Paint deterioration is one reason  windows require repair or restoration.

Whether a church is a historic property or a modern facility, it is not immune to problems such as water or air infiltration that may arise with its windows. Many times, decision makers assume replacing the existing windows in their churches is the most economic route. However, numerous factors must be considered before such a decision is made.

If the church has historic significance in the community, then restoring windows and other components would offer numerous benefits. First, restoring buildings in historic districts has a unifying effect on the community. It shows a committed interest in preserving aspects of a community so that elements remain the same to older generations as to the younger ones. In the end, the property becomes a physical record of its time, place and use in the community's history. What's more, restoring windows to preserve the historic elements of the community may bring considerable tax benefits to the church. To determine if your church is eligible for such tax credits, consult the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation or the state or local department of historic resources.

Even if a church is not a historic property, window restoration often provides the best solution. While the direct dollar-for-dollar cost of replacing versus repairing is often equal, if not more expensive, adding the cost another way shows a different figure. When you add the costs of removing the existing windows and taking them to a landfill, as well as the costs to society in terms of waste disposal and carbon dioxide emissions as the old windows deteriorate, it becomes significantly more attractive to restore the existing windows.

During this window restoration project, existing sealants are removed.

Dispelling the Myths

Many times, the decision to replace existing windows with new windows is made because decision makers hold misconceptions regarding window restoration. One of the foremost myths is the cost measurement issue mentioned above. Typically, decisions are made to replace windows based on an immediate net dollar basis and not either the life cycle cost or the total cost to society.

Next, people often make decisions to replace windows because they don't realize that improved products for restoration benefit the process and its costs. For example, Sherwin Williams recently has introduced a lifetime self-priming coating that eliminates one application of paint. This product affects the overall cost of restoration in terms of reduced immediate cost as well as reduced life cycle cost. Other new products include updated weather stripping components that significantly improve the overall performance of existing windows. Recent improvements in storm windows, window treatments, and energy analysis calculation programs provide support for doors and windows that dramatically improve historic windows' energy efficiencies. As a whole, these improvements offer significantly enhanced performance options for existing windows.

What's more, many decision makers fail to match the true quality of windows when making replacements. There's a big difference between the life of an expensive window and the life of less expensive model. To match the quality of the existing windows in today's market environment is dramatically more costly than many people would imagine. In many cases where windows are replaced, the owners throw away an existing, expensive window for a much cheaper replacement in terms of today's market value. In addition, they might throw away a piece of wood that has significant architectural detailing and replace it with a cheaper, synthetic version that doesn't offer the same visual appeal or durability. Decision makers often don't take into account the quality of the existing materials because there's so much pressure on immediate price.

Finally, a misconception exists that new windows don't require maintenance. However, everything - whether new or historic -- requires maintenance. Many of the new plastics, vinyls, and composites used in new windows do not stand up to the environment as well or as long as the wood and metal of old.  Many new windows begin to deteriorate as quickly as a few years after they are installed.  Parts can be unavailable or costly to replace.  Appearance, operation and efficiency of the new windows can suffer dramatically as a result.  Additionally, repairs that could be normal for an historic window (new glass; fresh paint; new weather stripping) simply cannot be performed for a new window.  Thus a window replacement begins a life cycle of window replacement over and over, which, over the years, makes a dramatic difference in the life-cycle cost of the building.

Unlike contemporary structures, some  church windows are difficult to replace,  so repair and restoration is the only  option.

The Repair Process

Once a decision has been made to restore existing windows, the repair and restoration process usually begins with observing deficiencies in the window and trim area. Numerous situations might lead to the repair or restoration of historic windows and trim. For example, the original paint may have failed as a function of the structure's age. A second reason for repairing or restoring windows is that the entire building is being restored, and the windows and trim are being restored as a function of the overall building repair. Or perhaps the developer or owner intends to restore the windows and trim in order to resell the building. A third issue that might bring about window repair is a mechanical issue in that the windows are not operating as they were intended. Finally, windows and trim may be repaired in order to increase energy efficiency.

Whatever the situation that leads to a need for repair, the solutions for repairing and restoring historic trim and windows begin with the least invasive method possible. In a typical project, existing coatings and sealants are removed or prepared and new sealants are applied. Commonly, extensive repairs are performed in areas where existing components have failed, and replacements in kind are installed. Broken glass and broken components are replaced, and in many cases new weather stripping and interior or exterior storm windows are installed so the finished product performs at least comparably to new windows and often even better than new windows.

The general process for a trim and window repair project involves several steps. First, the repair team determines if the existing window should be removed, repaired offsite and reinstalled, or if it should be refurbished onsite. Whether the window is removed depends on three basic factors: the amount of repairs needed; the extent of those repairs; and the difficulty of removing the component. Keep in mind there is no circumstance where a repair team would destroy in order to save. Often, it is less costly to remove and restore windows off site due to the difficulty of performing work onsite, accessing the windows, or the ability to provide adequate quality control in that location.

When your church's windows show signs of age, don't forget to carefully examine the benefits of restoration over replacement. In many cases, windows can be renovated to function better and last longer than new windows. From a technical standpoint, the durability and performance of the renovations are often equal to or superior than a new replacement. And in today's world where energy costs continue to rise, durability and performance are benefits no church can ignore.