KALAMAZOO, Mich., -- Feb. 8, 2010 -- The second of three workshops aimed at teaching contractors to repair wood windows began Feb. 8 in Kalamazoo and continued through February 19. In Michigan, 20 percent of the housing dates from before 1950, therefore, a number of houses have wooden double hung windows.

With the current emphasis on energy efficiency, many people consider replacing wood windows. This, plus the need to retrain workers converged to convince the city of Kalamazoo, the Michigan Historic Preservation Network, and the State Historic Preservation Office that Michigan needs more professionals who know how to repair existing wood windows. With a federal Certified Local Government grant from the State Historic Preservation Office, the city of Kalamazoo partnered with the Michigan Historic Preservation Office to train contractors.

According to State Historic Preservation Officer Brian Conway, "Generally speaking, people accept the idea promoted by window manufacturers that existing wood windows cannot be repaired. They think the only option they have is to replace them. That simply isn't true. Typically, wood windows can be made to be just as energy efficient as replacement windows, last for decades, and have a faster payback than replacements."

There is a shortage of people who know how to do this, however.

Sharon Ferraro, Kalamazoo's historic preservation coordinator stated: "Window rehabilitation is a market with too few people trained to do the work. Rehab can be a steady job or a business opportunity for a small-scale contractor who services owner occupied homes and rental properties."