With new home construction down here in the Minneapolis area – as well as the rest of the nation – many people are choosing to buy an existing home instead of building. Prices of building materials have skyrocketed, and in many cases are very difficult to find or take months to order. So for some, it makes more sense to buy an older home. But there’s a catch: a shortage of homes on the market. However, one segment that’s exploding is the historic home, and sales of these types of homes are on the rise. This trend has caught our attention, since we specialize in windows and exterior doors for historic homes.
photo courtesy of ProVia, one of our storm window suppliers
When you purchase an historic home (or even an older one), unless it’s recently been updated, you’re likely to have a long to-do list of things to bring that home up to an appropriate state. One of the first things historic home purchasers encounter is that the doors and windows – beautiful as they may be – let in drafts. That means not only discomfort but high heating and cooling bills.
We get calls often from new buyers who want to talk about replacing those windows. But our first recommendation might surprise you, because for the most part we don’t believe that’s the best solution.
Did you know that replacing the existing windows in an historic home could actually reduce its value?
Taking out original windows and replacing them with modern ones affects the architectural integrity of an historic home. And in some cases – depending on the restrictions of the district your home is located in could even be in violation of those restrictions. (Check out this article as to other reasons why we usually recommend keeping the old windows in an historic home.)
Our solution? Storm windows. We work with two manufacturers – ProVia and MonRay – who offer storm windows that can add the energy efficiency an historic home needs without sacrificing the look of the home. When you have storm windows installed over the existing old windows, you get to keep the gorgeous beauty and traditional charm of those wood windows but you get the comfort and lower heating and cooling bills you want.
So before you start ripping out the existing windows in your newly-purchased historic or older home, give us a call. We’d love a chance to come up with a much better window solution for you and your home. We can help you preserve some of the beauty that led you to choose that home. We are THE replacement window company for historic homes in the Minneapolis area. (We also serve other communities where historic homes are found in our state, such as Rosemount, Fairbault, Stillwater, and St. Paul.)
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.
