Windows, Part 2

I love open houses. They're a great way to get not only design ideas, but a real life visual of old house architecture. I lucked out one day and happened upon a house that looks almost identical to our house. This one had original, well preserved windows.

They also had mostly casements on the first floor (the realtor gave me permission to take photos). I love casements, because the operation of the window is easier, and there is less of a chance of window failure in the future. A simple turn of the handle and the window is open. Because so many of the windows on the first floor had been replaced and changed, we had a great opportunity to start fresh.

Here is the front window from the open house:

Our windows looked like this:

On the left side of the house, we had three double hung windows, all replacements, two of which had busted their springs. These were the high end wood window replacements by Marvin. It's possible that they were installed incorrectly, but nonetheless, they would not stay open and were hazardous to little fingers.

On the right hand side of the house, the windows had been replaced by a large single pane vinyl insert. 

Both sets of windows had to go.

I drove around neighborhoods all over Portland looking for inspiration. I even knocked on some doors. I didn't know how to size the middle picture window with the flanking windows. 2/1 ratio or 3/1? Finally, I went back to the first house and left a note on the door. "Please let me measure your windows! I have a similar house and would love to know the ratio of center to side windows." She responded quickly and I was at her house the next day with measuring tape. I then applied that ratio to my opening. Then I headed over to our local Loewen dealer for some beautiful fir replacement windows. I love Loewen, because the quality you get for the money is unbeatable. These windows are solid fir, with gorgeous hardware and interior screens on hinges.

We went from this:

to this:

Wow, what a difference! No more center strip of wood impeding the view, and you really get a nice picture of the orchard.

and from this:

to this:

Here is the view from the front of the house. WOW!

I'm not sure why none of the first floor replacement windows had divided lights. I like divided lights. They're appropriate for the age of the house, and they frame the view to outside in a really nice way. Since there were other original windows and doors with divided lights, I decided to go for it. It's possible that the original windows did have divided lights. 

The windows were a source of frustration for me from the beginning, and it is one of the main reasons I decided to move on from my relationship with the design team. I am thankful for the floor plan they provided for the trades, but it was clear to me after this experience that I was on my own when it comes to really important, functional details. Thanks to the incredible support of my local Loewen windows rep and Versatile Sash (in an upcoming post), we were able to make it happen. And I think it's great. 

Maybe, since I have an untrained eye, I have possibly made some kind of design faux pas. But I am really happy with the results, and for heaven's sake, it's a farm house, not a design house! Never underestimate your ability to make things happen, and never settle.