Poll

Should I keep the fake mullions?

Keep em
3 (15%)
Burn em
17 (85%)

Total Members Voted: 20

Author Topic: Should I keep the fake mullions?  (Read 2242 times)

Morning Glory

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Should I keep the fake mullions?
« on: February 10, 2019, 08:17:00 AM »
My house came with those flimsy wooden grid things that go in the windows. I have taken most of them out because my kids keep knocking them down, and it is easier to clean the windows if I don't have to take them out and put them back every time. I am tempted to throw them on the burn pile because they are cluttering up my closet, but obviously the previous owner thought they made the house look better, so maybe I should store them and then put them back up when we get ready to sell the house (unknown timeframe). The house is a farm house that was built in 1920, and the current windows are probably about 20 years old, wood frame, double hung. Personally I think the windows look fine either way, but I am not a real estate expert.

Omy

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Re: Should I keep the fake mullions?
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2019, 01:53:10 PM »
If you don't have an HOA, you can do whatever you want. I had an HOA fuss about my client not having them, but we were able to prove that the house never had them (the builder had old photos in the MLS). The HOA rules stated that it had to be consistent (all or none), so he got "approval".

J Boogie

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Re: Should I keep the fake mullions?
« Reply #2 on: February 12, 2019, 01:02:06 PM »
It sounds like you're talking about muntins, not mullions. You can't really fake or remove a mullion as it is typically a structural member between two different windows.

Anyways, I think real muntins look great and historical. Fake muntins are garbage and should absolutely be removed. Nothing wrong with a big pane of glass offering an unobstructed view.

AMandM

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Re: Should I keep the fake mullions?
« Reply #3 on: February 12, 2019, 04:35:37 PM »
I vote remove all of them (for consistency across all your windows) and burn them. I agree they are not attractive, though I love real muntins.

MayDay

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Re: Should I keep the fake mullions?
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2019, 05:21:14 AM »
It's aesthetic preference, as long as you don't have a specific architectural style that really should have particular windows (and even then it's still preference- your house will just make architects cry).


Papa bear

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Re: Should I keep the fake mullions?
« Reply #5 on: February 14, 2019, 06:06:12 AM »
If you don't have an HOA, you can do whatever you want. I had an HOA fuss about my client not having them, but we were able to prove that the house never had them (the builder had old photos in the MLS). The HOA rules stated that it had to be consistent (all or none), so he got "approval".


There are also historic districts and city zoning laws that have restrictions that are not HOA’s.

I don’t like the fake snap on ones either.  What do your neighbors have?  Would you be the only house without them?


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Morning Glory

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Re: Should I keep the fake mullions?
« Reply #6 on: February 14, 2019, 07:51:48 AM »
Hi guys, thanks for all the advice. To clarify, I live outside city limits. No HOA and the closest neighbors are 1/2 mile away with a totally different style of house.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Should I keep the fake mullions?
« Reply #7 on: February 14, 2019, 08:11:10 AM »
It sounds like you're talking about muntins, not mullions. You can't really fake or remove a mullion as it is typically a structural member between two different windows.

Anyways, I think real muntins look great and historical. Fake muntins are garbage and should absolutely be removed. Nothing wrong with a big pane of glass offering an unobstructed view.

My house has real ones, except for 1 window in the garage where they can be removed for washing. How I hate them. Cleaning the windows takes so much more time than if it would have been plane windows. Next time I buy a house, I will check that thare are no mullions.

So my opinion: throw them out.

I do think that they might take away a bit of the option to look into Your house form the outside. But as Your neighbours live far away, I wouldn't let that be an argument.

Omy

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Re: Should I keep the fake mullions?
« Reply #8 on: February 14, 2019, 01:18:05 PM »
Can you store them for the next owner? Some people like the aesthetics.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Should I keep the fake mullions?
« Reply #9 on: February 14, 2019, 01:42:00 PM »
Can you store them for the next owner? Some people like the aesthetics.

Unless you plan on selling soon, I wouldn't store them, personally. Let the next owner buy them if they want them.

You don't know which buyer you are attracting anyway in rehanging them to sell. They turn lots of people off too.

Mississippi Mudstache

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Re: Should I keep the fake mullions?
« Reply #10 on: February 15, 2019, 02:18:53 PM »
My preference is to have muntins in historical homes or homes built in a historical style. Colonials, Greek revivals, Victorians, and Craftsman homes look best with traditional windows with muntins. Ranches, moderns, and anything that doesn't fit neatly into historical archetypes look fine with unobstructed panes.

That said, I really dislike windows with the removal interior muntins, and I'd probably remove them just out of annoyance.