No shame in picking your battles with old houses—especially when contractors around here are booked out months.
Couldn’t agree more. I’ve seen too many people drop a fortune swapping perfectly salvageable windows just for a small gain, and half the time, the payback takes decades. My trick is air sealing every gap I can find, then layering up with those interior panels or storms. Is it as slick as new triple panes? Not even close. But for the price, it’s hard to beat. And yeah, keeping the character is an underrated bonus.
Totally get where you're coming from. We debated new windows for ages, but in the end just did some weatherstripping and put up those shrink-wrap kits in winter. Not fancy, but it made a bigger difference than I expected. Plus, I kinda love the old glass... quirks and all.
That’s interesting—did you notice any condensation issues with the shrink-wrap kits? I’ve always wondered if those plastic films mess with airflow around the windows too much, or if it’s just in my head. I totally get the appeal of the old glass, especially when the sun hits it and you get those wavy reflections. There’s something kind of charming about it, quirks and all.
I’ve been down the rabbit hole researching window tech, and it’s wild how much the R-value can jump with modern windows, but then I look at the cost and just… nope. Did you find the weatherstripping held up over a few winters, or did it start peeling? I tried one of those foam tapes a couple years back, but it was basically dust by spring.
Honestly, sometimes I wonder if the energy savings would ever offset the price of new windows, especially in an older house. But then again, not having to mess with plastic every winter sounds nice...
Yeah, those shrink-wrap kits definitely get that weird condensation thing going on—especially if you don’t get the seal perfect. I totally relate to the foam tape disintegrating too. Mine basically turned into confetti by March. I keep telling myself new windows would be worth it just for the “no more plastic wrestling” factor, but then I see the price tag and… well, here I am still taping stuff every winter. The old glass is kind of cool though, in a “my house is haunted” sort of way.