02-13-2012, 10:15 PM
Black wrote:
[quote=clay]
[quote=thermarest]
I asked this question of the inspector I hired for a pre-purchase for a 1976 house with wood windows. His firm opinion was that in terms of cost savings via energy conservation new windows were not worth it. But there are plenty of other reasons to get new windows--you don't like the drafty feeling, you want them to open and close smoothly, want a certain look, want to see out better (frosted or "smoked" old windows).
Doing it yourself is totally reasonable, depending on your level of DIY determination. If you enjoy that kind of thing and have a friend who has done it before and/or a complicit spouse, I'd say go for it.
I would actually enjoy doing most of the install myself, with the help of my wife or a friend. And if we're talking about $1000/window + installation, I would rather start by replacing the worst ones first, maybe doing a couple a year as I can afford it.
There's no way I'm spending $10,000+ on something that I could do myself for a lot less. I know there would be hassles, but I can't really say I don't have enough spare time to handle this sort of thing...
Easy there. $1,000 has to be a typo or a thinko.
What was my estimate-- chopped liver?
I've replaced windows several times-- even giant ones like mine don't cost more than $250/window installed/trimmed.
Sorry, didn't mean to ignore your estimate, Black. Your $250/window estimate seemed more in line with what I had thought the price would be. I'm sure there are far nicer windows available, but I'd probably never willingly spend 4x the money for something that may or may not have functional benefits.