Cardboard’s always tempting in a pinch, but yeah, it just turns to mush. I’ve used cedar shims too—easy to slide in, and they don’t swell up like pine...

Extra drywall or mass-loaded vinyl definitely makes a difference, but it’s not as dramatic as folks sometimes hope—unless you’re dealing with really t...

I hear you on the reliability thing—old-school windows rarely let you down, unless the crank strips or something. But honestly, I’ve installed a few o...

Trim’s a sneaky one—sometimes you get lucky and it pops off clean, other times it splinters like nobody’s business. I usually factor in the cost of at...

Not to rain on the parade, but I’ve seen a lot of folks jump straight to triple-pane, high-end windows expecting a huge drop in their bills, and then ...

That’s a classic case with older homes—once you tighten everything up, the moisture’s got nowhere to go. I see this a lot, especially with 1920s-50s b...

Yeah, double-cell shades are definitely worth the extra cost if your afternoons get brutal. One thing I'd add—make sure your vinyl windows have decent...

Those plastic shrink-wrap kits do help, but yeah, they're a hassle and sometimes don't hold up all winter. If you're looking for something more perman...

Epoxy putty definitely holds up well, but honestly, I've had good luck with automotive body filler too. I had a job last summer replacing windows on a...

Brand definitely matters, but honestly, proper flashing and sealing techniques are usually more critical than the window itself. I've seen high-end wi...