storm windows worth saving?

Mr. Reluctant requests advice about storm windows:

Although the mechanical mechanisms
have failed/been removed/broken in
all my wooden double hung windows --
alas, *not* ropes and pulleys, but
some other one I cannot figure out --
the windows are in fair shape. The
frames and sills seem fine, the sashes
are a bit beat up. But because the
mechanicals are failed, they don't
stay up without support. That is the
main problem. I think restoring
them would take too much time, and
probably I wouldn't even be able to
find suitable parts.

I like wooden double hung windows, and I can't
for the life of me imagine replacing them
with vinyl. Theses windows have lasted
for 60 years, and could last still many more
years -- how long will vinyl windows
last -- maybe 10? At the most 20?
It just doesn't make sense. Plus they look
hideous and are environmentally
unfriendly.

One option: replace with Marvin tilt-pac
sash replacements. Probably costly, but
could put on the list of long term projects.

In the short term: what to do about the
(double track) storm windows. Having the storms,
provided they weren't missing panels and other
essentials, doubles the energy efficiency of
the windows, and also protects the sills from
water. But the ones we have were only of modest
quality, and are now quite broken down. I
have looked high and low for replacement
parts for them (e.g. the tracks) but cannot
locate any. I am having panels made for
the ones that are missing entire
panels! But perhaps these storms in the
shape they are currently in are doing more
harm than good: they aren't air-tight, and
so moisture gets in and is trapped, causing
mildew, etc.

My questions:

(1) Does anybody know where double/triple
track storm windows are sold in the
Willamette Valley? I have gone to several
places and they basically just try to sell
me new vinyl windows.

(2) Is it worth it to buy new storms?

--Mr. R

let there be light (and storms, almost)

Isn't this the prettiest thing in the whole world? Well, it is in mine. Installation was more complicated than we thought, so we had the neighbor help us install our new porch light. I love the fact that it was so easy for him that he chatted throughout the process. If only we had skillz; if only we had toolz.

Not so pretty, but coming along nicely is the storm window renovation. Although we have been scoffed at by the home renovation center salesmen and poopooed by the internet wizards, we are proceeding with replacing screens and glass, and fixing up the plastic. No, we are not going to get vinyl windows. We'll suffer the loss of heat (we did the ol' plastic sheeting with a blow dryer last winter, and it worked fine). We like the old-school look of the aluminum storm windows, and our nice old wood windows, and we simply can't afford to replace them with something that is either (a) totally prohibitively expensive (wood); or (b) ugly and cheap-looking that will only last 10 years, if that (vinyl). Perhaps we'll revisit this idea next spring, but we are amazed by how well the windows held up even with the broken and messed-up storms, so we are pretty sure that with fixing them and properly installing them, they'll be ok.

stormy weather

We got the bid on the roof -- more than we thought, not that we're surprised. It's apparently the best roofing contractor in town. The thing that kills me is that it's just a bit more to get nicer shingles (we have the standard craptastic 3-tab in a yucky color) but since we're only doing a small part of the roof, we have to match the old kind. We talked to the contractor about having a mismatched roof, and he said it would be hard to tell from the street, the way our house is positioned. Good point, but my real estate guru (hi mom) said by no means should we turn our roof into a crazy quilt.

I've been deeply engaged in cleaning projects, and Mr. Reluctant has been doing exterior projects. He has been dismantling our storm windows to repair and replace what he can. Turns out most are damaged in some minor way, and two are missing screens and two more the sliding glass panel that covers the screens.