This post is long over due & is inspired by a first time buyer couple that I’m working with.  We’ve been looking at a handful of pre-40’s homes with various interpretations of owners updating, renovating and expanding their properties, often missing the mark and creating a mish mash of a maze of rooms, added on with no rhyme or reason along with a bizarre conglomeration of architectural styles/periods (IE: shiney marble floors & gilt gold crown molding in a Spanish style home; truly a “what were they thinking?” remodel for a home listed at over a million dollars in the Sunset district).

This missing the mark in vision is especially true with homes in district 10, many of which, in my opinion, require taking rooms down to the studs and starting over with reconfiguring the floor plan which has been so badly botched with bad remodeling; not good first time buyer homes unless there is a contractor in the family.

The latest home we saw a few days ago actually has very good bones including a nicely flowing floor plan, original arts and crafts bungalow details including wood paneling in the living/dining room; original light fixtures, and an updated kitchen & bathrooms.  Even though vinyl windows have been installed at this bungalow, at least they are at the rear of the property.

I’m not one to be shy about my opinion and strongly recommended that if my clients were to purchase this property that they either refurbish the original wood double hung windows at the front of the house (curb appeal is so important & refurbishing is an eco-friendly & less expensive approach) or replace with new dual paned double hung wood windows or aluminum clad exterior/wood interior windows.

In my opinion, vinyl windows just don’t do most properties justice in enhancing architectural details or creating better curb appeal.  Vinyl windows come in just a few colors (most people seem to choose white) & can’t be painted which limits the exterior color palette.

Personally, I love aluminum clad exterior/wood interior windows and have installed a few from Marvin at my home.  The aluminum cladding comes in several colors and it’s very durable and requires no painting unlike wood.  My understanding is there is better thermal insulation with wood/aluminum clad windows as well.

Here are a couple of before/after pics of window replacement on a Spanish Revival home.  Click on photo for full size viewing.

Even though there is  a little more cost with al clad windows vs. vinyl windows, the labor is typically the priciest part of any work on a property, so why not spend a little more money if it’s in one’s budget for a better quality, longer lasting and more esthetically pleasing product?

I recommend before embarking on a pricey project to get input from your Realtor to confirm that you’re not over improving your property for the neighborhood or over personalizing either especially if your plan is to sell at some point in the near future.

Related posts:

Blocking an unattractive view with window film

Eco-Friendly Driveway

The Beauty of Marmoleum