Window replacement costs in El Paso

El Paso's windows live in desert air. The federal climate-zone guide puts El Paso County in zone 3B and labels it hot-dry, where the big Gulf Coast counties carry the humid 'A' letter. Strong sun and dry air are what frames and seals face here.

The housing has some years on it. Roughly 37 percent of the El Paso metro's homes predate 1980 and about 15 percent predate 1960, according to Census survey data.

For a house in a City historic district, the design guidelines set the window rules, and window repair or replacement is one of the items Historic Preservation Office staff can approve without a public hearing. The guidelines lean toward repair, which in many cases means a new sash cord, weather stripping and fresh paint. When a window is beyond repair, the one on the main façade must match the original's type, style, operation and configuration, though the material can differ if it looks the same. Sliders and single-pane picture windows are out unless that's what was there, and unpainted aluminum storm windows aren't permitted.

The guidelines also cover the iron bars many El Paso residents have added. They prefer bars inside the window, and they note that installing security bars takes a permit from the City's Building Permits and Inspections Division, which approves only grille designs that let people get out in a fire.