.

Kevin Chapman

Hi yelad,

I looked at your page and it appears you're in the Los Angeles area. I could give you a window restorer's name if you were in the Bay Area, but clearly that's out... so what I would suggest is calling Crown City Hardware (http://www.crowncityhardware.com) in Pasadena, or stopping by if it's convenient (such places tend to be way more helpful if you're there in person), and seeing if they know anyone who does this kind of work. In the event you aren't familiar with Crown City, they specialize in antique and vintage hardware.

Another option would be to google the various historic districts in the greater Los Angeles area, e.g. Bungalow Heaven. Check out this site: http://www.pasadenaheritage.com Some of these sites may have community recommendations/referral pages or forums where you can find all kinds of businesses that specialize in restoration/maintenance of older houses.

Good luck; I'm sure it actually won't be too tough to find someone to restore your windows!