In numerous parts of the country, changing old, breezy, noisy windows is as simple as selecting items at a home improvement shop and scheduling a specialist to install them. That's not the case in New York, where window replacement, like so many elements of house remodelling, is governed by guidelines and procedures.

In co-op and condominium buildings, there are frequently specs to follow and boards to please. In buildings designated as landmarks, a license from the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission is needed. These additional actions often lead to a lengthier, more expensive project than homeowners might expect, however are created to keep the visual stability of the city's streets.

For numerous house owners, practically any hassle is worth the convenience and quiet that new windows can deliver.

Andre Neethling experienced the difference new windows can make firsthand. When he originally bought his one-bedroom co-op at 5 Tudor City Place in Manhattan 15 years earlier, it didn't take him long to find a problem. "It was extremely noisy," said Mr. Neethling, as well as dirty, since a lot air was coming through the initial casement windows, which provided the space character but also dated from about 1930.

When the building offered investors a preapproved replacement choice, he leapt at the chance, and had Skyline Windows change his windows in 2 phases-- some in 2009 and the rest in November. "I'm very pleased," he said, noting that the brand-new window systems "reduced the sound by 99 percent," and keep the dust out, while mimicking the look of the original windows.

Who's Responsible?

For apartment occupants thinking of changing the windows in their systems, "The first thing to take a look at is whose duty the windows are," said Stuart M. Saft, a partner of the law firm Holland Knight and chairman of the Council of New York City Cooperatives and Condominiums.

" In some buildings, they're the responsibility of the co-op or condo; in others, they're the duty of the house owner," he stated. "Then there's a 3rd category of buildings where it's unclear who's responsible, and it comes down to the history of what the structure has done."

For those looking for clearness, he advised checking out the co-op's exclusive lease or the apartment's laws. In cases where windows are the building's responsibility, they are normally changed just as part of a building-wide program, not at a person's demand.

However no matter who is lawfully responsible, Mr. Saft said, most boards are happy to let private shareholders and system owners replace their windows at their own cost, as long as all guidelines and standards are followed.

Prices for replacement windows vary, depending upon the size, material and functions, however basic aluminum windows normally range from about $750 to more than $2,000 per unit installed. Wood windows cost about two times as much. Simply be aware that if you decide to continue in a structure that would otherwise be responsible for the windows, "they're your windows, and you're now responsible for them," Mr. Saft said, including repair and maintenance.

Building Standards

To start the procedure, "in practically every co-op or condominium, you'll need to get approval from the board," said Paul R. Gottsegen, the president of Halstead Management, which manages about 250 structures in the city. "The building wants to keep an uniformity to its appearance," he said, "so if a private owner changes their windows, they will need to conform to all the other windows."

Lots of buildings have window replacement strategies in location currently, which assist facilitate the procedure by providing in-depth specs of what's needed, stated Hope Dana, a principal of Platt Dana Architects in Manhattan, who encouraged checking with the managing representative to see if such a document exists. "Nevertheless, numerous buildings in New york city, even high-end co-ops, do not have authorized window plans," she said. "It truly depends on the building, the number of renovations they've had, and how organized they are."

The plans might consist of details on window size, setup, product and color, as well as installation requirements such as panning and caulking, and even favored producers.

Landmarks

If your building has actually been designated a landmark or is in a historic district, your new windows will likewise have to be authorized by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. "This actually affects the visual and the window setup you can use, along with the timing of a job," stated Ross Adler, the principal of Adler Windows, which concentrates on replacements for New York structures. "A regular window replacement task can take three months from start to complete; a normal landmark window project could take 6 months."

One way to speed up the procedure, he said, is to guarantee the replacement windows meet all the commission's key criteria, so it can issue what is known as a staff-level license, often within a number of months, as opposed to an authorization that needs commission approval.

" For specific landmarks and small structures, which are six stories or less, and have less than 41 feet of frontage, Landmarks wants you to match the material, finish, operation, detail and configuration of the initial window" on primary facades, Mr. Adler stated.

For larger buildings, the requirement to match the original material falls away, but the other requirements stay. "That's why if you drive down Park Avenue or Fifth Avenue, and look up at the apartments and co-ops, you'll see aluminum windows," Mr. Adler said. "They're enabled to deviate from the original product, which was wood," despite the fact that smaller sized buildings, like townhouses, are not.

If all the requirements can't be fulfilled, or a design modification is wanted, the application will have to be evaluated at one of the commission's public hearings, which leads to a lengthier procedure.

Alternatives

Co-op and condominium boards and the Landmarks Preservation Commission are mainly concerned with the outside look of windows. As long as you please their requirements, there are a series of possible options for the interior look and performance.

Structures normally define the exterior color and surface of windows, however the interior can typically be any shade. "We can offer you any color you want," stated Matt Kraus, the senior vice president of Skyline Windows, a significant manufacturer and installer of replacement windows in New york city. "The most common colors are bronze, white or black, however we've acted of unusual things, including Ferrari red and pink."

It's even possible to blend materials, Mr. Adler said, and to order a window that has an aluminum outside to satisfy structure standards, however a wood interior for a softer, warmer appearance. This option costs about as much as all-wood windows.

From a performance perspective, "among the greatest motorists for window replacement right now is noise," Mr. Kraus said. "We Window Installation Companies provide noise reduction that counteracts a high level of noise from the outside."

While nearly all brand-new windows will be quieter than old windows, due to the fact that they decrease air seepage, manufacturers can likewise utilize laminated glass to significantly lower sound transmission. Laminated glass, which costs about 5 percent to 30 percent more than basic glass, has other advantages-- it can make a window harder to break, for improved security, and it can filter out ultraviolet light that adds to the fading of textiles and art work.

For energy effectiveness, contemporary windows use a low-emissivity, or low-e, covering to improve thermal performance, Mr. Kraus said, including that the New york city City Energy Conservation Code sets baseline performance requirements. There are a variety of finishes offered, he kept in mind, which can further enhance performance. "You can go from simply fulfilling the energy code to considerably beating it," he said.

Setup

One is a retrofit or within-frame setup, where the original window frames are kept and the brand-new windows are placed within them. About 6 typical windows can be installed per day, Mr. Adler stated.

The other is a brick-to-brick installation, which includes replacing the original window frames too-- a messier, more intrusive and lengthy process that needs bursting the walls. Because of that, it is often undertaken as part of a bigger gut renovation.

" It goes from being exceptionally light building with little or no work to be completed after we're done," Mr. Adler stated, "to a major construction project."