"Funny thing is, I didn't even realize how noisy our street was until we swapped ours out."
Had a similar experience myself. It wasn't just noise reduction though—noticed a marked improvement in thermal efficiency immediately after installation. Our old single panes were letting heat escape like crazy; switching to double-glazed units dropped our heating bill noticeably. Also found condensation issues practically disappeared overnight. Insulation definitely matters, but it's remarkable how much windows alone can transform the comfort and efficiency of a home. Glad to see others noticing the same thing...
Had a similar thing happen when we replaced ours. Didn't even think about the noise until it was suddenly gone. Funny how quickly you get used to silence, right? On the flip side though, now I notice every little creak and squeak inside the house that I never heard before... trade-offs I guess.
"noticed a marked improvement in thermal efficiency immediately after installation."
Definitely felt that too—especially upstairs. Did you guys DIY or hire someone? Curious how tricky others found the install process...
trade-offs I guess. Definitely felt that too—especially upstairs.
Same here with noticing all the small creaks now... it's like the house is talking back to me, ha. We went the DIY route—wasn't too bad overall, just took longer than expected (doesn't it always?). The thermal improvement upstairs was definitely noticeable right away though. Honestly wish we'd done it sooner, especially considering how much quieter and cozier the place feels now.
We did ours DIY too, and yeah, it always takes longer than you think. I remember thinking "just a weekend project," but two weekends later we were still finishing up trim and touch-ups. Totally worth it though—especially upstairs. Before, our bedroom was always drafty in winter and stuffy in summer, but now it's like night and day. And funny you mention creaks... I swear I never noticed how loud our stairs were until the windows went in. Guess the old drafts masked a lot of noises, haha. Honestly, it's amazing how much difference good windows make to comfort levels—wish I'd known sooner, would've saved a lot of chilly nights under extra blankets.
Sounds like you did a great job! DIY window replacements can be deceptively challenging, but the comfort gains and energy savings are definitely worth the effort. Plus, quieter stairs are a nice bonus... funny how improved insulation reveals little things like that.
Yeah, it's funny how you don't realize how noisy your house was until it's suddenly quiet. Did you notice any difference in drafts or temperature consistency between rooms? That's usually the first thing I pick up on after upgrading windows...
"Did you notice any difference in drafts or temperature consistency between rooms?"
Actually, that's exactly what I've been paying attention to. The living room feels noticeably warmer now, but oddly enough, the upstairs bedroom still seems a bit chilly. Wondering if insulation might be the next thing to tackle... Has anyone else experienced something similar?
We replaced our windows about two years back and had a really similar experience. Downstairs felt way more comfortable almost immediately, but upstairs stayed stubbornly cooler, especially the bedrooms facing north. At first, I thought it was just because heat rises slowly or something, but after poking around in the attic, I realized our insulation was pretty thin and patchy up there. We ended up adding extra insulation, and honestly, that made a bigger difference upstairs than the new windows did.
Not saying windows weren't worth it—they definitely cut down drafts and helped with noise—but for temperature consistency between floors, insulation was the real game changer for us. Might be worth checking your attic or crawl spaces before winter hits again...
"We ended up adding extra insulation, and honestly, that made a bigger difference upstairs than the new windows did."
Interesting...we just moved into our first place last spring and noticed the same thing upstairs, even after window replacements. Haven't poked around the attic yet—was it tricky adding insulation yourself?
We tackled insulation ourselves last year, and honestly, it wasn't too bad—just messy and itchy (seriously, wear long sleeves and gloves). The hardest part was maneuvering around the attic without stepping through the ceiling...ask me how I know. 😂 But yeah, totally agree with you guys; insulation made a noticeable difference upstairs, even more than our fancy new windows did. Worth the hassle for sure.