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9 Signs Your Windows, Siding or Doors Are Old

If you live in a home that was not newly constructed when you bought it, chances are that one day you’ll drive home from work, pull into your driveway, and realize that there’s just something off about the way your home looks.

when to replace your windows

Give it a little analysis by looking over the facade, and you’ll realize that your house is just aging, and the exterior needs an upgrade. Now, it may not look as decrepit and creepy as the house from the Amityville horror movie, but all houses experience external wear and tear as part of the unavoidable experience of home ownership.

Thankfully the walls and structure of your home are meant to last, but the facade will need some remodeling. Here are nine signs that your doors, windows, and siding need an upgrade as part of your home’s general facelift.

1. Unwanted Visitors

If woodpeckers have turned your siding into a vacation condominium, it’s time to replace your siding. For starters, you probably hate the early morning drum circle of their beaks hitting the siding in unison, and the holes they’ve drilled into it—while impressive—make your home look bad. Really bad. Like swiss cheese bad.

Another unwanted visitor is mold, which can quickly spiral out of control behind the scenes, if not stopped in its tracks. If you begin to see mold on the interior walls of your house, check the corresponding space on the exterior. Chances are you’ll find some issue with the facade, such as damage to the siding.

2. Wear and Tear

This one seems obvious, but some people think that the splotchy appearance caused by rampant rot gives their home “character.” Unfortunately, rot prevents your siding from doing its number one job, which is protecting your home from the elements.

Damage contained within a certain area can be remedied with the proverbial band-aid, but if the rot has spread everywhere, and the siding has begun to crumble, it’s too late to salvage: you’ll need to replace it.

Another sign of deterioration involves cracks and gaps in the siding, which may not seem like such a big deal, but can actually be cause for serious concern. They allow moisture and unwanted critters such as vermin and termites to get all up in the business of your home’s insulation, potentially compromising its structural integrity.

3. Skyrocketing Bills

If your utility bills (like heat in the winter and air in the summer) have suddenly blasted off to find life on planet Mars, you may need to do more than call the utility company for a fruitless conversation punctuated by annoying hold music (unless you like the sound of bland jazz).

Chances are your siding, doors, and windows are contributing to poor insulation in your home, and they must be replaced. Air could be leaking in or out through gaps in the siding, or through underperforming windows and doors that aren’t specifically made to assist in the effective insulation of your home.

4. The Doors Ain’t What They Used to Be

You might be surprised to learn that legendary psychedelic rock band The Doors was active from 1965 to 2016, but please, please, please, don’t try to get six decades of use out of your own doors and windows.

The fact of the matter is that houses just settle over time, changing the structural landscape of the space around openings in the walls. Combined with the fact that all things just get worn down over time, you’re sure to eventually find that doors (especially sliding patio doors) may not open or close perfectly.

Don’t forget that especially when it comes to doors, you might be opening and closing the thing two dozen times. Try using anything that much over the course of a few years and see how it holds up!

5. Trouble Cleaning the Windows

Are you finding that when you scrub-a-dub-dub the windows, you just can’t get that foggy appearance out of them? Look a little closer and see if that foggy appearance is accompanied by droplets of moisture in the space between the panes (if you have double paned windows).

window cleaning

Even if it’s not, there’s a good chance that the fogginess you see inside the glass is caused by moisture that’s entered through a poor seal, which is also bad news for the insulation of your home. It’s also bad, even if you see moisture on the inside pane that can be wiped off because it indicates there are higher than normal levels of your humidity within your home, which is also a sign of poor insulation.

6. The Windows Won’t Close

Well that’s annoying, isn’t it? It’s also a safety hazard because while potential burglars might be hesitant to bust down the door, it’s not so hard to slip a crowbar into a slightly open window. More common than this human threat is the problem of poor insulation caused by windows that won’t completely shut.

Whether your windows are double-hung (the type where the bottom slides up, or the top down) or crank windows (which are opened and closed by turning a crank), warped wood, swelling frames, and malfunctioning pulley systems can make your windows unable to seal shut completely, necessitating a changing of the window guard.

7. The Garage Door is Talking to Me

If your garage door is making a screeching symphony of protest against the status quo if remaining shut every time you open and close it, it may be time to replace it. Garage doors are complex assemblies with moving parts and mechanical components, so you’ll want to remove them if they get too troublesome, because oil may not be enough.

stone veneer siding problems

Moreover, the garage can be a particularly egregious culprit when it comes to energy loss, so if you’ve checked everything else out along the facade and still have wanted posters up, consider having an expert look into your garage door.

8. Property Values are Rising

If the homes around your community are rising in value, you don’t want your home to be left behind the pack. While the idea of keeping up with old Jones family might seem shallow and superficial, when it comes to your home’s property value, you’ll want to make reasonable efforts to be on pace with the rest of the houses on the block, especially if you’re considering selling or renting your property.

A better-looking home can see dramatic increases in value that are beneficially out of proportion to the work you put into them, so replacing old doors, windows and siding might be a cost-effective way to add dollars onto the potential price of your property.

9. Mysterious Noises…From Beyond (the Walls)

Have you ever ridden around in an expensive, large vehicle like an SUV? You’ll notice the ride is incredibly smoother and quieter, due in large part to the good quality insulation in the windows and paneling of the vehicle.

The same is true of your home. If you live next to some source of noise, such as a busy street, a high school sporting field, a pool, or a flea market, you might hear some of that noise coming through the windows, doors, and even walls. Upgrading your windows, walls, and siding can cut down on the amount of noise pollution you experience as a homeowner, and make the interior of your home the serene palace of silence you’ve always wanted it to be.

Feldco to the Rescue

If you’re suffering from old windows, siding, and doors, or realize that you need a serious makeover, Feldco has you covered. Get a free quote and get ready to level-up your home’s curb-appeal.

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