Vinyl or Wood Replacement Windows?
 

You Need New Windows. ASAP.
Ah, home renovation. Not just any home renovation, but an old house, a house with character and style. An old house with old windows. Windows that leak rain and leak air. But, hey, that's character, right?

Enter the Replacement Window
No. Just because you have an old house doesn't mean you need lousy windows. If you're doing a huge, all-encompassing renovation--the kind where walls get taken down and siding removed--you'll probably be getting new-construction windows. Anything less than this and you'll be getting replacement windows.
For replacement windows, you'll most likely be having a window company install for you rather than doing it yourself.

So what about wood windows?
Wood Replacement Windows, The Obvious Choice (Right?)
If you're restoring a house that's even remotely historic (i.e., older than yourself!), you may be inclined toward wood replacment windows. After all, well, they just seem more honest and historic.

Here are some points, both good and bad, to consider with wood replacement windows.

• Wood replacement windows need painting or sealing.
  Not just at the time of installation, but throughout their lifetime. And believe me, painting wood windows is a very exacting task. (Please note that I'm referring to the inside of the window, as most wood windows have exterior cladding so you don't need to paint them. It certainly is possible to get wood windows without exterior cladding, but we're not including them here because for obvious reasons they're not as popular.)

• Wood replacement windows appeal to home-buyers.
  There's nothing like the look of a nice clear-coated wood window.

• Wood is an natural insulator
  When it's cold outside, try this--feel the frame of a wood window.

• You'll find that wood-framed windows are excellent at inhibiting the transmission of cold or heat from the outside. So it's a great energy-saver.

• Wood replacement windows are more expensive than vinyl
  Call it the law of supply and demand, or call it the price of beauty, but wood windows are more expensive than vinyl windows.

So what about vinyl then?

Then Vinyl Must Be The Obvious Choice (Right?)
Vinyl-framed windows deserve more than a passing glance.
More points, the good and the bad, to consider with vinyl replacement windows.

• Vinyl replacement windows never need painting or sealing.
  Can we say more? If you've ever spent a weekend painting the inside of a wood window, you'll know what I mean.

• Vinyl windows are nothing amazing, but they're hardly an eyesore.
  Vinyl windows don't make people say "ooo and aww". Yet they don't raise eyebrows, either. Let's just say they're the standard you find in most houses nowadays.

• Vinyl windows are less expensive than wood.
  You'll find this is consistent among most window companies.

• Vinyl replacement windows have a quicker turnaround time than wood windows.

• Again, call it the law of supply and demand, but you'll find window companies give you an earlier start time when you order vinyl rather than wood windows.