Are All-Wood Replacement Windows Appropriate for Minneapolis Homes?

When most people hear the word ‘window’, they picture something made of wood, most often the traditional double-hung window.  Most of the older homes around the Minneapolis area – unless they’ve had the original windows replaced – have wood windows.  It’s almost always the case if it is a historic home.  But it might surprise people to find out just how far back alternatives go:

Popular Alternatives to Wood Windows

• Aluminum windows date back to the 1860s, but they didn’t become popular in the U.S. until about 1930.  Many historic buildings still have aluminum windows.  (We don’t recommend them; we feel there are other alternatives that will hold up better to our climate.  But aluminum windows are generally the least expensive.
• Vinyl windows became popular in the 1960s, first as replacement windows.  By the 1980s, they began to be used in new construction.  While the quality of vinyl windows is all over the place, and we don’t recommend ‘cheap’ vinyl windows because our harsh temps can cause problems with them, quality vinyl replacement windows like the ones we install from ProVia are great for Minneapolis homes.  They are more economical than alternatives like fiberglass.
• While fiberglass as a product has been around longer than vinyl, it wasn’t until about 2000 that fiberglass replacement windows were introduced. (They are also very popular for new construction.)  We highly recommend fiberglass windows from Marvin – fiberglass is an excellent choice  for our climate.  It’s strong, durable, and resistant to damage.  
• Another category – wood windows with exterior cladding – hit the market about the same time as vinyl windows.  This relatively new category emerged as an improvement on wood windows; homeowners could choose windows with beautiful wood interiors but with exterior cladding such as aluminum or vinyl that could protect the wood surface and create a virtually maintenance-free exterior.  All our major window suppliers, including Weather Shield, offer wood windows with exterior cladding.  (Marvin’s Ultimate® line of wood windows offers the option to have a clad exterior instead of wood.)

When Are Wood Replacement Windows a Good Choice?

With few exceptions, we believe replacing your existing windows with wood is not a good idea.  However, if you’ve got a historic home and a few of your windows are in bad shape, we may recommend wood replacements to preserve the architectural integrity of the home.  (It may even be that if your home is in a historic district that wood may be your only option.)  In these situations, our suggestion is to protect the exterior of those windows as well as add to their energy efficiency by having Mon-Ray storm windows installed.  We specialize in windows for historic homes, and we’ve handled numerous projects like this.

If you love the look of wood windows, why not schedule a consultation with us, either in your home or at our Savage window and door showroom.  We’d be happy to show you the options we have available.  We serve the greater Minneapolis area and specialize in the installation of energy-efficient replacement windows and exterior doors.

Window Outfitters is a premier Window Replacement, doors, siding contractor and installer. As Contractor in the St Paul, Minneapolis, (Twin Cities) Minnesota (MN) metro, we proudly serve, but are not limited to, the following areas: Minneapolis Energy Efficient Vinyl Windows, Replacement Window Contractors Minnesota, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Lakeville, Savage, Bloomington, Edina, Richfield, Eagan, St Paul, Hastings, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Eden Prairie, Farmington MN, Chaska, Shakopee, Chanhassen, Victoria, Mendota Heights Anderson Windows Minneapolis, Marvin Windows Minneapolis.