REPLACEMENT VS. RESTORATION

ITEMS TO CONSIDER AND BENEFITS OF REPLACING VS. RESTORING:

1. The cost of new steel windows and doors is often less than restoration, and the end product is superior.
2. The cost of field labor (high) vs. factory labor (usually much lower).
3. Often, old steel windows and doors appear sound, but are warped or corroded and non-functional.
4. Field welding of small pieces often leaves rough appearance and difficult glazing areas.
5. New steel windows and doors are always properly fitted with the vent fitted to the frame. Field fitting of a new vent to an old frame is often impossible, even if vent is dimensionally sized correctly.
6. New steel windows and doors often use the exact same section, as that used decades ago, and achieve the exact same sightlines and appearance.
7. Specifications normally require sections to be continuous from jamb to jamb and head to sill, with the muntins being interlocked. Piecemeal welding and adding of small sections violate this requirement.
8. New steel windows and doors can have coatings and finishes vastly superior to those applied in the field over older degraded windows and doors.