by Roxanna Latifi
Unless you were one of the lucky ones who bought a Fairmount home with windows already restored, you can probably tell how windy it is outside from the comfort of your couch. Old windows that have been left to deteriorate or left to the bonds of paint and screws are not our friends in the winter and they can be a real headache when neglected. But the silver lining in all of this is knowing the adverse effects of neglected windows can be reversed.

If you’re like me when I first moved in, I stared at the windows that had what seemed to be 10 layers of paint on them. Blue, white, green, off-white, tan, then more white layered on top just showed how previous owners opted to leave the windows to be taken over by paint. My windows became sealed shut in what looked like they were swallowed by globs upon globs of paint. Then I had other windows that had not been painted in decades which resulted in wood rot leaving the frames to fall apart. And I can’t leave out the many windows that had screws in the frame to keep them shut.

But I knew under all that paint (or soon to be bonded wood where there was none) and screws were strong windows that someone made – by hand – with lumber that cannot be found in today’s market. I knew these windows were a form of art and not mass-produced or machine made. I knew they were made to last for generations. And I knew all of those factors not only gave me a one of a kind feature in my historic house but also quality.

So before you give up and resort to ripping out your old wooden windows, consider this:

1. They just don’t make ’em like they used to – Made from old lumber, these windows where made from solid pieces of some of the strongest wood of its era and time. Today’s replacement windows tend to need repairing within just a few years, whereas historic wood windows are designed to be easily repaired piece by piece rather than ripped out entirely and replaced. Just think of how much energy and materials you are saving.

2. They are practical – Keep your old windows painted to protect and preserve the wood. Paint to protect the wood but do not paint them shut for that Band-Aid effect that only results in hard to remove layers over the years. Keep wood protected from rot and your windows will stay intact.

3. They are appropriate – Original windows are, well, original. Being that they are the feature that the house was built with means it is fit for that house. Someone, not something, made your windows by hand. The hand-poured glass gives your windows that “wavy” look and is unique to the structure and era when your house was built. This one of a kind feature is not found in the homes of today.

4. They are long lasting – With solid lumber, craftsmanship and a design that was made to last, your original windows will last generations with the proper care. They were not cheaply made or mass produced. So keeping your windows well-functioning and protected will keep them for the next hundred years.

Hopefully, I’ve pled my case and you can see the value in restoring your windows. The thought of restoring might be overwhelming, but I easily found two good articles that break down not only the process but also troubleshooting old window issues to get you started:

Thomas Baker wrote a piece for This Old House magazine and it is a great place to start trouble-shooting: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20228807,00.html. I also recommend an article I found at Old House Online which recommends reglazing your windows to keep the design efficiency they were made to have: http://www.oldhouseonline.com/repair-a-wood-window-in-12-steps/