Geneva guide pushes saving old windows
The Geneva Historic Preservation Commission’s new “Guide to Windows” can be summed up: New windows are not necessarily better than old.
The commission wants people to think twice before replacing wood or metal windows, particularly for houses built before 1960.
The document says windows are the “eyes” of a house, designed to complement the building’s architecture. That character doesn’t have to be discarded due to deterioration or in the name of energy efficiency, according to the guide.
It suggests that before tearing windows out, a building owner should hire an expert to analyze the condition of the windows to see if repair is feasible.
It also suggests having an energy audit done on the house, because windows are sometimes unfairly blamed for heat loss. More heat may be lost through doors, floors and ceilings, according to the guide.
And it says using a removable storm window provides as much energy efficiency as modern gas-filled double-pane windows.
“In the name of environmental responsibility and energy efficiency, window replacement has been highly promoted in recent years. Not all windows can be repaired in a cost effective manner, but considering repair of a restorable window is sustainability in practice,” Karla Kaulfuss, the city’s preservation planner, said in a prepared statement about the guide.
Wood windows installed before 1960 are often made of old-growth wood that is denser than that used now, according to the guide, and thus amenable to being repaired instead of junked.
The guide can be viewed at geneva.il.us/CommunityDevelopment/HistoricPreservation/PDF/GuideToWindows.pdf. The city has also posted reference materials on how to evaluate and repair windows.
City law requires anyone replacing a window to obtain a building permit. It used to require a permit only when a “substantial alteration” was proposed, such as changing the size of the window opening, and when replacing windows on buildings in its historic district. Whenever a permit application for work in the historic district was received, it was sent for review to the Historic Preservation Commission. The applicants were required to prove that the windows could not be repaired, in order to get the HPC’s approval. Decisions could be appealed to the city council.
The city lost a court case in 2009, however, when the owner of a house in the historic district argued that the city law was unclear. He had replaced 60-plus-year-old wood windows with vinyl, but kept the window openings the same size.