My house is pretty old, and the windows are seriously drafty. Last winter was brutal, you know, heating bills through the roof. Anyway, I started looking around for window replacements, and some of these prices are just insane. Anyone got experience with companies or contractors who do decent work without charging an arm and a leg? I'm not looking for anything fancy, just something solid that'll keep the cold out. Any recommendations or tips would be awesome.
Had a similar issue a couple years back—old farmhouse, drafty windows, bills were killing me. Got a few quotes that made me choke on my coffee, lol. Ended up finding a local guy through word-of-mouth who wasn't flashy but did solid work at a fair price. Maybe try asking neighbors or local Facebook groups? Also, have you considered storm windows instead of full replacements? Might be cheaper and still cut down drafts significantly...
"Also, have you considered storm windows instead of full replacements?"
Storm windows can help, sure, but honestly they're more of a band-aid fix. Did that at my place and still ended up replacing everything a few years later. Sometimes biting the bullet upfront saves headaches down the road...
Storm windows aren't always a total waste, though. I put some up at my old place thinking I'd dodge the big expense of replacements. They did help a bit with drafts and noise, but honestly, the energy savings weren't exactly life-changing. Plus, every winter I'd still find myself layering up like an Arctic explorer just to watch TV comfortably.
Eventually, I caved and replaced the worst offenders with decent mid-range vinyl windows—not the fanciest ones out there, but solid enough. The difference was night and day. My heating bill dropped noticeably, and I could finally retire my indoor parka. If budget's tight, maybe consider replacing just the worst windows first and doing the rest gradually? Worked for me, and it softened the financial blow.
Plus, every winter I'd still find myself layering up like an Arctic explorer just to watch TV comfortably.
Replacing the worst windows first is a solid approach. Did something similar myself—started with the north-facing windows since they were the biggest heat loss culprits. Went for mid-tier vinyl double-pane units, nothing extravagant, but made sure they had low-E coating and argon gas fill. Noticeable improvement in comfort and a decent drop in heating bills. Gradually tackled the rest over a couple years to spread out costs. Worth considering if budget's tight.
Did the same thing here a few years back—started with the draftiest windows first and worked my way around slowly. Honestly, even just replacing a couple of the worst offenders made a huge difference in comfort. Didn't go high-end either, just decent double-pane vinyl with low-E coating. It was surprising how much warmer the room felt right away, and I wasn't reaching for extra blankets every evening anymore. Spreading out the cost over a couple years was definitely easier on the wallet, too. You're on the right track tackling the worst ones first...you'll notice the improvement pretty quickly. Hang in there, it's worth it.