Repair or Replace? Thoughtful Solutions to Your Home’s Window Problems

Now that the weather is getting cooler, you might have noticed a few drafts sneaking through the windows of your home. You might be thinking that it’s time to replace your windows – and that may, in fact, be the case – but a quick repair might be the best way to handle your window worries.

Here are a few solutions to common window problems that homeowners deal with daily.

Broken Windowpanes

Causes: Abrasive cleaning agents, Little Jimmy’s baseball

Symptoms: Chips, scratches or chips in the glass.

Repair Cost: Replacement glass for a broken windowpane typically costs between $3 and $14 per square foot. Replacing the sash or frame that secures the glass will cost between $40 and $250.

Repair or Replace? If the damaged window is made with a relatively inexpensive material like vinyl, it would make sense to replace the window. If your windows are vintage, multi-pane or very expensive it would make more sense to have them repaired.

Rotting Wood

Causes: Wood frames can rot when they are insufficiently seasoned or painted incorrectly. If you live in a wet, humid region of the United States, the weather can also cause rot. Other issues like your sprinkler system showering the windows with water can also cause rot.

Symptoms: Water and/or air leaking into your home.

Repair Cost: The price to repair rotted windows depends greatly on how much the windows have rotted. Completely rotten frames will require you to remove and rebuild them, which can cost as much as $300-$700 (about the same amount to replace them outright). You can repair small areas of rot using epoxy, which will set you back around $25.

Repair or Replace? If your rot damage is limited to a small area, it makes the most sense to hit them with some epoxy for a quick fix. However, if your wooden window frames are completely rotten, replacing them is going to be your best option.

Stuck Windows

Causes: Windows that don’t operate correctly usually do so because the window hardware is broken, there is grime or dirt wedged in the window track, or the sashes have been painted shut on accident.

Symptoms: Windows do not open and close correctly or are stuck shut altogether.

Repair Cost: The cost to repair stuck windows is minimal, especially if you just need to break the paint seal, which can be done with a putty knife. Likewise, cleaning out the window tracks basically free, except for the time it takes to complete the task. If you’re having trouble and need to bring in a handyman, you’re looking at labor costs between $50 and $200, depending on experience.

Repair or Replace? In this case, it makes the most sense to repair the stuck windows yourself since this can be done with little to no cost. However, if you’re dealing with older windows, finding replacement parts might be difficult. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s time to shop around for replacement window quotes.

Important Note: If your windows were installed before 1978, there’s a good chance the windows were painted with lead paint. In this case, it’s important to hire an experienced professional to fix the windows, to avoid possible health issues.

Window Drafts

Causes: If you notice a draft or wind coming from your windows, the most common causes stem from old weather stripping, a loose sash, cracked caulking or wood that has rotted.

Symptoms: Drafts of air rush in and out of gaps in the frame of your windows.

Repair Cost: If your windows are wooden and you find that they are rotting, refer to our first entry above. If you’re dealing with caulking or weather-stripping issues, the cost to repair is cheap: around $2 for a tube of caulk and between $8-10 per foot of weather stripping.

Repair or Replace? If your windows are completely rotted, it makes sense to have them replaced. If not, it’s more cost-efficient to repair cracked calking or inefficient weather stripping.

Professional Window Repair and Replacement in Charleston, SC

Complicated repairs and window replacement services are best left to the pros – especially a team of experts with years of experience like you’ll find at Storm Guard Roofing and Construction of Charleston SC. If you know you’ve got a problem, but don’t know the best course of action in finding a solution, let us take a look and see what your best options are. Our goal is to help you find the best solution for your situation, whether it’s repairing or replacing your windows. Give us a call at (843) 642-8608 to get started today!