5 Reasons to Your Keep Historic Wood Windows 

Thanks. I decided to keep my 1990's single pane plus energy panel by marvin thanks to this video. While they are not historic my late father put the windows in. so they are historic to me ❤️

I'm a woodworker and build historic wood windows. I like everything you said but I'd add that we can actually build an old style wood window like these with insulated/double pane glass and exactly in the same style as these. They have the same classic look but have the insulative qualities of modern windows. Thanks for the video!

Love this! I’ve restored all the sash windows in my house here in Detroit and the open upper sashes during Summer make for superb ventilation. I made matching storms w/ low cost DIYer machines from Harbor Freight, a used mortiser and recycled 2x4s from abandoned houses. This wood is phenomenal! Growth rings up to 500 years sometimes on studs thicker than 2”. The expensive part was the router table set up, but unquestionably worth it. It’s all about The stability and beauty of this old lumber is truly remarkable.

Just bought an old, 2 story, bank that was built in 1914. I’ve been researching how to improve the windows and this was an excellent video for me! Thank you!!

My 1914 Minnesota craftsman had its original screens and wooden storm windows which hang on the outside hinges and cover the sash windows and most of the outside trim. I spent a couple of hours changing them in spring and fall. Some I left in all year. The prior owners kept them in perfect condition. At 100 years old they were ready to run another 100 years. My house had heating bills seriously lower than those of my friends similarly sized modern houses in the suburbs. Now I live in the southwest in a modern house with modern dual pane windows which I would describe as shit. Cold, leaky and in winter I can lay a hand on a window pane and know exactly what the temp is outside.

Perfect! Just what we needed 👌🏽

Lived in a house built in 1840, in Ohio, parents never did any upgrades to the windows and I froze. When I moved out , my mom had them rebuilt, low and behold my old room was nice and comfy. Then again a proper fitting storm window made a heck of a difference

Cant believe this info is free, cant wait for part 2

My first home was a cottage style built in 1929. Lath and plaster with the original windows. If I recall they all worked with not rot. Real 2X4's on 24" centers. Living in So Cal did not use the heater and the blankets and sweat shirt did their job.

In my childhood bedroom I had an early 80’s Andersen double-hung. Loved that I could open the top sash or both too and bottom. As an adult, every single apartment and now my own new home have single-hung. I miss the top sash being able to open. I think get the best windows money can buy for a tight-house. For an older or standard-build, save the old ones and restore like this video shows or go with a more standard window to offset dozens of years before ROI.

Matt: You should consider a triple pane window Brent: Hold my beer

Great visual

I built our house in 88 and insisted on a "historic style " window. I chose M&W with grids that are at their smallest point 7/8 of an inch. I had to put storms on but builder said after a while you won't see them. True. I had issues with brick moldings and added bull nose treatments. Now with pvc=no more rot. The attic window which catches a lot ended up with a pvc bull also. I read all the repair issues with name brand replacement windows. One company now says "you may need new windows even if you bought them as little as 7 years ago. If doing it today I would go the same way. Oh, those early issues were do to poor calking by original painters.🦇

Great video! It’s amazing how the quality of old windows or better than new windows and they didn’t even use power tools

Shutters and screens are key here. Hope there is data coming with this example about comfort and efficiency.

Very interesting points. Though it definitely goes against Matt's most recent video about priorities for building and remodeling. If the most critical issue is air sealing, how do you achieve that goal with the sash weight cavities being so air leaky and completely uninsulated? I have 40+ very large windows in my historic 1888 built WI home, and my current windows are so incredibly leaky it leads to a lot of discomfort. So information on how to renovate an old double hung window to a better level of air sealing would be a great help.

Thanks for making this video. We just bought a 1930s home, and you convinced us not to replace them. Looking at restoration videos, it looks tedious but straightforward.❤

You're keeping me awake at night with your 5 reasons to your keep historic wood windows video is worded.

I have had all 22 windows in my 1903 house tuned up and weatherstripped. I have had wooden storm windows with swappable inserts made for six of them so far, and intend to make the other 17 myself.

1980 built house, wooden windows, metal framed storms. Going to do repairs and keep. Have already replaced outside window seals which drain down. The bottom storms are about 3/8 inches short. Need an extender ??

Your editor might need to clean that interesting music bit out of the video at @9:22.

Really nice! -- QUESTION -- Brett, what about the weight pocket and insulation? Is there a strategy for insulatting that space in cold climates? Also, I am trying to get my girl brain around the way that the weight system works... Is there a way to make both the upper and lower sash use the same exact weight? It might be possible with a small pully attached to the top of the weight and looping to the upper sash.

‎¡qué grandes ventanas!‎

I have a 1913 in Michigan. Restored two windows in one room. Complete, reglaze, fresh paint/stain, spring bronze, ton of work! Result, still drafty. They are getting replaced. I tried.

Very interesting claim. It goes against everything I have heard but maybe that’s all marketing. I would love to see more data supporting this. And can you restore a window to be double paned?

Great video, I know you said that the next video is going to be talking about glass. But can we get a video that shows the restoration process?

I love my 20 old double hung traditional windows in my 1914 high desert mansion house. I just finished removing, sanding, priming, re-roping the counter weights and reinstalling them. They do act like convention coolers to flush the house with cool and fresh night time air all night long. They are beautifully awesome!

I have old windows, my house was built in 1918. My question is, what do you do about them being single pane? I have condensation issues every morning in the whole house being here in Indiana where it is hot and humid. I run a dehum all of the time but it can't keep up. Wouldn't double pane windows provide an insulative barrier to help that? I know I just need to try and air seal better, I'm in the middle of a remodel, but I've been planning on replacing all of my windows until watching this video so now I'm not sure what to do. Anyone have any thoughts?

millions of old houses that retain original wood sashes and casement housing The trade is passed down from the old guys to the younger crews and remodeling companies that take up where the old guys left off,,advantages of wood windows,,,wood is fibrous with millions of air spaces and oils which if properly treated insulate against cold hot,drafts and noise from outside,also they are mechanically more simple in function,repair and maintainence,,linseed oil turpentine,small hand tools,glazers pumice or cerium oxide to make glass polished ,clear, and squeaky clean of grit dirt and film.inside and out. 100 year old window sashes and window trim, can be made to last another 50 to a hundred years, also correct seating of the glass in a thin uniform bead of oil putty sharp edges sanded.. down means the window will take hard slams without shattering or cracking,

I am upset of people who replace windows. I have historic windows and I am happy with them.

For those who advocate modern windows over old windows: look, as an owner of a 200 year old house I agree good modern windows are more efficient and work better than old windows. But there is an aspect about owning an old, historic house that isn't factored in here. There is something to be said about retaining the original features of a historic house - the floors, woodwork, chimney, mantles, shutters, windows etc. Once these are gone, they are forever gone. It about retaining history for future generations of owners, a belief that we should be stewards of antique properties. (I get that people had over time updated their houses - old multi-pane Federal period windows were often updated during the Victorian period to 2 over 2 or 2 over 1 windows. I'm not talking about those "modernizations").

But what’s the 15% yellow piece of the pie?

He sounds like warren Beatty in his role in the movie Heaven can wait.

I believe that your premise is true FOR HOUSTON! I’m up here in Wisconsin, building zone 6. Trust me, you do not want to hop in the shower at 7:00 am (the coldest pre-dawn hour) in front of an antique R1window while stark naked and dripping wet! My decision to use modern triple glazed European windows is a choice for comfort-not an economical choice. And before you get to it -yes my window is R7. I am a 5’3” grandmother. Putting storms up (while. balancing precariously on a ladder) also has zero appeal. I admire your zeal for old millwork, sometimes there are other considerations!

I've seen this situation and the owner ends up buying very expensive new windows (only the more costly ones look good at all). However the cost would probably be the same in this case. We need people knowledgeable in working on the original windows. Otherwise the contractor will not touch them, and the only option would be searching out a renovation specialist. If more local people knew how to do this, it might become less costly.

I need like twenty single glazed wood windows. Can anyone help? I'm in LA

The voids with the sashes leak so much air. Weather stripping fails.

For once I'm going to have to disagree with build show network. Sure if you have old windows that are air tight, keep them as long as you can. Modern windows are better in so many ways.

lead paint

One solid reason to keep the windows - great fire fuel.

I love my double hung windows :)

Help who can redo the 55 year old wood windows with an arch

Reasons I wouldn't want an old window - 1 - leaky - feel the cold when near it. 2 A lot of work to put in the storm window. 3. the counterbalance often gets stuck. 4. Wood rot 5. New windows have many options - built in screens that auto retract so you don't have to take them down in the winter, Triple pane, film to protect in a hurricane, film to block solar heating, chromatic - electronic glazing to give privacy at the touch of a button. Don't get me wrong, wood looks nice but it isn't the ultimate be all end all.

Dude it's called argon gas ... read it

Reason #1 they’re made out of lead paint

This will likely get censored for sensible use of math and science. Somebody save a copy. 🤣😂🤣

What on earth? no. just. no.

Single pane is stupid no matter how you look at it. Those are going to have condensation on the outside all summer and on the inside all winter. It's not just about energy efficiency. Also the few days we have where I don't need heating or cooling my house averages about 6kwh per day - if it's hot or cold I use about 15-28kwh per day. I monitor the bill very closely. Heating and cooling is way more than half of it. I don't have a very large house. It's hardly worth upgrading if your windows work just fine, but if they're old and falling apart like most 100 year old windows then it's not just about energy. Even if you had them restored to brand new condition, they are far inferior to modern windows, which can be purchased made from nice quality wood. You will constantly have to paint these things, think about what a pain in the ass that is! And you will have to constantly reapply the glazing putty. Plus you can still get quality wood double and triple glazed windows! I have a rental house with some really nice wooden dual pane double hung windows from the mid 80s and they're still in great condition. Vinyl and aluminum don't warp or rot either. The idea that today's wood is all garbage is all bullshit. Yes, they do make some low quality cheap windows. You can also buy better quality windows with wood just as good or better than the old shit. I love to see original windows in really nice historic places...otherwise dump 'em. They make great shooting targets.

Unless you paint with Linseed oil paint, your finish is petroleum based plastic paint with a 7 to 10 year lifespan not 100 years. The wood quality is almost irrelevant with linseed oil paint. 100 and 200 year old windows are still around because for the majority of their life they were protected with breathable linseed oil paint. Wood window rot is mostly due to petroleum based paints which are not breathable, not the wood quality. Old wooden windows were typically made from soft, inexpensive woods that best absorb linseed oil. Decay resistance is of much less importance with linseed oil paint as the paint breathes and does not promote wood rot, regardless of it's decay resistance. The tight wood rings were mainly important to have a stable wood that assists in keeping the frames straight. Old tight grain wood frames will twist though when painted with petroleum based paint as it keeps in the moisture. A large part of your presentation of wooden windows and restoring wooden windows is wrong as you do not use linseed oil paint. You can use any breathable plant based paint, it's just that linseed oil paint has always been the least expensive with very good characteristics. You should also use linseed oil glazing putty. Linseed oil interior paint or linseed oil wax is best for the interiors of wood windows as it's again breathable and handles interior glass condensation. WOOD DECAY is not due to BAD WOOD it's due to BAD PAINT! Linseed oil paint pigments are also natural mineral based with useable pigment through the entire paint thickness. Linseed oil paint also needs no primer. 2 or 3 coats of linseed oil paint can last 30 years with minimal maintenance, never peels, is all natural and has no VOC's. If you need any other details about using linseed oil paint, feel free to contact me.

matt risinger please fire this guy. everyone knows new windows are sooo much better than high maintenace wood windows. this video is a joke.

This is just awful. No, old windows with that awful glazing putty, storm windows have rotted so many sills where they caulk the bottoms and theres these two pin hole drain holes what a joke. Those old storms are a struggle to operate.