I’m guessing you do not like half/round windows and neither do I.

I like that your drawing has eliminated the shutters. Yeah! Right on!

You must take into consideration your location and prices of similar homes. Will your investment in siding, etc be supported in your local housing market?

It is a rural home so no real comparators and we don't intend to sell for many years. Was wondering if it made enough of a difference to the look of the home to be worth the $15-20,000 investment (there are three more of the windows on other sides of the house). In our area the half rounds have not been used in 15-20 years so they really date the house.

If you are saying just changing 6 windows will cost $15-$20,000, then no it is not worth it.

Changing those windows will transform your house from dated to timeless classic. Perhaps you could save some money by changing only the two front windows and still get a big impact.

In my opinion it would look best to remove the transoms altogether. At least on the upper gable. and match the transoms with the window next to the entry door for the lower one.

I think changing those windows is well worth it. As they are, they look odd. The trial version picture looks awesome!

Sounds like this is your "forever" home, so yes, change them; you won't regret it, IMO.

MB Custom Homes: Thanks, My thinking was that I wanted to use the higher rectangular transoms as the rooms with the half rounds all have cathedral ceilings and I don't want to lose the light the half rounds provide

Are you just not a fan of the stone? Personally, I love stonework on a house, especially one situated in a rural setting. Have you considered leaving all of the stone except for the stone that abuts the front door? You could then re-use it (not sure if that is even possible as I am not a pro) to fill in any space currently occupied by the outdated half round transom? This would be necessary if you decided to forgo the new full size transom above the window, as another commenter suggested. The new siding (either in the pewter color or another similar shade of gray) and the existing stone would compliment each other nicely, IMO. The savings in the budget already allotted for siding would then offset the cost of updating the half round transoms on the other sides of your house. Just something to think about if you are open to the notion.

Thanks Catherine, Unfortunately the stone is pretty awful up close. The colour is coming off and the aggregate is showing around the edges. It is a concrete product made in the early days of such products and it looks quite fake.

The half round windows are a real “time stamp”. I think your drawing is a perfect update!

yes, I think it would be worth doing!

I love the look of your proposed changes. I have always disliked those half moon windows.

Ah, I get it now. Thank you for your response. Knowing now that the stone is actually quite cruddy, I suggest you move forward with updating the half rounds to the front of your house but get a rough estimate as to the cost to replace the other half rounds - x years down the road - once you have had time to acquire some additional funds. How much time do you even spend looking at the other exterior sides of your home? When you think of/visualize your house, I would imagine that an image quite similar to the first picture you shared comes to mind; not what it looks like as if viewed from the back or the sides. Hopefully this additional feedback helps you make your decision on the transoms.

Oh, and BTW, are you planning to paint your front door? If so and you don’t choose white, a midnight teal sort of color would look lovely. I also think it would be worth the effort and relatively nominal expense to hang matching simple/streamlined planters containing all white, yellow, or coral flowers between each of the open sides of your gazebo. Regardless, good luck with your upcoming reno!

Changing the windows from round to rectangular is not that big of a deal, especially when done along with the siding. The RO's are square not round. IF the windows will be needing replacement any time soon due to performance or operational issues, now is definitely the time to do it all together to really streamline things and save money overall. If they are original to the home, I suspect that it wouldn't be a bad idea...

I'd also recommend looking into LP Smartside as an alternative siding product if you haven't signed for the Hardie product yet. Its taken a huge chunk of market share from fiber cement siding, and for good reason IMO.

Lastly, I do like another texture (and maybe color) to mixup the monotony of the siding on the front. Either some new stone strategically placed, a different siding panel such as vertical or shake, etc. Whoever provided that rendering should beable to show you some options.... In the event that you do replace the windows, something like black on the exterior would look good with that color scheme as well

If the rooms behind the windows are volume ceiling rooms, then I don't think you have a choice and must do it. But show around for window pricing. Also I'm assuming the windows are assembled at the factory and are oversized. That adds $$

Don't do the transoms on windows with the really small arches. Waste of money.

You could save a lot of money if you got rid of the casement windows. I hate them because of the screens inside the home. Give me a double hung any day.

I think you can switch to windows like these below and still get the height in one window without the transoms.

Also don't do the small mullions, but the larger size panes like these below.

Maybe something like this below.