If you love your older home but are not thrilled with its vintage windows, you are certainly not alone. Old residential windows tend to be fraught with annoying problems such as:

• Rotting wood frames
• Metal frames dripping water from condensation
• Fogging or dirt between glass panes

In addition, old windows often lack energy efficiency and waste your hard-earned money every year trying to keep your home heated and cooled.

The best way to solve all of these issues is to replace the windows. However, replacing windows in an older home comes with some special considerations you should keep in mind, including:

Replacement Windows for Older Homes Often Cost More

You can expect to pay more to replace windows in an older home versus those in a newer home. For example, if you live in a new construction home and your bathroom window breaks, there is a very good chance the window is a standard size and in stock. Alternatively, if you live in an older home, there is a very high probability the window is not a standard size and will need to be custom ordered. Custom-ordered replacement windows are more expensive than standard-sized windows and take extra time to manufacture.

Replacement Windows Must Match the Architecture of Your Home

Although replacement windows are a great way to update your home's look, they must match your home's original architecture. For example, if you own a mid-century modern home with large plate glass windows, replacing them with 12-over-12 pane windows will completely change its look, and not necessarily for the better.

It is always best to replace plate glass windows with plate glass windows and pane-over-pane windows with pane-over-pane windows. Doing so keeps the original architectural design of your home, making the windows appear original to the home.

You Can Keep Decorative Wood Trim Intact and Replace Windows

One of the best engineering advancements to come for residential replacement windows is the ability to replace just a window and frame without tearing off all of the exterior window casement and trim.

In the past, replacing a window required removing all the trim and exterior window casement to access buried parts of the window framing. This was labor-intensive and sometimes caused structural damage to homes.

Today, your glass contractor can order retrofit windows that replace the frame and glass. This dramatically reduces the risk of damage and makes window replacement less expensive and faster.

Contact a local window replacement service to learn more.