Are you considering replacing the windows? Energy efficiency would probably be a billion times better since 30 years ago. Even my “frugal” landlords sprang for new windows for my apartment when they were doing their house.
I should do that. I’ll have to figure out how to pay for it.
Actually when I had the power company do an energy audit they told me that replacing windows is super expensive (which I knew) but doesn’t really do much for the energy demands of the house if you haven’t done, say, attic re-insulation. That’s what they recommended for maximum value for money. I did it and I can tell the difference just in comfort.
A free energy audit is the way to go. They’ll even do a IR scan of your walls to see if the insulation is still doing its job. If it wasn’t installed properly, or if it’s gotten wet, it will be sagging inside the walls and providing zero insulation.
This is good news.
More good news. 
D’oh! I meant Formica.:o
In an ideal world, if money were no object, I would replace all the windows. However, this is the real world, and I’m wondering if insulated interior blinds(instead of miniblinds) would be a good halfway measure. These are the honeycomb blinds.
Bear in mind that in the summer here, it can be over 100 degrees in the afternoon for a month at a time. But in the winter it rarely goes below 40 and if it hits 30 that would just be for an hour or so in the middle of the night. The front door of the house and one living room window face west. The other two L.R. windows face south (which is what you want here-- no sun in the summer, but plenty of sun in the winter). Two bedrooms face south, the other one faces east and north. The kitchen is on the north side, but its window opens into a carport.
I’m not sure what kind of attic the house has, probably just a minimal crawl space, but insulation there would be a very good idea.
I just replaced the roof about two months ago due to wind damage.
Have you ever watched Rehab Addict, ThelmaLou? Nicole restores houses like this and gives lots of tips about how to clean the old fixtures and stuff. I don’t know how much of what she says is wishful thinking, but she retains old materials whenever possible and chooses stuff in keeping with the time when she has to put in new.
Btw I should have mentioned about my energy audit that I’m in SC so we’re in similar temp straits.
No, I haven’t. I don’t have cable anymore, just a Roku. I’ll see if I can find it on a streaming channel. I’ve watched lots of other decorating programs over the last 30 or so years.
Also, anecdotally, honeycomb blinds did help a lot in our bedroom.
Glad to hear that. Even at $100 apiece, that’s less than $400 each for new windows.
I personally wouldn’t spend that kind of money on a rental. Blinds seem to be one of the things tenants wreck first. And I’m not saying all tenants, but blinds typically are somewhat fragile and tenants, and sorry all good SDMB tenants, are careless. After too many crappy experiences, my units get Walmart or Home Depot mini-blinds and that’s it. There are brackets for curtain rods above the windows if they want to put something else up. For god’s sake don’t let them hang their own rods. The wall damage will kill you.
Yeah ours were the dirt cheap kind, and that’s for OUR house.
You mean the face frames? Yeah, but the boxes still need to be secured to the walls, and especially the uppers are going to be much, much better if made of plywood.
I hear ya. I’m just trying to think of ways to minimize draftiness in the winter and overheating in the summer. I’m not prepared to replace the windows.
I plan to be very, very picky about whoever I rent to. I’ve rented many times in the past, and I’ve always left the property in better shape than I found it. I’m a renter now, and I treat this house as if it were my own.
Ah, I see. I thought you were talking about attaching the hardware.
Fasteners have to be matched to the material. Blum, Salice, Ferrari, hinges all supply particle board screws designed for standard 5mm cabinet milling, or push in plastic inserts for use with their jigs. Installed properly they hold very well. I install and repair cabinets regularly, failure due to screws pulling out of particle board really isn’t something I see much, and the same can happen with plywood if installed poorly or abused.
Same goes for the screws anchoring the cabinets to the walls. There are specific cabinet screws for the purpose. You are not going to be able to pull any cabinet I installed off the wall any easier if it is plywood or melamine/particle board.
The IKEA cabinets actually go onto a rail, which to my inexpert eyes seems like a far superior system - you get the rail well secured where the studs are and you don’t have to worry about the studs when you attach the cabinets.
They’re quite nice, by the way - I’ve been so happy with mine, put them together myself and had somebody else hang them.
I’d guess there was a lot of heat, light, and/or sound coming through the windows. That they put up curtains, but that wasn’t enough, then heavier curtains and it still wasn’t enough, then might as well put up plastic and cardboard since the place doesn’t look super fancy anyway. Is the house in a noisy neighborhood?
There are some people who are thrilled to have all period appropriate fixtures and design. And there are some people who think more like **even sven **mentioned earlier, that a few pieces are charming but everything vintage is too much. And there are some people who don’t care that much on what’s period or design appropriate or not and just like granite or whatever else cool. I don’t have anything to back this up, but I’d guess that the second and third groups are bigger than the first group.
If there’s a big rental market and you won’t have any trouble finding a good renter, then I’d say go ahead with what you want and make a really cool period appropriate place. But if you think you might have trouble finding a good renter, I’d worry that you might scare off some potential good ones if it really feels like you walk back in time walking through the door.