New Windows: What’s Hot, and What’s Not

by homeownernut

You’re ready to enjoy the weekend when you find refinishing windows on your “Honey Do” list. Forget about kicking back on the couch, you’ll be sanding and painting window frames. You could skip this unfortunate scenario if you had vinyl window frames instead of wood windows. Figure it this way: you use things made of plastic for everything else, so why not install plastic framed windows, too?

Check out this before and after photo.

photo credit; http://www.vinylreplacementwindows.org

Vinyl windows replace old corroded aluminum or weather beaten wood windows with cool new frames. There will be no more window refinishing (and hence, more time for doing what you really want to do) as vinyl windows can’t be repainted. They typically come in neutral colors so that you can convert your home’s exterior color from apricot to aqua, and the window frames will still work.

Window Shopping
The popularity of vinyl windows is largely due to their lower cost as compared to other frame materials. Durability and low maintenance are also positives unless you are a weekend warrior who actually enjoys repairing. sanding, and painting window frames while inhaling the noxious aroma of varnish or paint. To be fair, there are a couple of things that make vinyl windows potentially not so cool:

• If you’re restoring a historically or architecturally significant home, there may be no way that white-framed vinyl windows are going to work in this context; you’ll need to flatten your wallet or melt your credit card on authentic replicas of your home’s original windows. This likely requires wood or steel frames, both of which are pricey when compared to vinyl.
• Some critics (how dare they) find that vinyl frames are thick and allow for less glass surface. This reduces natural light and may limit the view.
The cost of replacement windows can be minimized; installing vinyl windows can help save money and time better spent on the golf course, shopping for cool stuff, or at your secret fishing spot.