There are many houses built in the 70’s and 80’s that have casement windows with insulated glass. Many of the Andersen, Pella and Marvin windows have serios wear on the exterior, broken cranks and keepers , worn seals and fogged insulated glass. If the wooden sash and the frames are good, then Open Sash can retrofit them very cost effectively.
Removing the old window and replacing it with an entirely new unit is expensive for three reasons. 1) The unit itself is expensive, 2) It takes a lot of time and money to remove it and dispose of it, and 3) It takes a lot of time to install the new unit because it involves fitting into the existing exterior and interior trim. The entire cost /window could be between $1,000-$3,000.00.
An open sash retrofit can be done for $250–$500, depending on size and how many elements of the window need to be replaced. The addition of a frame to the exterior and a low-energy panel gives new life to the outside and adds another layer of glass for triple pane insulation.
Casement windows after the addition of the frame and the low-energy panel.
Here is an example of house we did in East Montpelier, VT that made the window look new and will give them another 15-20 years of life, which about what you can expect from a new window.
Casement Before with Worn wooden frames with degraded glazing
