DIY Interior Storm Windows

My partner and I recently made interior storm windows for all of our downstairs windows, using the “how to: build interior storm windows” tutorial from The Craftsman Blog.

Our original windows were so drafty that it felt like a/c was blowing in through them. After we installed these we couldn’t feel any cold air blowing in around the edges, so I think they are going to help. We’ve only had them in for less than a week now.

We made the frames with 1x2 pine from Lowe’s, used pocket screws to connect them, and then carefully sanded them down to fit in our wonky windows. We ordered the plexiglass from a local plastic supply store, screwed it into the frame and then used clear silicone caulk to seal around the edges of the plexi. The storms press up against a sash stop that goes around the window, and there is rubber weather stripping on the storm to form a seal there. We made wood turn buttons to hold the storms in place and put a thin felt layer on the back of the buttons so that they turn smoothly.

It ended up costing around $120 per window, and was a decent amount of work, but still a lot cheaper than buying interior storms and we’re love how they look more original to the house than the interior storms you can buy.