Original Steel Casement Windows Often Can Be Restored for Far Less Than the Cost of Replacement Windows
Click here for List of Steel & Bronze Window Suppliers & Restorers
Steel casement windows were widely used in early 20th century
buildings -- both commercial and residential --
and thus have become "historic fabric." When restoring or renovating old
buildings with steel windows, often the Architect or Contractor will take
a look at rusted frames and announce: "These windows MUST
be replaced." This pessimistic advice is often WRONG and EXPENSIVE:
Hundreds of successful projects across the U.S. -- residential, commercial,
and institutional -- have shown that not only can original steel windows
be restored in place, but also that restoration costs less and yields
a higher-quality product than all but the highest-cost premium replacement
metal windows.
RESTORATION: In the past 10 years, a
small group of contractors has
developed the processes and procedures for restoring casement windows.
The technology has been proven on everything from individual residences to
large university buildings. On historic projects, in-situ restoration has
the additional advantage of gaining easy approval from Review Boards because
window restoration retains original building fabric. However, because the
procedure requires a highly specialized
set of skills, before hiring a contractor to recondition original steel
windows you are well-advised to inspect recent examples of the contractor's
work.
DOUBLE-GLAZING: One frequently heard objection to
traditional steel windows is that they
are not energy-efficient and are subject to high heat loss in cold weather.
However, inside-mounting secondary glazing has been successfully used on
many projects to increase the insulating value of steel windows. Several
of the companies on the accompanying
SourceList of Storm Window Suppliers have experience with retrofitting
secondary glazing to steel casement windows.
SALVAGE: An option midway between restoration and new replacement
metal windows is the use of reconditioned steel windows salvaged from
demolished buildings. Using recycled windows has the advantage of
being a "green" option, and it
invariably costs less than specifying new steel windows of comparable
quality. Most companies that restore steel windows will also have an
inventory of reconditioned salvaged windows. One drawback to
salvaged windows is you may not be able to find the exact size you need.
If possible, it's best to design the openings to the size of the salvaged
windows available.
NEW STEEL WINDOWS: Sometimes new metal windows are a necessity. If
the project is in a historic district, it's particularly important to
see that muntin profiles, size and shape of the panes, operating hardware,
etc. conform to original. When budget is a controlling factor, you
may be able to find replicas made of aluminum that will resemble the
originals closely enough to pass muster.
BRONZE WINDOWS: For seaside environments, bronze windows were often
used instead of steel -- and are still specified for high-end new
construction near salt water. As you'd expect, bronze windows are
considerably more expensive than steel or aluminum windows.
The metal window supplier list contains a few companies that also
do bronze windows.
Each issue of TRADITIONAL BUILDING magazine
contains 15 or more such reports covering products and services used in restoration,
renovation, and historically inspired new construction. If you would
like to subscribe, please visit our
subscription
page.
Click here for List of restorers and suppliers of steel, bronze
and other metal windows
Click here for Previous Product Reports
| Resources | Subscriptions | Advertising
