Hello all, I'm buying a very pretty new house in Ann Arbor that has great bones and few problems I'm planning to solve very soon. The biggest issue with the house is the old windows that I'm planning to replace. Now, the question I have is: the windows on the second floor are VERY low, ankle-height low. I'm not sure why that was done (old houses in AA are weirdly designed) but I find it a little bit of a turn off and I'm wondering if putting them at the right height would make things better for safety / resale value / just my mental health. [url]http://photos.zillowstatic.com/p_f/ISaxzmq5tf5mha1000000000.jpg[/url] Moving the windows higher up would probably entail building small dormers which I'm not 100% sure is worth the hassle. Should I just replace the windows and leave them where they are or should I tackle the height problem head on?

I recently bought a house that we're living in was built in 1926. The home has 25 or so windows that I don't know if are as old as the home but they are pretty much useless. I say this because without opening the single pane window you can hear through it as if it's open and there is no insulation at all around them so the temperatures vary wildly around the house. The AC unit could barely keep up with the homes needs during the end of summer and I know that's why. My gf wants to keep the windows the size that they are 24x60 but definitely wants to change them out. From a value perspective, what's the best choice right now to replace these? Should I go double hung double pane from lowes or is there a better place to get them? Obviously smaller windows will save a little money but is it hurting the value if I do that? Also I've got 3 of these windows right next to each other looking out on to the front porch. Should I maintain that or replace it with a single large casement window? I dont open the windows much but she does, so to me replacing with a single window that doesnt open makes sense but a casement window may be better. What do you think? Thanks!