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Little-Known Reasons to Consider Replacement Windows

ByAmy Fedele Posted onApril 4, 2012March 13, 2021 Updated onMarch 13, 2021 Other

If you’re considering replacing your windows, you may be wondering what the process is like and if it’s really beneficial to do so. How many years do windows last anyway? In this article I’ll cover all of the basics plus touch on some little known reasons as to WHY you may consider replacement windows that may make you a bit more excited about calling a contractor.

The first step is to call a few local window companies to get some quotes on vinyl replacement windows. I like to get quotes from at least 3 different companies so I have some numbers to compare. Check out my project planning worksheets to see how I lay this all out.

Each window company will come to your home to measure the windows for you. They will then be able to give you an accurate quote on pricing. While the “window guy” was measuring my windows, it was also a good opportunity to get to know him and bounce some ideas off of him about the layout of the windows. Use this opportunity to ask the pros what they would do and get some ideas that you may not have thought of. There’s so much you can learn from free consults like this.

So, why should you consider replacement windows? Here are a few reasons you may not have thought of!

To Customize / Change Your Window Style

Vinyl replacement windows are also used because they are affordable with a wide range of styles and easily customizable. They even come in a variety of colors, so you’ll never have to paint or stain them.

Remember, just because they are “replacement” windows, does not mean that they have to operate in the same way. For example, I have large 3-pane picture windows in my living room and front bedroom (the front of the house). The side panes are very narrow and open using a crank mechanism, while the large middle picture window does not open or close. When discussing these windows with my window guy, we decided to make the narrow windows a little wider and set them up as double hung windows flanking a picture window.

Types of Replacement Window Styles

Vinyl windows come in a wide array of styles:

Single Hung: Traditional in appearance, single hung replacement windows slide vertically, reminiscent of old-style sash windows. They also open without using any exterior or interior space.
Double Hung: Both top and bottom sashes open and the sashes tilt inward for easy cleaning of the interior and exterior window pane! These are a great option for upper floors, where cleaning the glass from the outside can be dangerous or just plain impossible.
Horizontal Sliding: Popular for an easy-opening solution over kitchen counters and sinks and for providing a contemporary look. Opens without using any exterior or interior space. Horizontal sliding windows are best used for shorter-height windows.
Double Horizontal Sliding: This is the same as the horizontal sliding option, except both ends slide open without using any exterior or interior space.
Picture: Maximize your view in living rooms, dining rooms and master bedrooms with a picture window. Picture windows do not open, so it’s helpful to combine them with other types of windows on the sides to get better ventilation.
Radius/Arch: Radius windows, also known as arch window, this window has a half circle on top of a regular rectangular shaped window, creating a dramatic effect.
Casement: These provide excellent ventilation, has no rail to obstruct views and puts the screen on the inside where it doesn’t get as dirty. These windows open outward, usually with a crank mechanism.
Awning: These windows are hinged on the top to tilt outward and to enable ventilation. A lot of homes have awning windows as an accent above or below picture windows.
Bay/Bow: Bay or Bow windows give the illusion of a bigger interior space because they curve, or bow outward. This leaves room inside for a nice shelf/bench area under the window.
Jalousie: These are a nice option for porches and sunrooms or in regions with mild winters and are available with multiple glass options or cedar slats. Their louvers (glass slats) open easily and close tight.

As you can see, opting for replacement windows can actually make your windows function a lot better, too.

To Make Window Maintenance Easier

Vinyl replacement windows are virtually maintenance free… except for cleaning. Choosing the right replacement window can make your annual spring cleaning so much easier.

When I was a kid, cleaning the windows was a full day job because our home had a lot of windows and they weren’t at ground level. We had to clean the windows from the inside, then literally get on a ladder and go around the house cleaning the outsides of the windows. The screens had to be removed, too. It was a big chore and sometimes difficult to reach all of the windows along the outside of the house because of sloping ground and landscaping in the way.

Finally, my parents replaced their windows with new vinyl windows. These windows easily “tilt in” so that you can clean both sides of the windows from the inside of the house. Now it takes much less time and is safer to clean the windows.

To Enlarge Windows & Let in More Light

Window enlargement before & after — “Cut Down” Window Enlargement is when you increase the size of your windows by cutting “downward” from the existing window. It works well if you have windows that are sitting high on the wall, like in this photo. Cut downs let in more light, give you a larger window without having to deal with any structural issues.

You can also choose to enlarge your windows when you are getting replacements. Obviously, getting replacement windows to fit your existing window size is the most cost effective option, but you should also consider enlargement.

If you opt for a “cut-down” enlargement, you don’t have to deal with structural changes to your home because of the window size. This can be a cost-effective way to let in more light and increase the size of your windows!

Whatever your reason for needing windows, with vinyl windows you’ll definitely be able to find an option that suits your needs. Make sure to read my post about working with a contractor before you move forward with your job!

To Improve the Energy Efficiency of Your Home

I think that improving energy efficiency is a fairly obvious reason to replace your windows, but I wanted to mention it because it can make such a huge difference in the comfort and cost of managing the temperature of your home.

Windows have come a long way over the years and replacing old windows with Energy Star rated ones will really help keep the heat in during the winter and the cool air in during the summer.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) EnergyStar program states that, “Installing ENERGY STAR certified windows, doors and skylights can shrink energy bills — and carbon footprints — by an average of 12 percent nationwide, compared to non-certified products.”

For single-pane window replacement to an energy star certified window, the average U.S. home can save between $101-$583 and 1,006-6,205 pounds of CO₂ (equivalent to 51-317 gallons of gasoline) each year.

Replacing double-pane window replacement with energy star certified windows has a bit less of a return, at $27-197 and 246-2,001 pounds of CO₂ (equivalent to 13-102 gallons of gasoline) each year.

Also, be sure to visit energystar.gov to find out if there are any rebates available in your area.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, there are many pros to choosing vinyl replacement windows for your home. Not only can you choose from many different styles, but you can also enlarge your windows at the same time, which can let in more light and make your home more usable. When I enlarged the window in my office, it really did change the way I use my own home. Because I chose a “cut-down” enlargement option, it was really cost-effective, too.

Cleaning and maintaining vinyl replacement windows is usually much easier. Plus, replacement windows will allow you to reap the benefits of a more comfortable, energy-efficient home that can save you money and reduce your carbon footprint.

Paint Your Front Door the Right Way (My Pretty Purple Door)

ByAmy Fedele Posted onMarch 25, 2012March 3, 2023 Updated onMarch 3, 2023 DIY Projects, Garden, Garden DIY, Garden Inspo

Want to learn how to paint your front door? I finally got around to painting the front door purple. I know, pretty ridiculous since I named this entire blog after this concept. Read More “Paint Your Front Door the Right Way (My Pretty Purple Door)”

Dreaming of a flagstone patio

ByAmy Fedele Posted onMarch 24, 2012January 17, 2020 Updated onJanuary 17, 2020 Garden, Garden Inspo

dycr211_mosaic-patio-after_s4x3_lg — awesome flagstone patio

This morning I saw an episode of Yard Crashers where they created a flagstone patio over an existing damaged concrete patio. It looked really amazing and got me thinking about how to dress up my backyard. This probably won’t be a project until next summer, but it’s definitely something to start gathering ideas about and planning for.

Basically, I have small concrete patio when you walk out of my back door. There is a wrought iron fence around it, and two iron pillars in each corner that hold up a roof. The area is probably about 8ft wide by 6ft long. The concrete along the edges is chipping off and the railing is in pretty rough shape. My thought was to build up some stone pillars in the corners to support the roof, then remove the railing altogether. This gives me the ability to extend the width of the patio the entire length of my house, instead of just 8ft.

Instead of a railing, there would just be a single step down to the right or left of the covered area. In these spaces I would have a level space to put my grill and patio furniture. I think it would be a really neat space. If all goes well with this, a small flagstone path out to a firepit in the yard would also be a nice touch!

Dream big!

How to Clean an Unfinished Basement Ceiling the Easy Way

ByAmy Fedele Posted onMarch 10, 2012March 3, 2023 Updated onMarch 3, 2023 DIY Projects

Today was a very busy day, even though not much progress can be seen. The goal of the weekend is to tackle the unfinished basement. I’m having a housewarming/St. Patrick’s Day party next weekend, and this is the party zone. Here’s our checklist:

Cobwebs on the ceiling... gross.

Clear the cobwebs. The entire basement just needs a whole lotta TLC. My first job was to clear the cobwebs off the rafters. I started with a duster, then moved to a wet rag, and finally settled on using the shop vac to clear the cobbys. This ended up being the fastest easiest way to get rid of them… plus I got to sing Lionel Richie’s “Dancing on the Ceiling” while I did it. Win win.
Even out the floor. There are some parts of the floor that seem to have concrete piled up into lumps along the seams. I’m really not sure why. I think the previous owner was a DIYer like myself, and felt that building it up would fix some issue he was having. Anyway, a chisel and a hammer knocked this junk away, and the floor looks more level already!
My unfinished basement, before painting/cleaning

Clean the floor. The floor is just dirt, and gross. First I vacuumed it the best I could with the shop vac. Then swept, and picked up the bigger things. Then vacuumed it again. Then my mom took over and actually washed the floor with big buckets of soapy water.
Let the light in! All of the windows in the basement are covered by layers of wood and insulation. I removed all the layers, just to see what kind of shape they are in. One is completely filled in from the outside, and one was cracked… but the other two are good. Even the one with the crack in it lets in sooooo much light! It really makes a big difference and soon I will fix up the cracked window. For now, we will just caulk the edges to seal them really good from the elements.
This is the Bat Room after I cleaned up the gross toilet (which we later replaced). We also took down the shower screen.

Fix the toilet in the “Bat Room” — yes, there’s a sign on my basement bathroom door that says “Bat Room” — I think it’s incredibly funny, so I kept it. The toilet seemed to be leaking, and needed some chain adjustments (not to mention a really, really good scrubbing). After doing all we could, we decided to just ditch it and buy a new one 🙂 The bolts were rusted out and the tank was leaking… it just wasn’t salvageable.
Install a new ceiling light in the Bat Room. The current light had a little pull string on it. You then had to grab the light with both hands and gently shake it to get the light to turn on. Not ideal for a party. So, I suggested we put in a light switch and a different overhead light. We got a two pack of ceiling lights at Lowe’s for $20 (I’ll use the other one somewhere else), and my dad rigged it up to a light switch. Switch goes on, and so does the light. Problem solved!!
Remove the shower stall in the Bat Room. Basically, this is just a white screen covering the main waterline to the house. I believe that this type of basement shower was used in the coal mining days, just to get all the heavy filth off a miner so they didn’t dirty up the “nice” bathroom. We yanked out the screen, and down the road I’ve decided to just replace it with the old shower curtain rod from the upstairs bathroom, and an old shower curtain.
Sheetrock the Bat Room. This was my dad’s project while I vacuumed the and cleaned the floors. He put up drywall on the non-exterior wall, which covered up the wiring for the light switch. Taped and spackled, and it’s as good as new.
Paint the Floor. Alright, this is pretty ambitious, and I’ll expand on it in another post. But yes, we decided to also paint the entire basement floor this weekend. Ugh.
This is the completed "Bat Room" -- after the new toilet, painted wall, painted floor, and shower curtain

Paint the Bat Room. The exterior concrete walls were painted with the proper paint. If you are taking on a project like this, make sure you use Masonry paint, and probably a waterproofing one (like Drylock). The freshly sheetrocked wall couldn’t be painted yet. The mud has to dry, but I’m planning on using just an exterior latex paint that I had leftover from a previous apartment. It’s lime green (Sherwin Williams SW6710 Melange Green) — perfect for my St. Patrick’s Day housewarming party! My dad actually asked me if I bought it specifically for that reason. It really was just laying around, but thanks for thinking I’m crazy enough to paint entire rooms for the holidays now. Actually, now that I think about it, that’s a pretty cool idea!

These walls needed some help. A few coats of paint definitely helped.

This is the Bat Room after I cleaned up the gross toilet (which we later replaced). We also took down the shower screen.

This is the main water shut off in the Bat Room. The Coal Miner shower actually runs right from this main water line. Pretty quirky, but I like it.

The Bat Room sign always cracks me up, I think I will frame it!

My unfinished basement, before painting/cleaning

This is the completed “Bat Room” — after the new toilet, painted wall, painted floor, and shower curtain

This is the same light we installed in the basement Bat Room — it was too hard to get a photo of the one down there.

So, I think that’s it. Haha, there were actually many other little projects that we got done this weekend on top of these (organize office, hang pictures, painted shelves, hung shelves, installed spice rack, sanded and washed exterior doors)… busy busy busy!!

My house is wearing eyeliner!!

ByAmy Fedele Posted onMarch 3, 2012June 1, 2016 Updated onJune 1, 2016 DIY Projects

What a long day it was!

My FAVORITE update, though, has to be the black paint we used for the window and door frames. I struggled with this, as the peeling paint I was covering was white. But the house was just screaming for something different. I thought that the black paint would go well with the wrought iron railing, and soon-t0-be-painted black foundation, and black roof. It looks amazing. I’m so happy with it. Like my house is wearing eye-liner! Isn’t she pretty?

In addition to the trim paint, we also parged the foundation (the darker color to the right of the steps is actually wet concrete). This is basically just like putting frosting on a cake… it evens out the bumps and chips. If you are familiar with spackling, it’s the same process, but instead of spackle, we used concrete.

We also fixed a crack in the sidewalk leading up to the house using the same concrete we mixed for the parging. All we did was apply a bonding agent to the concrete that’s already there, to get it to stick.

The Fence is Up!!!

ByAmy Fedele Posted onMarch 3, 2012March 6, 2012 Updated onMarch 6, 2012 Garden

Roxy is a happy lady! The fence gate was installed today. It looks awesome!!!

It’s a chain link fence about 4 ft high, with all the heavy-duty essentials for keeping a super tall 90lb dog contained. She just loves it… and I love making her happy and keeping her safe. She likes to lay in the sun, and explore in the grass, so it’s really nice to let her to that. I think it will help her adjust to the new house a little better (she’s having a tough time still).