Is it Time to Replace Your Windows?

January 12, 2021

Best Homes of SC Blog Sharlan Kozak

People don’t always appreciate all the roles that windows fill in the home. They provide natural light, give you a way to open up and let in some fresh air, and even help regulate indoor temperatures. Many homes even use windows to add a decorative element that is hard to achieve with other forms of decoration. With that said, not all windows are created equal. Some windows use cheap materials to keep costs down. Your old windows may have started out in good shape but ended up showing their age as time goes by. They may have even become damaged or otherwise in need of repair. Regardless of the reason, you might have windows in your home that just aren’t doing what you need them to do. Should you replace them? Here are a few things that you should consider to help you make this decision.

What’s Wrong With Your Windows?

Before rushing in and replacing windows, stop and think about the actual reason that you want to replace them. Do you simply not like the way that they look, or is there a bigger problem? Do the windows leak or have drafts? Is there visible damage to the glass or the window frame? There are a lot of viable reasons why you might replace windows in your home, but if you’re on the fence then it’s worth taking the time to articulate what those reasons are.

Repair or Replace?

In some cases, you might not actually need to replace your windows to take care of your issues with them. If you’re dealing with cracked glass, damaged window frames, or other forms of damage, you might be able to repair the windows at a lower cost than replacing them outright. If repair is an option, try getting some quotes to see whether it’s cheaper in your case to repair than replace.

Consistent Styling

It’s possible that at some point in the past, one or more windows in your home was replaced for some reason. Unfortunately, when that happened there may not have been a lot of care put into matching the replacement with the existing windows. This usually leaves the home with a few windows that stick out like sore thumbs. If you’re tired of certain windows being an eyesore, you might replace them and upgrade to something that more closely matches the other windows in your home. As an alternative, you could also replace all the windows and create a new style that’s all your own.

Improving Energy Efficiency

One big reason for replacing windows is to improve the overall energy efficiency of your home. Modern windows tend to go a lot further toward keeping things warm in the winter and cool in the summer than older windows do. By upgrading your windows to more energy-efficient models you can not only eliminate drafts and take care of other issues, but you can also save yourself a significant amount of money over time.

Replace One or All?

One thing to consider when looking at window replacements is whether you want to only replace certain windows or if you want to upgrade all the windows in your home. Replacing all the windows creates a more uniform style, but it also comes at a significantly higher cost. It’s certainly an option if it fits your budget, but if the price tag is a bit steep then you might also look into only replacing certain windows with similar styles that will closely match the existing windows in the home.