This Old House Charleston and Indow

This Old House specializes in restoring homes that make viewers sigh with "I-want-to-live-there" envy.

The "Single House" in the Ansonborough neighborhood of Charleston is no exception. This Old House Charleston is the latest makeover by the long-running television show that airs on public broadcasting. And we're happy to say Indow inserts helped make the original single-pane windows energy efficient and reduced the noise coming in off the street with Acoustic Grade inserts.

"There's no noise," said Scott Edwards who owns the house with his wife Kathleen. "It's a huge difference."

Blocking Street Noise in a Historic District

The couple moved from the suburbs to live in Charleston where they could walk to restaurants and shops. At first, they renovated a house a few blocks away. That house had aluminium exterior storms over single-pane windows but it was as if there were no windows at all, it was still so loud inside the house. They knew they needed to do something different in the "Single House."

And not just for noise. Single-pane windows are drafty. The Board of Architectural Review in Charleston told them that if they replaced the windows, they still had to be single-pane and divided light.

Scott knew he could get thicker single-pane glass, but the R-value (or insulating power) would still be lousy. And so would its ability to reduce outside noise.

"Why am I going to spend all this money to get nominally better windows when we can renovate these existing windows?"

Acoustic Windows on This Old House

The original windows are pretty amazing. They're deeply inset in the home's walls, which are several bricks thick. Because of this, there can be a lot of space between the Indow insert and the window – and the greater the air space, the better the sound damping. There's no need at all anymore to replace windows to make them quieter.

"Here, it's like a house with double or triple-pane windows," he said, comparing it to their old house a few blocks away. "I hear very little."

And the inserts blend into the existing frame so well Scott has forgotten they were there and hit his head trying to peer out the window.

Old House Renovation

Nothing had been done on the house for more than 60 years. Two brothers had lived there and as the story goes, their mother instructed them to never marry so they could care for their sister. The house needed a lot of work, which gave Scott and his wife Kathleen a blank slate for making it over.

As part of the This Old House renovation, they had spray foam insulation added in the attic and under the house and installed a new and more efficient HVAC system. He anticipates the inserts will help with the expensive air conditioning bills Charleston residents regularly incur.

"You walk by a window and there's no draft."

Indow is grateful to be a part the Single House project. We appreciate the time and thought This Old House – as well as all the other craftspeople – put into making the house a true gem.

Solutions

• Drafts & Savings
• Noise Reduction
• Light & UV

We offer custom solutions to a variety of window performance issues, from insulation and draft-blocking to noise penetration. Click the links above to discover how Indow window inserts solve each issue, and find the Indow grade that’s the best fit for your needs.