A positive attitude gets results

With a renewed sense of determination, we were able to get moving on a couple of projects. Jesse tore out a 70's deck so that the paint removal guys and carpenter could access the lower shingles. I think the improvement is tremendous.

And I decided that the windows were something I could tackle:

Just unscrew the doodad:

Pull off the thingamajigs, tie the sash cord in a knot so the weight doesn't pull it into the cavity:

And voila, the window is out and ready for repair!!

This window is in pretty good shape. All I am going to do is sand it, replace the putty, stain the interior, and paint the exterior. 60 times. The glass could use a good scrub, too.

But I do need some new windows. So I did my research.

I visited many showrooms and inspected each brand of window. I also called a number of local window repair companies who might come out and repair the windows or replace the single panes with double panes. Wow, easily $500-600 per window. OK, so just about the same price as a replacement window.

Then, I read this article.

http://www.oldhouseguy.com/windows.php

I was sure that I would not be replacing any windows anymore. Our initial bid for the cheapest windows was already going to be $24,000 for 40 windows, not including labor. The idea that I was going to replace 100 year old growth wood windows with windows that have no proven track record was not sitting well.

New windows: $600-$1100 each, not including labor. Not only that, but forever more, we will be at the mercy of the company we choose to purchase from. Each window manufacturer has a proprietary system, susceptible to breakage. If you're out of the warranty period, you have to replace the entire system. The positive - double pane glass. The negative, metal clad is not seamless (think rot from inside out - maybe not, but my paranoid self thinks so), wood needs maintenance, vinyl sends dioxins into the environment in production and can split in extreme weather. I do like steel and metal windows, but they don't go with the period of the house.

Old windows: mechanical, long lasting, and easy enough for me to repair. With a storm window I am supposed to achieve even better insulation than with a double pane windows. Sold.
But to convince the husband would be another story. So we went around the house and I counted about 50% of the replacement windows were already broken.

Then I nagged him for a couple of weeks.

Then I visited the Versatile Sash showroom in Portland because I remembered from a previous project that they hand make windows as well.


The showroom was pretty impressive, and Alex, a rep with the company, was eager to show me around the voluminous warehouse full of projects before, during, and after production. Everything made locally.

Alex was pretty straightforward and honest with me. When I brought in the second floor windows, he confirmed that, aside from cosmetics, my large windows are in great shape. It was completely obvious, though, that the small attic window that I brought in was completely rotten.

So my order is in. Fourteen attic windows in complete failure in need of replacement sashes. All will be replaced with locally made douglas fir windows, for half the price of factory replacement windows. If something happens to one of these windows down the line, I'll know what to do.

Here is a link to their website.

http://versatilesash.homestead.com/