Replace the Windows or Add Storm Windows? Deciding for an Old House
The house has its original wood windows, the old storms are shot, and everyone has an opinion.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Replace windows or add storm windows: keep the original wood windows and add new storms when the sashes are sound, the frames are square and you want the old glass and trim; replace them when the sills and frames are rotted or you want windows that operate and seal like new ones. JMB Builders does both across the Twin Cities and tells you which at a free in-home estimate. Send photos and we reply within one business day.
- Sound sashes and square frames: storms. Rot: replace
- Storms keep the old glass; replacement resets the opening
- Priced per window either way
An old wood window with a good exterior storm is a two-layer system that works. The storm takes the weather, the original sash sits in a dead-air space, and together they come close to a modern double pane for comfort as long as both layers are sound. That is why the question is worth asking before replacing a house full of original windows: a new set of storms costs a fraction of replacement and keeps the glass, the trim and the look.
Storms are the right call when the sashes are sound. We check the bottom rails and the meeting rail with a probe for soft wood, look at the glazing putty, and see whether the sash slides and locks. We check the frame: is the sill solid, are the jambs square enough that a storm will seal to them, is the exterior casing in one piece. If the answers are yes, new storms, with the old sash weatherstripped and the putty touched up, give you a tight window and the house keeps its face. Our labor-only page on Larson storm windows covers that install, with the storms from Menards or wherever you buy them.
Replacement is the right call when the probe goes in. A rotted sill or lower jamb cannot hold a storm tight and will not stop rotting; a sash with a split rail or missing glazing is a repair that never ends; a frame racked out of square leaves gaps a storm cannot close. It is also the right call when you want the windows to work like new ones: tilt in to clean, lock with one hand, seal without a second layer to take down every spring. Then the answer is an insert where the frame is sound or a full-frame where it is not, in a line that matches the old look with clad wood and simulated divided lites if that matters. JMB Builders does both jobs, and the estimate is where we say which one your windows are asking for.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- Photos of each window from inside and out, with a close-up of the sill and the bottom rail
- How you feel about the original windows: keep them if possible, or ready to move on
- Whether the house is in a historic district, which may decide the question for the street side
- If storms: the storm windows you bought, or let us include them on the quote
What JMB supplies
- A probe check of every sill, bottom rail and meeting rail at the free in-home estimate
- A window-by-window call on the quote: new storms, or replacement, with the reason
- For storms: measuring, mounting and sealing the storms you bought, and weatherstrip and putty touch-up on the old sash
- For replacement: in-home measure, the windows supplied, removal and haul-away of the old units
- Sill pan, shims, low-expansion foam and exterior sealant at every replaced opening
- Interior trim kept where an insert allows; casing primed where it is replaced, painting quoted separately or paint it yourself
- Photos of the finished work in your job folder
How it is priced: per window
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Storm install is priced per window on the storms you bought; replacement is priced per window with the window supplied
- How many openings fail the probe and move from the storm column to the replacement column
- Insert vs. full-frame on the replaced openings
- Clad wood with simulated divided lites to match the old look vs. a standard replacement
- Weatherstrip and glazing touch-up on the kept sashes
- Second-story access for either job
Send a close-up of the sill and bottom rail of each window. The quote has two columns, storms and replacement, so you can see what a mix costs and change any window from one to the other.
How long it takes
Storms on a house: about a day for a dozen. Replacement: three to five inserts a day, fewer full-frame, after the factory lead time. A mixed house is scheduled as two short visits or one longer one.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Keep the originals, new storms on every window
Sashes probe sound, frames are square, and you want the old glass and trim. New exterior storms are measured, mounted and sealed, and the old sashes get weatherstrip and putty touch-up. The house keeps its face at a fraction of replacement.
Replace every window
Rot, racked frames or sashes beyond fixing, or you want windows that work like new. Inserts where the frame is sound, full-frame where it is not, in a line that matches the old look if the house calls for it.
Storms on the front, replacement on the sides and back
The street elevation keeps its original windows under new storms; the weathered north and west sides, where the rot usually is, get replaced in a matching style. Common on bungalows and foursquares, and often what a historic district wants anyway.
Replace the rotted ones now, storms on the rest
The two or three windows that fail the probe are replaced this season in a line that could do the whole house later; the sound windows get new storms. The quote shows both columns so the later decision is easy.
Replace the Windows or Add Storm Windows? Deciding for an Old House: questions, answered
Are storm windows as good as replacement windows?
On a sound original window, a good exterior storm gets you close to a modern double pane for comfort and draft control, and keeps the old glass and trim. It does not give you a window that tilts in, locks with one hand or seals without a second layer. If the sashes and frames are sound and you like the originals, storms are the better buy. If they are rotted or racked, no storm fixes that.
How do I know if my old wood windows are worth keeping?
Push a screwdriver or awl into the sill, the bottom rail of the lower sash and the meeting rail. If it stays on the surface, the wood is sound. Look at the glazing putty for missing sections, check that the sash slides and locks, and sight the frame for square. Sound wood, mostly intact putty and a square frame means the window is worth a storm. Soft wood or a racked frame means replace it.
Can I keep the original windows on the front and replace the rest?
Yes, and it is a common answer on older houses. The street side keeps its original sashes under new storms, and the weathered sides, usually north and west where the rot is, get replacement windows in a matching style and color. From the sidewalk the house looks unchanged. In a historic district this is often the layout the heritage commission prefers.
Do you install storm windows I bought, or do you supply them?
Either. Our labor-only storm window page covers installing the Larson or other storms you bought at Menards or a lumberyard: we measure, mount and seal them. We can also include the storms on the quote. On a mixed house, the storms and the replacement windows are two columns on the same quote.
Will new storm windows stop the drafts in an old house?
Most of them, if the storm is sealed to a square frame and the old sash gets its weatherstrip renewed. The storm stops the wind at the outside of the opening and the dead air between the layers slows the heat loss. Drafts that come from around the frame, between the casing and the wall, are a different leak that neither a storm nor an insert fixes; that is a full-frame job or an air-sealing job.
Is it cheaper to add storms than to replace windows?
Per window, by a wide margin, because the storm is a single-glazed panel and the install is quick. The catch is that storms only pay on sound windows; a storm on a rotted frame is money spent twice. We price both columns on the quote so you can see the gap on your own house and decide window by window.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 10, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All windows pages
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