The Top Three Benefits of Replacement Windows

Home remodeling got a riot of national exposure during the housing bubble; when four different networks were doing programs on the basic theme of “Flip This House”, it was definitely a sign to get out of the housing industry until things cooled off. That being said, only a fraction of American homeowners are having problems with their mortgages; for most of the people who live in their homes directly, there are still a lot of benefits to doing home improvements.

One of the most cost effective home improvements you can make is replacement windows for your home. They have an initial cost that’s a bit daunting ? you can easily spend $12,000 or more replacing the windows on a house ? but they are, after bathroom and kitchen remodels, one of the most enduring in terms of improving the sale value of your house.

Of course, if you’re not going to try to sell your house, a window replacement is somewhat harder to justify. Here are some tips that will make the process easier. Think of these as benefits for window replacement. They’re also a good excuse to think strategically about your home ownership.

The first benefit was mentioned earlier: Resale value padding. Now, boosting the resale value on your home is a chancy thing, but window replacement tends to retain its value add for a longer stretch of time than putting in a new bathroom or kitchen if you’re actually living in the home in question.

The second benefit is also financial: New windows ? especially ones made after LEEDs certification became all the rage ? can make significant energy differences in your house’s efficiency. You’ll burn less electricity or fuel oil heating the place in the wintertime, and a lot less electricity cooling it in the summer.

The typical ‘time for payback’ on new window installation in reduced energy costs depends heavily on where you live and other factors (like how much shade your house gets, and local climate variation). However, it’s not unusual for places with either cold winters or hot summers to see the window installation pay for itself in under two years.

The third benefit is psychological; putting in new windows means you can correct faults in the original home design. You can put in windows that let in more light, or are placed a bit differently, to better situate how the house is used by you and your family. An architect’s saying is that all buildings are predictions, and all predictions are wrong on some particulars. Window installation is one of the places where you can easily adjust how the house works as a living space.

Whatever your reasons for doing a window replacement, this is one of the best investments you can make in your home, both financially and psychologically.