One great thing about our house when we purchased it was that it had brand new double hung, tilt wash windows throughout. Well.... except for 4 of the windows, WTF! (= Why The Face..... if you like Phil from Modern Family). Yes, of all the windows in our entire house there are just 4 that the previous owner decided not to update (which seems just plain weird, how much $ did that save anyway)? The 4 windows are on the South facing side of the house, so maybe that was the logic? Anyway, we assume the 4 old windows are original to the house, check out the below picture with the rope pulley system. Has to be 90 years old right?
Here is an example of one of our new windows in the dining room, brand new, functional, and energry efficient, love them!
Since we have 4 old windows, we have to use the ol' Frost King Window Insulation Kit until we're ready to shell out some dough on new windows (and when we do, we'll get to do something cool with the old antique windows once they come down!). We didn't insulate last year because we were so busy with all the other renovating (or we were too lazy to figure it out), and we regretted it with each and every gas bill we received. The highest gas bill from winter (here in Minnesota remember) was just over $300 for ONE month! Crazy pants for our little old house, right?
Here is a shot of Alex adhering and smoothing out the plastic film after he applied the double sided tape.
Next, he tightened and sealed using a blow dryer (seriously, who drempt up this 'technology'; Really, plastic and a blow dryer?). Oh well, it's weird but we hope it works.
Once he was all done with each window, we pulled our wooden blinds back down. You can't even tell the plastic is there other than a little shine at the window frame.
We plan to take a few other steps to make our home a little more energy efficient this winter. A couple ideas include weather stripping for our older doors as well as setting the timer on our thermostat to be on when we are home after work and set to lower temps while we sleep at night. Here's to hoping we don't get a $300 bill at all this winter!
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Great idea....I used the shrink film when I lived in MN. It made a big difference and made the room much more cozy without the cold draft blowing in.
ReplyDeleteOMGosh - Carla! I just popped over to catch up - take a look at my blog post today published at almost the same time. LOL! We think so much alike it's scary! ;) We have half new/half old windows in our house too.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a great Thanksgiving week!
Roeshel
We need to get on that. We have 21 original windows that probably all leak. You're lucky that your blinds are outside the window. Ours are all in the frame so we have to decide "open or closed" for the next 5 months!
ReplyDeleteThat is seriously the most random thing! I guess $$$ would make a person stop 4 windows short?
ReplyDeleteYou are the sweetest...{busiest}...cutest couple. We are having Minnesota weather in the Pacific Northwest today...Have a warm and cozy Thanksgiving now that you have battened your four remaining hatches!
ReplyDeleteOur house is almost 100 yr old and almost every window is original - the pulley style you show. They are drafty. There is an alternative to the plastic. We use a clear caulk that I think is called WinterSeal. It's at Menards. You put it in the cracks, it seals them right up, and in spring you can just peal it off. We have left it in windows we don't use for several years, but sometimes when it's been in that long, it can peel off some of the paint. If you take it out every spring you don't have that problem.
ReplyDeleteHey, there's even another alternative. Since A is handy, you can take the old ones apart, rehang them with the weights, insulate the runs that they hang in, tighten up tracks, and caulk the storms! The result is an OLD window that works like a new one; and is just as energy efficient! Let your sis-in-law know if you want a tutorial. We did it in our Michigan home!
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