- Had a similar surprise with my own upgrade—triple pane sounded great until I tried tilting them in for cleaning. Not fun. - Weighing that against en...

- I’m not totally sold on skipping extra caulk, honestly. In my old place (built in the 40s), I had a couple sills rot out fast after I got too cautio...

- Had double-pane low-E put in about 15 years ago—noticed a big difference in drafts and bills right away. - Looked into triple-pane when we redid the...

- Rope caulk’s been my go-to for years, too—nothing pretty about it, but I’d rather have ugly windows than a living room draft that feels like a wind ...

- Not sure I’d trade root tangling for “rotten liners or waterlogged soil any day.” - Had a few years where coir held up, but in my spot (north-faci...

- Keeping one old window sounds like a nice compromise for character. - I’ve noticed, though, that the noise difference is real—sometimes worth the ...

That’s exactly it—sometimes low-tech just wins. Here’s what I’ve noticed after living with both: - Manual cranks: - Never failed me, even during ...

- Can totally relate to the wall fighting back—sometimes feels like the house has a mind of its own. - Older homes just aren’t square, no matter how...

- Tried both oil-based and water-based sealers on my 1950s sills after a good scrub. - Oil-based held up better against moisture, but the smell ling...

Good points about airflow, but a couple other things I've found helpful over the years: - Regularly wiping down window edges during colder months (te...