Juno

jennylove1084

Do we need glass storms in the winter and switch to screens in the summer or can we do screens year round even though we live in the Midwest?

I'm itching to open our windows but the middle is so buggy I don't dare til we figure the above out.

I feel like the glass storm hides the window grills bc of the reflection. 

juno

I dunno, I've never lived in the Midwest.  I guess it depends on how cold it gets there, how much you want to conserve heat in the winter, how hot you want to keep your house, and how much you are able to tighten up the window to prevent infiltration without a storm.

Storms help out in four ways that I know of: (1) They provide a "cushion" of insulating air that lessens the amount of heat you lose through conduction (I think I'm using the right word there), (2) that same cushion of air prevents a large temperature differential on two sides of the single pane, which can cause condensation, (3) if you have loose windows, they prevent wind from infiltrating and your heat from escaping directly as hot air, and (4) they reduce weather wear on the windows.

If it doesn't really get cold where you are (like LA), #1 isn't really a concern.  If it does get cold, you will have to use more heat to maintain the same temp.

We went without for a couple of years before we built ours and #2 is a huge problem for us in the winter.  We don't even keep the heat on at night in winter, but our breathing and body heat were enough that it caused major condensation problems because of the temperature difference between inside and outside (think iced tea glass outside on a hot, humid day).  If you have that problem, then you're looking at a potential wood rot disaster.  We got less condensation when we left the bedroom door open at night, and we were always careful to wipe up all the water in the mornings.  The storms stopped our consensation problem immediately.  We've had a tiny bit near the bottom on the freezing nights, but not even enough to start dripping down the glass onto the wood.  I've read you can also use a dehumidifier to help.  I have the feeling this would also be a problem in a kitchen (warm moist air inside, cold air outside).  We had double-paned in the kitchen up until our remodel, and we immediately installed storms on the new single-paned, so I can't say for certain. 

Because our windows are fairly tight, because it never gets super duper cold or windy here, and because we built the storms, I haven't worried much about #3.  But if you have gaps where wind can blow in, it's going to make you cold and/or cost you money to replace the lost heat.  There are ways to tighten them up with little brass and vinyl channels, moving the stops, etc.

As for #4, you'd probably just have to paint more often and watch more closely for rot.

Fox might have more info for you on the costs in terms of actual $$ of going without.  I do know Fox recommends taking down screens in the winter no matter what.  We have noticed a slight decrease in our heating bill since installing our storms, but we also had the furnace tuned up at the same time, so I can't be sure of the cause.  In addition, the furnace part of our heating bills top out at around $40 I think, so we aren't going to notice a huge impact either way. 

The solution to your final concern is to hire a carpenter to build storms to match the muntin patterns on the windows   Or learn to build some frames and glaze them up yourself. 

Can you take the storms down for now, store them, and plan to reinstall them next winter as a worst-case scenario?  Or just hold your breath, open the window, and vacuum the thing out immediately?  Do the current storms also have screens?

jennylove1084

Oh I am for sure making DH clean them.  They are 50/50 some are all glass, some are screen on bottom but loose = bugs.

I think my major whine here is that I don't know how to give the curb appeal the wow factor.  It needs so much work I don't know where to start.

Maybe DH scraping the insides and reprinting the grills will help but IDK.  I feel swamped.

jennylove1084

My phone sucks w the typos but I don't dare risk waking the kids by going downstairs to get the computer for at least another hour

juno

I'm the queen of typos, and I don't have any excuse   Did you say the current storms are aluminum?  Have you considered painting them to match the windows?  I've heard it's possible.  Otherwise, I think wood looks best (though I have no idea how much that would cost or where to even start having someone else do it and they are more trouble).

jennylove1084

http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/65069344.aspx

I already had DH rip out tht bush near the pine tree but I can't put my finger one why it's so cold.

I remember you saying aluminum storms can be painted.  I think that's our best bet.

My short term plans are:  replace rotting railroad ties w a retaining wall like neighbors, new front door - paint it navy.  Paint shutters black.  Scrape and paint widows. 

juno

Pretty!  I can really see the muntins on the lower left and upper middle.  The reflections to make it a little harder on the others.  I think that's just the trade-off of being a little warmer and drier, unfortunately   And if you can take them down, you still have the right look in summer.  Ours are single light on top; I wish I had muntins like that! 

I think your house is completely adorable.  If it was mine, I'd pay a landscape designer by the hour for a couple of hours to come in a draw a plan to liven up the yard a little.  But I'm not a lawn person, so I'm biased.  Maybe you could soften up the foundation and sides a bit with some evergreens?  Maybe some berms too?  ~NB~ is on here and G&L, and she might give you some planting advice.

jennylove1084

We aren't yard people either . We've done that in the past and it's awesome help.  I think what annoys me is that its a very symmetrical house and there are 2 gorgeous Japanese maples in the front bed in the left I can't cut down.

Weve been going on lots of walks around the neighborhood for inspiration.  Now if only I had $100k . Then I could have some fun! 

juno

Yeah, I can do back-breaking labor all day long, but planning is where I need the help.  I have given in and decided to hire someone to build my stone path and veggie bed.  Why be a DINK if I can't enjoy it a little ?

The maples will be really nice in summer.  You probably just need some winter interest. 

Anyway, I think the house is charming.  That little roof detail over the front door is scrumptious.

ETA: One thing someone mentioned here recently, and now that s/he pointed it out, I notice and agree, shutters look good when they are 1/2 the window size (i.e. could actually cover the windows when shut).  I can't really tell from the picture, but yours might be a tad slim on bottom.  If you ever replaced them, maybe measure and go slightly bigger?  I think chunkier shutters could really work down there.  I could be mis-estimating though.

jennylove1084

Thanks for the shutter advice!!!  It's a good thing I got that now bc I've started researching them.  They are expensive - so  glad I didn't buy some random ones now.  Ours are ugly.  Totally cheap and not thought out.