You would be much better off using weather stripping plus high quality storm windows. There are a few high quality replacement windows - those certified in Canada would be a good place to start - but they are extremely expensive. The rest of the replacement window industry is really very close to being consumer fraud. They do not work well, they don't last very long, and they will not provide the claimed energy savings. This is especially true of the budget brands featured at the big box stores. The only real reason for replacing a window is if the current window has completely failed and cannot be repaired. Windows made prior to roughly 1980 are almost always fixable and are made better than anything you can buy today. Especially for a bedroom, insulated curtains will provide a solution to drafts in addition to the weather stripping and storm windows.

OP - what age is the home? Are the current windows original to the home?

The phrase "replacement windows" raises a lot of hackles here due to the damage caused to old houses by destroying original components by uninformed owners.

To get rid of the draft you need an air tight window. higher end vinyl windows will be the most affordable and the most efficient. Most of the pro’s on this board, including myself will recommend Okna Windows, Soft Lite, Sunrise. Stay far away from the builders grade windows that are sold at lumber yards and home improvement centers. a cheap window will eventually leak air, a higher end vinyl wont.

higher end vinyl options look a lot nicer than the older vinyl replacement windows and they hold up better than wood windows which need maintenance. I used to install mostly wood wimdows, now its strictly high end vinyl because the perform much better than wood windows.

high end vinyl- most efficient and air tight. good looking, Most affordable and maintence free.

Wood- more expensive, need maintenance, not as efficient as high end vinyl.

what brands are high end vinyl vs low end vinyl?

True wood windows are able to be repaired/refinished repeatedly ( and inexpensively), vinyl windows will fail and cannot be repaired requiring expensive replacement. My windows are almost two hundred years old and there's nothing wrong with them.

If the OP's original windows are gone then it doesn't matter. If the original frames are there I'd have custom wood windows made to fit.

Here's a great resource on windows https://www.oldhouseguy.com/windows/ & http://historichomeworks.com/

“what brands are high end vinyl vs low end vinyl?”

high end would be Okna, Soft Lite, Sunrise.

Low end would be silverline, american craftsman, mi windows, alside, pella vinyl, reliabilt, crystal.

True wood windows are able to be repaired, re-glazed, and retrofitted. The issue is that a good and solid wood window hasn't been made in probably 100 years.

I have some vinyl replacement windows in the master bedroom and they are utter garbage. Haven't been able to identify a brand so I guess they are some no-name builder grade tier. They are ugly and also drafty. There is a huge custom Pella window in our dining room, which is nicer quality than whatever is in the master (not drafty), but it stands out like a sore thumb because the rest of the room and other original windows are all dark wood trim and the replacement window is stark white. Also it's super ugly from the outside.

For me, cons for vinyl would be that the cheap ones are not really all that better than the old windows they're replacing in terms of comfort and energy conservation, like all double paned windows, they have a limited shelf life and will fail after a time and need to be replaced yet again (not the case with the old single paned windows), the way they're manufactured leaves a ton of unsightly and impossible to clean ruts and tracks, not possible to easily repair, and they're ugly and make your nice old house look ugly and reduce its curb appeal.

The old wood windows are easy to maintain and look beautiful, so if you have original windows, keep them and simply repair them (or if too far gone, have a carpenter build new sashes). We learned all there is to know about repairing them in like fifteen minutes on YouTube. If you care about energy efficiency, storm panes and properly insulating your attic will give you a WAY better ROI and performance than ugly replacement windows.

I won't say anything about fiberglass because I don't have any experience with them.

No offense queenvictorian but you just admitted you have “ cheap vinyl windows and they are garbage”. Of course they are, what else would you expect, you get what you pay for. Had you used higher end vinyl, you would be much happier and in fact, a higher end vinyl window will be much more efficient than a wood window by far. Maybe you should do some research before your next purchase.

Hahaha what on earth makes you think I was the one who bought those cheap ugly vinyl windows when all I do on this window forum is hate on cheap ugly vinyl windows? That was the previous owner's fault. I'd never pay money to disgrace my house with trash. I'll be paying money to replace them with wood windows. Can't wait to get rid of them.

And don't forget that you can have historically accurate wood windows made with all the fancy double panes and whatnot. We're doing some cost/benefit analysis on doing that instead of single pane, and the numbers are actually working out better for single panes plus storms and insulation improvement. Custom wood windows get WAY more expensive when you start adding double pane stuff, and that's just with one over ones.

QueenV, you are so right about replacement windows ruining the appearance of old homes!

I haven't looked at the videos Todd mentions but the instructions from John Leeke in "Save America's Windows" are full, complete and he doesn't underplay what it takes to restore a window. He also did a comparison and found that a restored window with a storm is as good at insulating as a new double panned window.

Here are two suggestions I've heard for those embarking on restoring their windows. First is to practice on a small, extra (bought as a salvage place) window. The other is to watch as a professional restores your worst window. I opted to do the former.

Todd, I would say that most people that choose to own an old house are handy enough to restore a window. The only exception I can think of would be a window that is so high up that it's difficult to access.

I would say most people who own an old house are not handy enough to do complete restoration. i have seen a few do a pretty good job, unfortunately there still working on them many years later.

If they don’t underplay it , then hoe Long does it most to restore a window? How much is a storm? They barely touch on the hazards of lead based paint or asbestos in the glazing. They use outdated performance numbers on new products ang give best case. Scenarios for theirs. id say a window being high up is the least of the hassles.

Raye smith

you know actually nothing about replacement windows or remideling. You are giving advice based on what “ you heard”. You really need to be careful, you can cause a home owner to get into trouble. If you want to give advice on gardening or some other simplistic topic, then stick to that. You are not being helpful here.

Carl, my home is almost two hundred years old with all original windows. I have restored five windows in the past two years by myself. So, how many windows will you count as knowing anything about restoring? Old windows were built to be restored/repaired by anyone with basic handyman skills. I found nothing inherently dangerous in restoring windows.

I've also owned a new house and had those windows replaced with Pella
replacements, those will fail long before any of my restored ones will
need to be touched.

As for my knowledge about "non-simplistic" topics, I have a wood-shop where I have duplicated some original woodwork for an addition and build cabinetry. I have also wired circuits in several houses that passed electrical inspections with no problem. I also have a years of working and certifications in engineering. You should copy your post into the Gardening section so you can insult all those Master Gardeners and farmers with agricultural degrees.

Go back to old posts on restoring vs. replacing windows, I'm not saying anything that many others with as much or even more experience than I have posted.

@Raye: I'm an engineer / woodworker hobbyist. I'd say rehabbing windows (especially those with multiple lights) is a waste of time. Until you get the window out of the frame, burn out all the old glazing, scrape the exterior paint, reglaze the panes, paint the window, and reinstall - all you have is a single pane window.

I rehabbed some windows like this in the late 70's. A total waste of time. The home also had wooden storms - the biggest PITA I've ever encountered.

In my current home I have Marvin double pane, wood, laminated with aluminum exterior, LowE glass. What a joy - and no storm windows, windows tilt in for cleaning.

Raye, yoy do not sound like the typical old house owner I typically see but you’re rate of rehab is on par.

In the process of replacing siding and windows on our home. City requires a minimum energy efficiency on replacement windows which essentially eliminates aluminum frames in favor of vinyl.
Original windows were installed with the initial home construction in 1978. There’s a massive difference in energy transfer between the old and new windows which is easy to feel just by standing next to anew window and one that hasn’t been changed out yet.
I’m guessing a significant proportion of the energy transfer occurs around the frame. Original windows were just nailed into the rough opening and the siding was slapped on over the top. New windows are getting caulked and nailed onto a layer of sheathing and all the gaps are getting filled with foam. The difference in energy transfer is reflected in our utility bill which keeps coming down as I progress through the windows.

Exactly, there is a time and a place for restoring and a time and a place for replacing. Todays building/energy codes will normally not allow restoration in many locales.

Todays building/energy codes will normally not allow restoration in many locales.

As long as you keep the original window, it's all grandfathered in.

Never have seen any locale not allow restoration, then again why tell them?

I am not required to meet any energy code if a House is on a historic list in my locale.

Geoff - you just listed the basic steps for restoring a window, anything less won't do the job. Fortunately my windows are in good to great shape so there's no need to proceed any faster on the work. I do hope that all of you that remuddled saved those windows for future owners to install.

I have to ask, if you don't want to go through the work of maintaining and restoring original windows why don't you just buy a McMansion and leave the old houses for those that appreciate them?

I believe that a distinction should be made here for the average reader, in that I get the feeling that most of the restoration crowd is referring to very old homes/windows, say 1930's or older (That is an inexact date based on my opinion). That said, I do agree that with those old homes that ooze character, are built of very dense, old growth wood (including the windows which is WHY they have lasted 100 years), restoration should be given strong consideration. Anything newer, certainly 60's and later, is pretty much junk after 20-30 years at best and would be better to be replaced with today's technology. It would not be accurate to say that new windows of any specific material are inherently good or bad, not by a long shot. There are terrible and excellent windows of each material (ie: wood, vinyl, fiberglass, etc)... I do realize that I left a time gap between the 30's and 60's, as I'd personally say that the windows in that time period are debatable.

When considering replacement windows, I'm a big advocate of performance ratings over name brands. I often liken them to the metrics used in cars (fuel economy, horsepower, etc). Windows are similarly independently rated and certified for thermal and structural performance. U value, air leakage, solar heat gain, condensation resistance, and design pressure are some of the more prominent ratings that will indicate the performance that you can expect, and most times be indicative of quality as well.

Someone mentioned replacement windows not delivering on expected energy savings claims, and once again, a distinction needs to be made. There is no conspiracy whatsoever in regard to windows not meeting the performance as rated. In the past, there were some unscrupulous window sales organizations that made wild claims of saving 40% on energy etc, and those have been debunked and dealt with by state's attorney generals in many cases. Pretty rare to see claims like that anymore and for good reason. Remodeling Magazine Cost vs Value report consistently has replacement windows near the top of its list in terms of ROI in cost paid vs home value increase. When coupled with realistic energy savings, improved appearance, functionality, comfort, etc, new windows are far from a bad investment, and referring to them broadly as "close to consumer fraud" is highly ignorant of facts.

@Raye: I have to ask, if you don't want to go through the work of maintaining and restoring original windows why don't you just buy a McMansion and leave the old houses for those that appreciate them?

No need for the passive / aggressive attitude Raye. I don't see a reason you should be threatened by a differing opinion?

To Mike and Carl, Why do you assume that a woman is incapable of remodeling and giving intelligent advise? Certainly you would say of any man what you have said of me. Over the years I have read many posts here on the "Old House" written by women that were successfully doing all or most of the remodeling on their old homes.

To Carl, do you only perform remodeling for single men? Recently I've spoken to multiple couples that have remodeled. In every instance the wife was the one that came up with the plans, would you refuse to do those jobs?

Homesealed, my 1st post asked the age of the home, I didn't get a response. Usually it's assumed that if your posting in old homes that the house would qualify for the pre-1930 designation and have those wonderful, irreplaceable old growth windows. Your comparison to vehicles is interesting, I don't care about fuel economy - I care about how many sheets of 4'x8' ply it can carry & does it have a full sized V8.

Tell us more about the vehicle of yours, is it a cube van? Gotta have 4wd right?

I base my vehicle on how many old windows it can hold so I don’t have to make multiple trips to the dump. It’s an 03 Chevy express 2500 with AWD, 5000 # Firestone airbags . I get about 10.2 mpg in einter and 12.3 in summer.

Here it is with 48 sheets of 5/8 4x12 sheetrock.

Nice ride Todd! I'm assuming by old windows you mean the nasty aluminum things from the 60's.

Todd all u are missing is an A team logo on that bad boy!

raye These threads get posted across different sections these days. i found it in tge windows section, I assume tht HS was the same.

Overall i agree. Old windows may be worth preserving, newer ones not so much. Lots of fuzzy math used by both sides unfortunately

By old windows I mean the ones preservationists cherish, I Try to stay away from rehabbing as much as possible, only when I have to.

I do plenty iindiw from the. 50’ and 60‘ but they are usually wood. windows From this era are usually in much better shape than those from the early, mid 1900’ s and the openings are almost always very square.

Mike , describe your neighbor. How much you got?

If you’re neighbor is a sheet rocker I might possibly have him