Window-mania! I'm so OCD

When I put my mind to something, sometimes it goes into complete overdrive. The obsession of the moment is windows.

It started one day when I realized I had some serious rot issues on a small cabin on the property. I really wanted to replace the rotten ones, but not for $600 a pop. On a whim, I did a quick Craig's List search on my way to the Portland Rebuilding Center. There was an ad for 17 casement windows pulled from a Reed College dorm. I texted the seller just after I pulled in and did a quick round through the salvage warehouse. Without any luck there, I checked my phone and already had a response. I was running around quite a bit that morning and was already late getting to the farmhouse, but the seller was just around the corner and a split decision later, I was in front of her house.

Not having been in the market before, I wasn't sure what I was looking for or what I really needed, except I needed windows. Down in the basement of this house were 18 gorgeous, solid, heavy, casement windows of various sizes and a box of hardware. She had bought them about 7 years before was asking 60-70/window. I offered her $500 for the lot, and seriously questioned my sanity as I was doing it. But what the heck, right? $25/window, she would probably say no, and I would be off the hook.

15 minutes later, and a trunk full of windows, I was headed to Hood River.

The problem is, that's not where I stopped. I kept returning to the Rebuilding Center with a renewed enthusiasm for old windows. I bought about 5 leaded casement windows on an especially crazy morning (solid, massively heavy and in frames). I had to rent a Uhaul for these, and during a struggle to move one of them, my husband stepped right through an especially large set of 3. Oops!

And another set of 3 with broken panes, but I could fix the panes. It was a deal!

I didn't really know what I was going to do with these, but what I did know was the windows in place were so rotten and inoperable, that anything would be an upgrade. We opted for new wood windows for the first floor, exactly the same configuration as the old windows, and went crazy fun upstairs in the "attic."

All of the original windows had been covered and were completely broken or missing sashes. I took this one in to be matched up:

Want to see what we did with them?