tyrerj

I agree that there is a serious problem with the bottom detail. Flashing should never retain water. The old time advice to follow the water is still good. So, the Aluminum Z should be turned over with the inside flange going behind the sheathing. This is going to leave a piece of metal protruding downward at the outside of the wall. This is how it should be -- a drip edge, but if the sharp edge is an issue, it should be folded over. If you want to close up the outside edge to prevent insects from getting into the space behind the siding, use a strip of insect screening (which will stop insects but not water). The bottom edge could go into the fold over on the Z flange if it is not completely closed and it could then be crimped to hold the screening in place.

I don't think that it is a waste of money, but do not use Vinyl! Composite, either fiberglass or wood/plastic, will probably look just as good as the originals -- at least from a reasonable distance.

As long as you are doing it, I would use the super insulating SouthWall glazing units (heat mirror).

If the windows are in good condition, you might be able to retrofit them although the thinnest glazing units are 7/8 inch thick and they use thinner glass than the 1 inch thick units.

I would consider replacing the frames since those weight pockets are an issue even if filled with foam. Rough framing results in considerable heat loss. If you can make an exact size frame using plastic lumber and plywood filled with rigid foam you will loose a lot less heat through the frame.

One supplier of fiberglass composite with heat mirror units is:

http://www.seriouswindows.com/

Has anyone considered a systems approach to "saving" water? Water is not consumed, it is only used. After use, it is still water. Where I live, we use groundwater. It is possible to recharge sewage effluent. Actually my county does recharge some of it and I think that my community recharges most of it.

If you consider that sewage effluent is recharged and reused, most of the methods to "save" water make a lot less sense. Some of them don't make sense for any community that uses groundwater. This is single entry accounting -- the effect on the amount of aquifer recharge is not considered, only the water "saved".

It is a good thing to prevent rainwater runoff from your property, but if you catch rainwater and store it in a tank, this means less rain percolates into the ground -- less ground water.

With 100% recharge of effluent, preventing water from going down the drain doesn't make as much difference since it will simply be reused. It is true that the process isn't 100% efficient, and it takes energy to treat the effluent and pump it out of the ground again. However, from what I have read, a sewage treatment plant is a possible source of alternative energy that can produce considerably more energy that is used to operate it.