Yeah, manual override is a must-have for me too. I looked into View and SageGlass when we bought our place last year. SageGlass seemed technically sol...

Same here on the noise front. We upgraded to double-pane recently, and while it didn't exactly mute the neighbor's lawn mower completely, it's definit...

Yeah, vinyl windows can definitely hold their own in cold climates. I recently bought my first home up here in Vermont, and the previous owner had ins...

Good call on the gutters, but also check your indoor humidity levels. Had similar icing issues—turned out my humidity was way too high. Got a cheap hy...

Yeah, that's exactly what I've been thinking. Curtains definitely help—I put up thermal ones last winter and noticed less condensation—but they're mor...

True, insulated curtains help...but I replaced my old windows last fall and noticed improvements beyond energy bills. Less condensation, quieter rooms...

Glad to hear thermal curtains worked for you. I recently moved into an older house with similar window issues, and I found combining thermal curtains ...

Definitely understand your frustration—I've recently gone through something similar. As a first-time homeowner, I was pretty meticulous about research...

You're definitely not nuts—just cautious, which is smart for a first-timer. I felt the same hesitation before tackling mine. Good call mentioning flas...

We went the upfront route last year. Honestly, it hurt seeing that chunk disappear from savings all at once, but I just couldn't stomach paying intere...