Signs you need new windows

Windows rarely fail all at once. They leak a little more air, collect a little more water, and get a little harder to live with. These are the signs that replacement is the honest next step.

1. You can feel weather next to a closed window

A working window should not throw a draft onto the sofa. If you feel air at the lock, the meeting rail, or the stool, the weatherstrip or the frame has given up. In a long Washington heating season that is money and comfort leaving the same opening every day.

2. There is fog or haze between the panes

That cloud sits inside the insulated glass. You cannot wipe it off. The seal failed, the gas is gone, and the unit no longer insulates the way it was built to. See fogged windows.

3. Sashes stick, will not stay open, or will not lock

Paint, swelling, and a frame that is no longer square all show up as hardware that fights you. A tune-up is worth trying once. If the opening itself has moved, a new unit — often a full-frame replacement — is cleaner than another round of planing.

4. The sill is soft, stained, or peeling

Western Washington rain finds the weak corner of a window. Soft wood at the sill or stool means water has been in the opening. Replacement is the chance to flash the opening correctly, not just drop new glass into a wet hole.

5. One room never matches the rest of the house

Old single-pane and tired aluminum frames create cold glass. The furnace runs, the thermostat is happy, and the chair by the window is not. That is a comfort problem first. Energy savings come along with it.

6. The bill went up and nothing else changed

Windows are a small part of the wall and a large part of heat loss. If insulation and the heating system are already decent, leaky glass is a common leftover. Replacement will not make a leaky attic disappear — but it will stop the openings you can feel.

What to do with this list

If two or more of these are true in the same room, a measure is worth the time. Bring a photo of the elevation and a rough count. We will tell you whether the frames can stay (insert) or whether the opening needs to be rebuilt.