Older and Historic House Window Installation: Wood or Vinyl?

November 27, 2010

If you own an old or historic home there will come a time when you must make a decision about your old and drafty windows. But you may wonder if you should spring for the extra cost and purchase wood replacement windows, or save money (and window maintenance) with vinyl windows.

There is no right or wrong choice, unless you want to be historically accurate (in which case wood replacement windows would be the best option). But in a nutshell, here are the pros and cons of both.

Wood Replacement Windows, Pros and Cons

It may seem that wood would be the best--and most historically accurate--choice for restoring windows in an old house. But wood windows are high maintenance when compared with vinyl replacement windows. Remember that wood windows will need painting or sealing-- not just when they are installed but whenever they need it (which could be every few years). Most wood windows are now clad in vinyl on the outside of the house to eliminate the maintenance issues on the outside of the house, but the inside will always need upkeep. Wood windows are also more expensive than vinyl windows--twice as costly. On the other hand, a big plus is that wood windows have a certain appeal and warmth, particularly in an old or historic home. You can't duplicate the rich look of a wood window stained and varnished with a vinyl window.

Vinyl Replacement Windows, Pros and Cons

While vinyl windows are not the least bit historically accurate for old homes, they do have the advantage of costing about half the price of wood replacement windows. Vinyl windows will never need painting--but don't expect to get a wide selection of colors. Most come in white and a limited range of earth tones--which may not fit in with the color scheme of your house. While vinyl windows may not have the historic look or feel of wood, they serve the practical purpose of providing good insulation from heat and cold, and are a step up from drafty old windows. If you opt for vinyl windows, make sure you pick a high quality vinyl window for your house window installation project so that the quality will not detract from the historic look of your older home.

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