I'm in Old Northeast St. Pete in a 1930s home on a fairly busy street. Before window replacement, we heard every car horn and late-night party like it was in our living room. We replaced our old wood single-hungs with modern double-pane windows (kept the same 6-over-6 grid look so the house looks unchanged). The difference in noise is amazing – it's like we moved to a quieter neighborhood. We can actually sleep through the early morning garbage trucks now 😅.
I did worry that the new insulated glass would look too new, but visitors haven't even noticed the windows are replacements until we tell them. For anyone with an older home dealing with noise, upgrading windows can help a ton.
One thing to consider if your home is in a historic district (like some areas of Tampa or Dunedin's downtown): they might have rules about the type of glass and materials. For my 1922 house in Tarpon Springs (Greektown area), the local historic board was okay with modern windows as long as they weren't obviously reflective or tinted from the outside. I had initially picked windows with a dark privacy tint, but I had to switch to clear Low-E glass because the shiny look wasn't allowed. It was a minor adjustment.
If you're not in a regulated area, you have more freedom. But still, something to think about if you want to keep a traditional look. In my case, the clear glass still has UV protection and it all worked out – my new windows are energy-efficient without looking like mirror shades from the street.
I know this thread is about replacement, but I wanted to share my thought process in case it's helpful. I have a 1938 Tudor-style home in the Pasadena area and I was torn between restoring the original leaded-glass windows or replacing them. A local craftsman gave me an estimate to refurbish the old windows (stripping paint, replacing broken panes, adding weatherstripping), which appealed to the preservationist in me. However, it turned out more expensive and still wouldn't solve the energy efficiency issues fully. Ultimately, I opted for new custom windows that mimic the look of the old ones.
I'm happy with the decision – the new ones don't have the slight wavy charm of the old glass, but they do have bevels that match the original grid and even similar brass handles. And my electric bill dropped, plus no more drafts. If anyone else is debating restore vs replace: it really depends on your priorities, but modern replicas can strike a good balance if done right.
Quick heads-up on timing: not sure how it is this year, but when we ordered our windows for our 1959 ranch in Brandon in 2022, there was a big backlog. It took almost 4 months from order to installation because the manufacturer was swamped (partly supply chain issues at the time). So, if you have a tight deadline (we were trying to get it done before hurricane season), start the process early.
We also had to work around rainy season; our install got pushed a couple of times due to pop-up summer thunderstorms. The crew ended up doing two windows at a time between rain showers 😂. In the end, all good, just don't expect it to be a quick weekend project for an older home.
I'm a small-time property investor and recently rehabbed a 1940s bungalow in South Tampa (Palma Ceia area). Window replacement in these older places is one of the best upgrades for value. The house had a mix of old wood windows and some 90s aluminum replacements that looked mismatched. We went all new for consistency. The buyers absolutely loved that feature when we sold – new windows are a big selling point (energy efficiency and no immediate maintenance needed).
But one lesson: we tried to cut costs by going with a cheaper contractor initially, and that was a mistake. They didn't measure correctly, and two of the custom windows came in the wrong size. It delayed us and we ended up switching to a more reputable company halfway through. That cost extra, so in hindsight I should have just hired the pros from the start. Quality work matters, especially in older homes where nothing is standard.
If you do go ahead, just be ready for a bit of chaos during the install. We replaced 8 windows in our 1920s home in Safety Harbor and even though the crew was great, there was a lot of dust and noise. They had to pry out old frames that had been painted over for decades. We covered our furniture, but fine plaster dust still got everywhere (some of the old plaster around the windows crumbled when the old frames came out). Not the end of the world, just something to prepare for – maybe take down your curtains and wall decor beforehand and put down extra drop cloths.
Our installers actually helped with some of that prep. After seeing the mess at our place, a friend with a similar old house decided to do one room at a time rather than all at once so they could keep the rest of the house livable. In any case, once the dust was cleaned up, the results were worth it.
Our 1936 Mediterranean Revival home in Ybor City had some oddball windows, including a round porthole window in the stairwell and a pair of arched-top windows in front. We were really concerned we'd never find modern replacements for those that would satisfy the historic look. It turns out a few manufacturers do make custom shapes (for a price, of course). We had to special-order an arched wood window to match the original design, and for the round window we actually kept the original frame and just restored it, because replacing it would have been exorbitant.
In the end, all our regular rectangular windows were replaced with impact-rated ones, and for the unique shapes we kept or rehabbed the originals to maintain the character. The city was fine with that hybrid approach – they actually prefer you keep unique historic elements if you can. So don't assume you must replace every single window. Sometimes preserving one or two special ones and replacing the rest is a good compromise.
For those of us in coastal areas, hurricane protection is a big factor. I live in Clearwater in a 1957 block home and my insurance company was nudging me about wind mitigation credits. We decided to go with hurricane-impact windows for the whole house. It did bump up the cost (impact glass and beefier frames are pricier), but we got a nice discount on our homeowners insurance after. Plus, it's peace of mind not having to put up plywood or shutters when a storm is coming.
If your home is older, check if your window openings have what's called “buck” framing or need reinforcement. Our installer had to add some anchors in a couple of spots to meet the current code for impact windows. Everything passed inspection fine. If impact windows are too pricey, you can still replace with standard windows but then plan to install storm shutters to satisfy code if you replace a large number of openings. We figured we'd do it once the strongest way. No regrets, especially come storm season.
A small thing I noticed after replacing windows on my 1941 cottage in Dunedin: the new windows can slightly change the look of your interior too. Our old windows had thick wooden trim that gave a certain shadow line in the rooms. The new vinyl windows have a bit less depth, so we ended up adding back some decorative trim indoors to keep the vintage vibe. Also, where our old windows had weight pulleys visible (yes, the sash weights were still in the wall!), the new ones of course don't. We actually found the old cast iron weights and turned one into a little decor piece, haha.
Anyway, think about interior finishing – ask your installer if they will redo or preserve interior casings. Our installer did new wood trim around each window because the old trim got pretty beat up during removal. Now you can't even tell the windows were changed, aside from everything being in much better shape.
For anyone unsure about window types: I replaced old double-hung windows in my 1920s bungalow in Historic Kenwood (St. Pete) with new double-hungs to keep the look, but some neighbors with similar houses switched to single-hung or sliders to save money. Single-hung (only the bottom sash moves) can look almost identical to double-hung but are often a bit cheaper. We considered it, but I liked keeping both sashes operable – helps me ventilate by opening the top a crack and bottom a crack.
As for sliders (windows that slide side-to-side), those can be more affordable too, but they really change the appearance of a vintage home. Sliders give off a mid-century vibe, which is fine for a 1950s ranch but not for a 1920s bungalow, in my opinion. In short, stick with a style that matches your home's era if aesthetics matter to you. And if budget is tight, single-hungs are a decent compromise that still look classic.