Learning About Historical Window Replacement and Materials

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Reusing Window Frames When You Buy Window Replacements

29 February 2016

Isaiah Brewer

When you buy window replacements for the older windows in your home, you may be wondering if you should keep the window frames themselves. After all, keeping the original frames means that the windows will pop in and out of place easier when you are removing the old windows and installing the new ones. Here are some other advantages and disadvantages of using the old window frames.

Advantages

Your window contractor or sales and installation expert will measure the old windows before ordering new windows for you. That means the new windows will be the same dimensions and will fit perfectly in the frames you already have. It also means that you will spend less time and money constructing new frames for the new windows. Unless you are planning to expand a window space to accommodate a larger picture window or bay window, you do not have to incur the expense of a separate contractor to create the larger opening and the larger frame to hold the bigger window.

Disadvantages

Older window frames may be made of wood, and therefore may have some wood rot. Wood rot needs to be removed or treated before the new windows are installed, but unfortunately you probably will not know that you have a wood rot problem until the old windows are removed. Ergo, it may take longer to install the new windows if you have to halt the process to treat, remove or replace the affected window frames.

Some older window frames may also be affected by house settling issues. In this case, part of the house settles and shifts downward into the soil and the foundation, causing rakish tilts to the old window frames. You can easily tell if you have this problem by looking at the window to see if part of it slants down one direction, placing a bubble level on the sash and on the bottom of the frame (the bubble will not sit within the red lines, which indicates that the frame is not straight, level or even), or by placing a marble on one end of the frame and watching to see if it rolls downhill the opposite direction.

If you have this problem, you will need to replace your window frames with the windows; otherwise your new windows will have some difficulty during installation. They will not squeeze into the space properly because the frame itself is slightly bent out of shape. Because you would not want the new windows to be bent out of shape to accommodate the old frames, adjustments would need to be made before the new windows can be installed. Contact a business, such as Window Planet, for more information.   

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