Taking a stroll through a historic neighborhood can be quite a breath-taking experience with all of the wonderful architecture, beautiful landscaping, and timeless design. But there always seems to be the one eyesore that many homeowners dread: the infamous battleship grey storm windows.

Definitely a relic of the past, these storm windows were meant to keep out the elements and insulate your home, unfortunately at the expense of looking quite hideous by today’s standards.

Luckily, storm windows have made significant advances since then. The purpose of the storm windows is still the same, but now you aren’t stuck with the same drab, industrial look of the past.

So, here is the 101 on modern storm windows. Take a look below:

Modern storm windows

Customization. Gone are the days of the battleship grey. These days, storm windows come in a multitude of colors–ProVia carries 8 to 9 colors–adding to the beauty of your home rather than being a detriment. 

Better construction. Today’s storm windows are also much better constructed than storm windows of days past. Now, you’ll find storm windows with corners that are more structurally sound (with better sealing) and framework that is made of much stronger material, which helps to keep mother nature out. 

Low-e tint. Another great advancement in storm windows is the option to have low-e tint. Low-e or low emissivity windows have a special coating that controls the amount of light and heat transmitted through the window. This helps to create dead air space between the storm window and inside window, which not only better insulates your home, but also lengthens the life of your windows.

When you don’t need a storm window

We’ve been singing the praises of storm windows, but there are times you won’t necessarily need them.

Most modern windows already have the technology for great insulation so there really is no reason to add a storm window. Our best advice when (storm) window shopping is to take a look at the quality of your current windows. Storm windows are meant to add to the insulation of your existing window, not replace it, so if your windows are in a pretty bad state, then perhaps it is time to invest in a brand new window instead.

As always, if you have any questions or would like to know more about what Omaha Door & Window has to offer, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via our website’s Contact Us page. We’d love to help out! We’re also available on Facebook and on Twitter @OmahaDoor.

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photo credit: Dreary Day via photopin (license)