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WHY SHOULDN'T I REPLACE MY WINDOWS? Many people say they want new windows because they fear lead paint, or because they want better soundproofing, energy efficiency and easier cleaning. Then the answer is to restore original windows, not replace them. Restoration will cost less, and the windows will be lead free, soundproof, energy efficient and easily cleaned. I have trained many small contractors and homeowners how to perform this task efficiently, cost effectively, and, for those who insist they want tilt -ins for easier cleaning, this system can give them an easy cleaning solution as well. All of this and a new combination wood storm/screen cost less than a wood tilt -in with vinyl jamb liners and no storm. This system keeps the sash weights, cuts nothing off the window sash, and removes all old paint and glazing. My friend John Seekircher, a steel casement window restoration expert, always says, "The reason they call them replacement windows is that you have to replace them over and over again," Lead poisoning in children has been depicted by HUD and the EPA as an epidemic. This is total nonsense. Children today have less lead poisoning than ever before in history and it has nothing to ;do with lead paint regulations. Taking lead out of gasoline and better factory emissions are responsible for this. ;Lead paint is only a hazard if it's unstable. Removing lead paint from window jambs and sashes is a safe, quick and easy process if the homeowner or contractor knows how to do it. We must start immediately training small contractors & homeowners how to do this. Right now the contractors that are getting lead certified are gouging homeowners pocketbooks because they can. The reason homeowners think they need to replace their windows is that the window industry spends tens of millions of dollars a year to convince homeowners to buy their inferior products. It will take a consumer about 30 years to get any payback from replacement windows with insulated glass and considering the following statements in the window industries trade magazine, Glass Magazine, the industry makes the case for restoration. July 2001 Glass Magazine, By Editor, Charles Cumpstom, "The consumer's perception of glass is significantly different from the industry's. While some in the industry think a 15 -year life is adequate, it is the rare homeowner who envisions replacing all his windows in 15 years." Another article in 1995 in Glass Magazine by Ted Hart states, "Remember our industry, with rare exception, has chosen to hide the fact that insulating glass does have a life expectancy. It is a crime that with full knowledge and total capability to build a superior unit, most of the industry chooses to manufacture an inferior single -seal unit." NOTE: Single seal units are still the norm with an average seal life of 2 to 6 years. As a side note to this, I am not a general contractor..I believe it -is a conflict to teach people how to do these things out of one side of my mouth and then try to get their business out of the other side of my mouth. I do, however, buy endangered, historic properties and rehab them, both in my job as a Community Preservation Specialist with Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, and as a private citizen. This keeps me in the fray with the least conflict of interest possible. As a practical preservation advocate, there can be only one client ----the consumer, their homes and neighborhoods they live in. Bob Yapp