8 Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Home’s Windows

December 9th, 2021

Being a homeowner is a rewarding experience, but it can be tough to keep up on routine maintenance. Your home is much like your car: it requires regular maintenance to keep you comfortable and safe. Also like your car, unless you bought your home brand new, you don’t know the modifications or repairs performed by the previous owner. Something many homeowners overlook is taking care of their windows. Window replacement can solve problems in your home you didn’t even know were caused by faulty or outdated glass or window hardware. Make sure to read up on these eight signs that it’s time to replace windows in your home.

Damage

A windowpane doesn’t need to look like it survived a meteor impact to need replacement. Even one thin crack in a pane of window glass weakens the strength of the whole window. Many homes built before the early 2000s have single-pane windows, which are especially vulnerable to cracks. Modern windows are double-pane, which provide an additional layer of glass to strengthen the window as a whole. Additionally, watch out for damage to your window frames. Soft or decaying wood is an indicator that the frame is not doing its job. Chipped paint on a window frame may seem like no big deal, but it can be a sign of chips in the structure of the frame itself and is worth a closer look. A window is only as strong as its frame, and your frames should be solid and secure.

Moisture

Good windows are built to keep the elements out of your home. If you see beads of water or a buildup of fog between layers of glass or notice moisture on the insides of your windows, they are not doing their job. An easy way to check for moisture problems is to feel the window from inside the house. Panes of glass shouldn’t be especially hot or cold to the touch from inside, and they shouldn’t be wet. Poor installation can cause gaps, and spaces that cause moisture buildup or windows installed long ago might have experienced excessive wear. Regardless of the cause, this kind of moisture is a sign you need a window replacement as soon as possible. 

Loss of Functionality

It is an irritating everyday struggle to have to wrestle with closing and opening old windows. If your windows are a challenge to open and close, don’t stay open or closed, have missing or broken locks, or just don’t work the way you want them to, it might be time to get them replaced. Damaged windows can severely hurt your home’s security. According to statistics collected by the FBI, 23% of reported burglaries in the United States in 2020 happened via window entry. You can safeguard against this happening to you by ensuring your windows aren’t a weak spot.

Drafts

Drafty windows can be easy to find if you feel a breeze every time you stand near your window. A draft happens because there is a gap somewhere between the window and the frame or between the frame and the wall of your home. Other ways to tell if you might have a draft are if your curtains dance around the room when the windows are closed, or you find yourself reaching for a sweater even with the heat on. These drafts mean you wind up turning up the heat in the winter and cranking the AC in the summer. This is not only a sign your windows need to be replaced but also a cause of the next scenario, which is…

High Energy Bills

Have you been shocked at the cost of your heating bill? Do the summers seem unbearably hot as your air conditioning unit works itself harder and harder? Poor insulation caused by old or damaged windows could be the culprit. The double panes in modern windows provide more protection from the elements and are also often insulated with argon or krypton gas between layers. This gas provides an additional barrier that keeps heat in during the winter and out during the summer. Energy.gov states that replacing windows can save a homeowner anywhere between 10-25% on their energy bills. Savings on heating and cooling costs add up big time month to month and can make a huge difference over the years. More energy-efficient windows are also a way to cut back on your carbon footprint. Better window insulation in a house heated by gas, for instance, cuts back on the amount of gas used, helping make the world a greener place.

Noise

Noise can enter your home through walls, doors, and — you guessed it — windows. If you live on a busy street or have noisy neighbors, your windows may be letting in more sound than you realize. Another reason double-pane windows are a superior choice is their noise reduction properties. Two layers of glass with space between them block more noise than a single layer with no sound-insulating qualities. Another reason noise might come in through windows is ill-fitting frames or gaps between frames and glass. Even a small gap, invisible to the naked eye, can make a big difference. If you’re looking to reduce the noise entering your home, consider window replacement as a potential solution.

Exposure to Weather

If extreme weather events happen in your area, you may be in dire need of a window replacement. Gaps, cracks, or fractures in windows enable strong winds to blow straight through a house, and if there is enough pressure, all the windows in the room could shatter. In some cases, the entire roof of the house might come off. Tight-fitting double-pane windows and secure, well-constructed window frames with no gaps are the safer choice for your home. If you feel a breeze during a normal rainstorm, your windows won’t stand a chance when a hurricane rampages through town.

Window replacement in Doylestown, PA, is one of Munz Construction’s most popular services, and with the weather in southeastern Pennsylvania during recent years, it’s no wonder that so many customers want to protect their homes.

Outdated Appearance

If you’re considering selling your home, curb appeal is a phrase you might be familiar with already. But curb appeal applies even to homeowners who’ve had their property for decades and want to entrust it to future generations or first-time homeowners looking for a practical and stylish way to add personal style to their place. Replacing a home’s windows can hugely improve its appearance or shake up its look entirely. Window replacement also significantly increases your property value. 

You deserve to have good windows, and we look forward to window offers and estimates we can make for you. It doesn’t stop just there, however. Installing, replacing, and updating outdated or unsafe windows and doors are just some of our company’s specialties. We also specialize in additions and remodels, kitchens, bathrooms, and more. We want to help you love the home you live in. As we say at Munz, “Don’t Move, Improve!”

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