It's a familiar story. Your old windows leak copious amounts of air, which makes for chilly drafts in the winter and higher cooling costs in the summer. Leaky windows may even be hurting your house by allowing windblown rain to seep into the structure. Time for new windows? High-quality storm windows may be all you need to banish leaks, at a fraction of the cost of replacement windows. "A good storm stops air infiltration about as well as most replacement windows, and the upfront costs are much lower," says This Old House general contractor Tom Silva. "It's like putting money in your pocket." The typical aluminum "triple-track" — so called because it holds two glass sashes and one screen that slide up and down on separate tracks — won't win any beauty contests, but it can also play an important preservation role by protecting valued old-house windows from the elements. On the following pages, Tom demonstrates how to measure for and install an aluminum exterior storm over a double-hung window.
(Outward-swinging casement or awning windows require interior storms.) Tom has the window up in less than 10 minutes, but while installation is simple, he says, there are still ways to mess it up. "The most common mistake people make is to caulk the storm's bottom edge, along the windowsill," he says. That can trap water that leaks in or condenses on the inside of the glass. "You want to give water a chance to escape before it causes any damage." Ensuring a Proper Fit First, determine how your storm window will be mounted to the main window. If your main window has a "Western" casing, the storm will be attached to a recessed 5/8-inch blind stop within the window opening. "Eastern" casings have no such stop; the storm overlaps and attaches to the casing itself. Next, measure the windows. Find the horizontal distances between the inside edges of the window casing at the top, middle, and bottom of the window. Then measure the vertical distance from the bottom outside edge of the head casing to the sill.
Finally, check window sash height. If the top sash is shorter than the bottom ones (called an oriel window), order your storm sash to match those dimensions and preserve the window's original appearance. Finding the Right Size For an Eastern-style casing, the storm window should be at least 1 ¼ inches wider than the opening's maximum width. The height should be about 5/8 inch taller than the window opening, but no less than ½ inch. For a Western-style casing, the storm's width and height can be up to ¼ inch less than the opening's smallest measurements. A smaller gap than ¼ inch is acceptable, as long as the storm's fins do not hit the inside edges of the casing. What to Look For in a Storm Window When Tom Silva shops for storms, he looks for the following indicators of quality because they translate into better performance, greater strength, and long-term durability. "Sure, you can buy a cheap storm window, but why bother?" he asks. "You just end up paying for it later when it leaks, rattles, or doesn't operate smoothly."
The window he's shown installing here costs about $160. Where to Find It Your IP address has been blocked due to a pattern of suspected noncompliance with the Terms of Use for the Move Family of Web sites. If you believe you have reached this page in error or would like to request continued uninterrupted access please contact Customer Service at (800) 878-4166 or Please include your external IP address which can be obtained from Be the first to know! SIGN UP TO RECEIVE OUR E-NEWSLETTER: Simple Changes, Dramatic Transformations... You can give your home a dramatic new look by making simple changes to the windows, doors, kitchen, stairs, and millwork. Horner Millwork makes your home improvement projects easy with FREE IN-HOME MEASUREMENTS, QUICK QUOTES, AND A LARGE SELECTION OF PRODUCTS. Below are a few Before & After project ideas: A NEW FIBERGLASS DOOR WELCOMES GUESTS Here a four panel door with clear sidelites is replaced with a Masonite Craftsman fiberglass door and sidelites with decorative glass.
Decorative head added to exterior trim. More information on Masonite exterior doors > NEW STAIR PARTS MAKE A DATED STAIRCASE LOOK NEW Paint grade stair parts replaced with a solid oak handrail and newel post and wrought iron balusters. Carpet grade treads replaced with solid oak treads. Second flight converted from a closed box stair to open on one side. More information on our stair parts > A FRENCH DOOR REVITALIZES AN OFFICE This spare room is transformed into a classy office with a glass wood interior door. Narrow flat casing and baseboard trim is replaced with WindsorOne Craftsman mouldings. More information on interior wood doors > A REAL WOOD DOOR CREATES AN INSTANT CLASSIC This plain six-panel door is replaced with a beautiful custom made Captiva mahogany wood door. Nothing beats the authentic look of real wood. More information on Captiva wood doors > THE DIFFERENCE IS IN THE DETAILS An entry foyer is transformed from ordinary to extraordinary with a few beautiful millwork details.
This lauan closet door is replaced with a unique TruStile MDF door. The trimwork is updated with beadboard wainscotting and new door casing. Also notice the brass door knob and hinges are replaced with subtle satin nickel. More information on TruStile doors > INTERIOR DOOR SLABS ARE EASILY SWAPPED Our easiest transformation of them all. Here a lauan bedroom door is simply swapped out and replaced with a Masonite molded door. It?s amazing how this quick and inexpensive change can yield such dramatic results! More information on Masonite molded doors > For more information on these transformations or to schedule a free in-home consultation with a member of our sales team, contact us at 800.543.5403 or fill out this form. A storm door is a type of door that is installed in front of an exterior access door to protect it from bad weather and allow ventilation. Storm doors generally have interchangeable glass panels and window screen panels to provide visibility and prevent flying insects from entering the home.
Storm doors are typically made from wood, aluminum and plastics such as vinyl (PVC) and fiberglass. There are three basic types of storm doors: Full-View, Retractable Screen, and Ventilating. Full-View storm doors[1] typically include a full glass panel and most an interchangeable full screen. Retractable Screen storm doors feature a screen that is rolled up into the frame of the storm door when not in use. Ventilating storm doors generally include a full or half screen that is always in position on the storm door. residential wood and mesh screen door, USA Wood was the original material from which storm doors were made. While wooden screen doors can be visually the most appealing, the wood itself requires painting or some other form of coating to protect it from the weather. Wooden screen doors less than one inch thick are used primarily as screen doors with no glass installed. Using wood thicker than one inch allows the storm door frame to accommodate glass panels.
The door also becomes more rigid and durable as the thickness increases. residential aluminum and glass storm door, USA The main advantage of aluminum over wood as a storm door material is aluminum’s corrosion resistance. Aluminum storm doors do not need to be painted frequently to protect them from the elements. Aluminum storm doors are available in a variety of thicknesses. All of these thicknesses can accommodate interchangeable glass and screen panels. The least expensive storm doors are the thinnest. As the storm door frame gets thicker, the door frame becomes more rigid. The strength and rigidity of the door is limited however, by the relatively brittle aluminum alloy corners that hold the frame together. If the door gets blown open during a storm, the corners can crack and the door will lose its strength. The corners however, can be replaced if parts can be found. Materials such as PVC and fibreglass offer the most corrosion resistance of all when used in a storm door.
They can also be moulded in such a way as to realistically mimic wood grain to provide the appearance of a wooden storm door. PVC or “vinyl” storm doors often require internal steel frames to provide the necessary strength to the door. However, extruded PVC doors offer extraordinary strength. PVC is a controversial material in that during its production, useful life and incineration, especially in accidental and uncontrolled circumstances, it may liberate persistent toxins (see PVC Health and Safety section). Fibreglass storm door frames are extremely strong, but the material is more expensive. Both PVC and fibreglass storm doors incorporate chemicals to slow the effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. UV radiation tends to make plastics become brittle. Again thicker doors have an advantage. New technology has made extruded PVC doors more durable. This product is not likely to yellow, peel, crack, contract, expand or warp. Since it is made of PVC, this product does not need any painting even if scratched.