When I bought my house, half of the regular windows had already been replaced with more efficient windows. I got the other half replaced last Tuesday. The old windows were aluminum framed and possibly single pane, definitely colder near them in winter than the newer windows. My bedroom and office in particular were always colder than the living room and kitchen, and I hoped the new windows would help with that. After working from home during a winter, it seemed more important to take care of it soon.
I went with Champion, mainly because that’s who the previous owner had used for the other newer windows. It didn’t hurt that they’re Ohio based and are supposed to be efficient. The price did hurt some though. I got a buy two get two deal and it ended up being at least what I might’ve thought it would be without the deal. Noticeably more than what the last owner paid, though that was 10-15 years ago. Oh well, it will hopefully add to my houses value whenever I sell and make it more comfortable before then.
The install call unfortunately came during my recent health issues. I had to cancel the first scheduled date because I was sick. The second date, I was able to make, but I did have some anxiety build up and called my dad over to help alleviate it. After sitting and talking with him for a bit and then eating some lunch, I felt a lot better.
When the installers backed their truck in, the leg of their trailer scraped on my driveway and they had to stop and stay parked partly into the street. They weren’t very talkative at all when they came in. They had some trouble getting out the old windows and there was definitely some glass breaking. They had tarps down and vacuumed, but I still found some pieces. Once they got the old ones out, the new windows went in and the inside caulk went on quickly. The outside trimming definitely took longer, but overall the project went quickly and they were out before the end of the day.
The windows look nice. The trim and caulking look good and clean and match the previous new window install quite well. They kind of make the outside look clearer, perhaps a sign that I need to clean my other windows. They are easy to operate and let plenty of air into the rooms when opened. Some of the older ones previously didn’t open because they didn’t have screens, and the openings on the ones that did were smaller.
One of the stone sills is cracked. I can’t say for sure, but I didn’t think it was before. If I knew for sure or could find a picture or something, I might call them and see what can be done.
The new windows are thicker, so I was glad to see that I was able to get the old blinds in place without too much trouble, aside from one window, on which I had to drill some new holes and make some adjustments. Of course, reusing the same holes for screws in drywall doesn’t always give the most tight hold.
Here’s hoping that next winter, I can feel the extra warmth.