The beauty of a replacement window is that it will leave the existing interior trim intact and the existing buck frame of the old window in place and intact! This reduces your time and concern about the home immediately.

You are going to have to measure beforehand to get a proper fit, so that means you are going to be measuring to the existing buck frame so you can get that replacement window built to within about an eighth of inch of the width and an eighth of inch of the height of the smallest measurement, top middle and bottom.

As for removing the sashes before the installation, you can either cut the interior stops or the exterior stops, depending on your preference. However, for an older home, I would suggest that you remove the sashes from the outside, to avoid any interior damage to the paint for example.

Once you cut the exterior stops, remove the storm window, if you have one. Put the top sash halfway down and the bottom sash halfway up, and if they have the old aluminum tracks, just fold them around the sashes and then just yank the sashes out from the outside. Everything inside has been left intact.

Now, you are ready to install your new replacement window. Since there are a series of important steps, I do have the window installation steps outlined with photos on my website. It’ll be much easier than trying to visualize my set of written instructions!

Either way, cleaning the glass is easy once you have your windows open and positioned to clean, but don’t forget to lubricate the window tracks when the sashes are open. If you spray the outside and inside tracks on both sides of the window with a silicone window lubricant, they will continue to operate with ease for you until the next cleaning.

The main reason why you should just re-install the window is this: every glider window has an internal drainage systems in the bottom track. So, if the drainage system with its weep holes is not where it belongs, which is at the bottom of the window, that track is just going to fill up with water, which will overflow and leak down inside your wall rather than drain out the weep holes. This may be happening already…

This is bad for three reasons: (1) Your window will never function properly as is, (2) this is definitely going to void your warranty and (3) it’s going to cause damage to your house because it’s not draining properly.

Believe me, it’s must easier (and cheaper) to re-install the window!

The high transparency screen is made of a stainless steel mesh that has a finer weave and is made of a thinner fiber. You may be able to purchase a finer mesh material and have it stretched over your existing frames. I don’t know if that is possible. Keep me posted if you do locate a solution so I can pass it along to our readers.

First of all, you are simply going to lose on energy efficiency. The reason being is that when you put blinds between glass you really cannot create a “sealed” space. The best energy-efficient windows still consist of two pieces of glass with a gas fill sandwiched in between to slow down heat loss. You lose the seal once you introduce another element in the space. And it’s valuable space too, being taken up by a blind!

So in order to achieve the same energy efficiency you enjoy with a regular energy-efficient window without blinds in between, you have to go to a triple pane window. Once you do that, your cost factor is going to soar. They’re expensive. And let’s not forget that they are still not sealed where the blind is! The triple pane construction is actually a storm panel butterfly-clipped on.

Other reasons? Plenty. If something goes wrong with the blinds between the glass, you are going to experience some difficulties in terms of repair, and if you ever decide to change the décor and you need to change the window treatments, you are stuck with the color and design. In both cases you are most likely looking at replacing the whole window.

Frankly, the whole blinds between the glass fad has become a bit of a dinosaur, thanks to all the problems and issues people have experienced with them.

A much better (cheaper in the long run) option I suggest is to hire a window treatment consultant or an interior decorator and just explore all the wonderful window treatment options you could possibly get for your windows. There is so much choice out there these days, why limit yourself with a blinds-between-the-glass window!

You also need to know that these caps represent the new “lifetime limits” and are retroactive to 2005. So if you’ve taken some deductions already, you may have used your share. Check with your tax advisor.

And bear in mind that all the previous caveats and restrictions still apply, which means that eligibility for the tax credit depends on two things:

•    Only qualifying windows and doors that were purchased and installed on an existing home that was your principal residence are eligible, which excludes new construction and rental properties, and
•    Not all Energy Star products are automatically eligible. Your new windows and doors must have a U-Factor of .30 or less and a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of .30 or less. This info is easily found on the NFRC label that would have been on your window and/or door at the time of purchase/installation.

Remember, too, that the tax credit does not include the installation costs. But, if you made an eligible energy-saving product purchase in 2011, then just gather up your paperwork and file your claim when you file your taxes. It’s worth it, because you could still reduce your tax bill and save yourself some money.

I tell you precisely what you need to do to submit a claim this tax season in my article “Don’t Forget to Claim Your Energy Tax Credit!”

A customer recently showed me a sales agreement from Pella that only gave you five days in which to inspect the windows and inform them of any defects—in writing. And if you fail to inform them of a defect within those five days, it says you’ve taken “final acceptance” of the goods. And that leaves little recourse if, say, you do happen to find a cracked frame or crooked sashes a week later. Final is final, and those windows are your responsibility!

It doesn’t work that way at Mr. Rogers. Take for example one recent customer who notified us of a problem after his windows were installed—the bottom sash rails were not fitting right. In fact, the left side was almost 100% misaligned, and not just one window either—all nineteen! Our rep got right on it. He inspected the windows, took photos and contacted the manufacturer, because these windows weren’t up to the company’s usual high standards.

Turns out it was a case of faulty equipment at the factory causing the problem. But by working together, Mr. Rogers Windows and Renewal by Anderson resolved the problem, replacing all of the bottom sashes promptly, with little concern from the homeowner who trusted it would be handled.

Look, we’re not perfect—no one is—but what the guarantee at Mr. Rogers Windows tells you is this: we will work to make it perfect—and we don’t stop until it is perfect. Your problems are our problems. Five days later or five years later. That’s the attitude that guides our entire team.

If you want to read more about the story, check out my new web article!

Another option for side-by-side casement windows is a gliding window. Gliding windows can appear like double hungs in a wide space and they increase the glass area by eliminating the wood frame in the center. Even picture windows can be effective, depending on whether you open your windows or not. Creative solutions to window replacement can save you money and give you a more desirable outcome.

Depending on your location, the best way to explore creative window replacement options is to work with a window design consultant. You are under no obligation to purchase from them, however, you will benefit from spending a few hours with an expert like this who can give you great ideas, with the knowledge and experience of what works.

You will get your questions answered, a quote for the project you design, and plenty of workable ideas and solutions. Appointments like this are free and well worth the time and effort. Although there is plenty of information on the Internet, having an expert in your home is far more valuable in this case.

Let me explain.

Most window replacements involve removing an existing window and inserting a replacement window. During the installation, we take out the sashes and track, but leave the buck frame, the brick molding and the interior trim intact. By “buck frame” we just mean the core frame of your window, you know, the “openings” in which your windows and doors are set. Then we cap over the brick mold with the maintenance-free coil stock. The existing sill stays too, and it is also capped with the maintenance free material.

When we do a full frame installation, all of the existing window is removed, all the way down to the 2 by 4s of the house. In other words, the buck frame is removed. We call what’s left the “rough opening.” We’ve taken out the sashes, the sills, as well as the exterior and interior trims.

So with a full frame window installation, everything gets replaced! Including your interior trim, which will be unfinished, so you will have to decide whether to stain or paint it. But you are getting a fully assembled window, with the exterior brick molding pre-assembled.

Now, when do you want to do a full frame replacement? It’s really up to you, but there are a couple of situations where full frame may or may not be the right choice.

First, if there is a significant amount of deterioration or wood rot, a full frame replacement is highly recommended.

Second, if you live in a heritage home, full frame installations are not typically permitted. That’s because the historical society really doesn’t want to see any alterations or changes done to the exterior trim of the home—their priority is preservation!

But another determining factor might be price. Full frame installations are more time consuming and require more detailed manufacturing and materials, therefore they’re going to cost you a little more. (20-25% on average).

Read more about full frames versus inserts in my latest article!