Q. I just moved into a house that was rehabbed about 15 years ago. At the time, all the windows were replaced with wooden-frame windows. Overall, the windows appear to be in good shape and the hardware is excellent. But the windowsills on half the windows seem to be rotted. Can they be repaired or do I need to replace them?
Iqbal Khan, Chicago
A. If the windows are only 15 years old, the first step is to contact the manufacturer. Look in between the panes of glass or on the handle for a name, said Karen Fanella, of Blaine Window Hardware in Stone Park. (In your letter, which was edited for space, you mentioned the name of a manufacturer. However, Fanella says this company was the manufacturer of the hardware only.) The windows may be under warranty. Even if the warranty is expired, the manufacturer might help by providing materials or information to repair or replace these windows, she said.
Windows, if properly installed, should last more than 15 years, so there must be some reason for this rapid deterioration, Fanella said. The windows may have been poorly installed. The vent holes on the windows may be clogged. Maybe the putty or caulk is missing or cracked. The glazing, which is a piece of plastic that holds the windows into the wood frame, may be missing or defective. If the glazing is not installed properly, water could get in between the glass and the frame.
Many window repair companies will send someone out to the home to size up the damage. “They may be salvageable,” Fanella said. Her store even has woodmakers to rebuild the windowsills and sashes, if necessary.
———-
Have a question about home repair or maintenance? Send a note to Home Remedies, Your Place, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago IL 60611, or e-mail yourplace@tribune.com. Include your name, address and phone number. Questions of general interest will be answered in future columns. Unpublished letters cannot be answered individually.
