Are Replacement Windows a Wise Home Improvement?
Posted by Tre Pryor, Editor-in-Chief on March 03, 2009 in Home Improvement tagged with Consumer Reports, Home Improvement, Pella, replacement windows
Perhaps no home improvement project has more perceived value than installing replacement windows into your home. Is this a well-deserved perception? Like most things the answer is, “It depends.”
The first thing to do is analyze your current situation. How many windows does your house have? How old are they? How many panes of glass do they have?
It may be the case that your current windows, while not at peak performance levels by today’s standards, are still performing well.
According to Consumer Reports:
Replacement windows can save you between 10 and 25 percent per year on heating and cooling if you have single-paned windows.
But because the cost of replacing all the windows in your home can run anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000 depending on the number, style and performance of the windows, it’ll often take many years just to recoup their cost.
If you do decide to buy new replacement windows, take into consideration what kind of windows homes in your neighborhood currently have. Vinyl windows are by far the most popular and generally cost a great deal less than clad wood windows. But if your home is located in a more upscale neighborhood, selecting the more attractive clad wood windows makes more sense.
Pella has a new line of fiberglass windows called Impervia that are designed to be more durable than vinyl windows but still be wholly maintenance free. These received a recommendation from Consumer Reports in their latest report.
If you have any questions about your home, feel free to contact me or your Realtor. I’ve also included some statistics from the National Association of Realtors 2008 Cost vs. Value Report below. You can see that replacement windows average between 76%-79% recoup cost nationally.
I think that when you are remodeling you want to be around the project as much as possible! If you can do a lot of it yourself that helps on quality and money. Usually the best job done is the one you do because you know how you want it done and you want it done nicely because you’ll be seeing it everyday – the contracter wont! Thanks for this blog it had a lot of great information!
I feel that replacement windows are one of the best investments you can make for your home. By replacing your home windows you can save monthly on your heating and cooling costs, and add curb appeal with an improved visual appearance.
That table must be on recouping costs after a few years. If you do home improvements and then immediately sell, you’ll get more of those costs back, not just a portion.
Yeah, it doesn’t seem like that can be possible. These are all investments in home improvement that should recoup their costs at least 100%.