Windows for older and historic Des Moines homes

Three options for old wood windows

• Repair the sashes. Reglaze the glass and replace sash cords. Weatherstrip the sashes. Fixr puts sash cord and balance work at $75 to $500.
• Add storm windows. An interior or exterior storm over a repaired sash cuts drafts and keeps the original look.
• Replace them. Wood or wood-clad windows sized to the original openings. Outside a historic district, vinyl and fiberglass are options too.

Historic districts

Des Moines has three local historic districts: Sherman Hill, plus Owl's Head and River Bend. Before any exterior alteration there, the Historic Preservation Commission must issue a Certificate of Appropriateness. That review can decide what replacement windows are made of and how big they are, so ask before you order. Houses outside those districts can still be on the National Register or in a neighborhood with its own covenants, so check before you order.

Lead paint

Iowa's lead-safe renovation rules cover target housing, meaning housing built before 1978, plus pre-1978 child-occupied buildings such as daycares. The EPA says window replacement is always covered by the lead renovation rules, regardless of how many square feet of paint it disturbs. In Iowa, a company that does renovation in that housing must be certified as a lead-safe renovator firm, and at least one certified lead-safe renovator must be assigned to each job. DIAL runs the program. Contractors must notify the owner and occupants before they disturb paint in target housing, and Iowa law says people must receive the booklet Lead Poisoning: How to Protect Iowa Families before renovating more than one square foot of painted surfaces. Lead-safe window work.

What wood windows cost