| Author | Message | ||
     virgilian Citizen Username: Virgilian Post Number: 174 Registered: 7-2001 |
Sports- I'm glad you bought a house already "updated." Please don't buy another house in Maplewood. | ||
| virgilian Citizen Username: Virgilian Post Number: 175 Registered: 7-2001 |
Greenetree- are you replacing a few every year or all at once? | ||
| sportsnut Citizen Username: Sportsnut Post Number: 836 Registered: 10-2001 |
Again, virgilian I challenge your (faulty) assumption that vinyl siding and windows have depressed housing values. You can't. End of discussion. You're wrong, admit it or get some help. | ||
| virgilian Citizen Username: Virgilian Post Number: 178 Registered: 7-2001 |
Nut: Drive through Newark, Irvington, Union, Springfield, and Maplewood. Look around. My observation is that our most pricey streets have fewer shrink-wrapped homes. Please don't end my discussion, I'm enjoying it. And you are helping me with this problem I have! Thanks-- by being the voice of neglect and degradation I better understand why the town's beauty is being chipped away. | ||
| sportsnut Citizen Username: Sportsnut Post Number: 837 Registered: 10-2001 |
You're welcome. And my home is not neglected or degraded. Now if you can point me to some facts about home values I'll re-consider. | ||
| gj1 Citizen Username: Gj1 Post Number: 5 Registered: 11-2003 |
You can still buy new wood storms and screens. The run a little over $100 a piece for an average sized window and are more efficient than aluminum storms. Check out http://www.oldfashionedwindows.com/ And they're made locally in Newark! | ||
| virgilian Citizen Username: Virgilian Post Number: 180 Registered: 7-2001 |
Sorry there, I got carried away Sportsnut. I have no facts, but I encourage you to empirically observe comps from Burgdorf's and then drive along and see. I know this is time consuming, I'm not going to do it either, but I believe my assertions would come out in the wash. The houses with the highest selling price tend not to be covered with vinyl siding and tend not to have their real windows gouged out for ersatz plastic windows. | ||
| gj1 Citizen Username: Gj1 Post Number: 6 Registered: 11-2003 |
virgilian -- do you change the storms/screens in the spring and fall yourself or have have someone do it for you? What about painting and maintenance of the storms? | ||
| virgilian Citizen Username: Virgilian Post Number: 183 Registered: 7-2001 |
I have a handyman. comes twice a year, when it's time to clean windows too. Works well. | ||
| virgilian Citizen Username: Virgilian Post Number: 184 Registered: 7-2001 |
Coincides with gutter-cleaning time. and the equinoxes, and all of the pagan dancing. | ||
| greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 1956 Registered: 5-2001 |
Virg- I agree with you re: the aesthetics, but I think you are being rather judgemental & mean. I don't like vinyl siding, so I will never buy a vinyl-sided house. I won't call anyone who buys one "trailer park", tho. And it is true that my heart will be broken if any of my neighbors decide to vinyl-side instead of paint. OTOH, there is one house in the neighborhood that has no vinyl siding, yet what the owner has chosen to do is considered hideous & unfriendly by all who surround them. So, there are lots of ways to ruin a house. We are not currently replacing any windows, since we are renovating the kitchen. We will be replacing the back door and putting in patio doors. They will be very high quality, but probably contain some vinyl, and will still cost around $3500. These will be in the back of the house, but when it is time to do the front, we will keep wood in some fashion. | ||
| virgilian Citizen Username: Virgilian Post Number: 186 Registered: 7-2001 |
I'm not mean. I love my town. I love my neighbors. I dislike bad decisions that detract from my town. I hope that my criticisms hit actions rather than people. Maybe they can't-apologies. Sorry for hurting feelings, but it's worth it to bring this subject to light. How can it be talked about without stepping on toes? THIS IS CALLED SOAPBOX. And it's too late when the U S WINDOW FACTORY or SEARS or HOME DEPOT truck pulls up to the neighbor's curb. | ||
| millie amoresano Citizen Username: Millieamoresano Post Number: 17 Registered: 11-2003 |
Pella makes windows that are all wood on the insde and primed wood on the outside these windows are from their architect series but they do cost alot of money. | ||
| virgilian Citizen Username: Virgilian Post Number: 187 Registered: 7-2001 |
greenetree- put the wooden side of everything you're doing facing toward my house. There are many ways to ruin a house, yes. None as pervasive right now as the low-grade windows. Bulk, massing issues are important but they seem obvious, are often discussed, so I pipe down. | ||
| JGTierney Citizen Username: Jtg7448 Post Number: 123 Registered: 6-2003 |
We are a two architect household and we've decided to keep our original windows. Why? Well, we like how they look. And we have decided to try to fix them one by one. What's the rush? I read an article on rehabbing windows that posed this question: Do you not like your original windows or do you not like them because they don't function as they were meant to? No one would be removing the things if they functioned. You can put in new chains yourself and put weather stripping on. I'll put new window locks on as well. We will invest in new storms. The ones we have are old and look terrible. I just don't have the heart to put in new ones. And we would not recoup the cost of wood replacement windows. I guess I'm sentimental. They don't make things like they used to....I chose to live in this town for that reason. Maplewood is planned as suburbs were meant to be. It has a center, is transit oriented, people use the sidewalks. My old house is a part of that... | ||
| jrbell Citizen Username: Jrbell Post Number: 34 Registered: 10-2003 |
Check the thread section, virg, this is home fix it, not the soapbox. I just bought a home in MW and we'll end up replacing some windows. We're also redoing the kitchen and we've added a window. We're doing what we can to keep the place looking nice and the window we're putting in is wood-clad vinyl and it is simulated divided light. Should look good, but you probably wouldn't like it. I prefer the balance of aesthetics and pragmatism that ROC and greenetree refer to over your militant preservationism. I am sure that most other new home owners will agree with me. Maybe you could find a new town that is less likely to be gentrified and keep your wooden windows. I'm not trying to step on your toes, just trying to get these issues into the open so we can make some action. | ||
| virgilian Citizen Username: Virgilian Post Number: 188 Registered: 7-2001 |
jg- I know I'm an insulting, judgmental wretch. But let me congratulate you on doing your house, your street, and our town justice. No need to distance yourself from my hugging thankful praise now: I'm standing at arms length again. A 10 foot meanie-pole. | ||
| virgilian Citizen Username: Virgilian Post Number: 189 Registered: 7-2001 |
Wow Mr. Bell, Militant Preservationism? Replace what you want!! Just spend MONEY on it! And I apologize for my confusion, I have a parallel rant in "Soapbox." ROC and greenetree do indeed have better ideas than I do, I agree more with them than myself. BUY SOME EXPENSIVE WINDOWS MR. BELL! | ||
| JGTierney Citizen Username: Jtg7448 Post Number: 124 Registered: 6-2003 |
These are not my words but a friend's (yes - he lives in the South  ) What is one man's mustard, is another man's custard. _______ I think that is simple enough. | ||
| bobk Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 4274 Registered: 5-2001 |
Virgilian, what is your view on aluminum combination windows, especially the gray ones? We had our house painted this fall and the storm sash were removed. The house looked totally different without the ugly pitted gray aluminum sashes. The white windows really popped. Personally, I would prefer to have Anderson or Pella or Marvin replacement windows without the storms and feel that this would be an improvement over the look of the storm windows. I find it kinda amusing that the windows you are talking about (the standard Maplewood 1920s six over one units) were standard builders stock items back when most of the houses here were built. |
