The Windows Have Arrived

And they're filling the living room!

To catch you up to speed, our house has:

25 single-pane, wood-frame, double hung windows (that's the kind that slide up and down)

6 single-pane, wood-frame, double casement windows (basically like mini french doors that open out)

4 single-pane, wood, fixed basement windows

3 single-pane, wood, transom windows (windows over doors)

1 single-pane, wood, fixed window over the sink in the kitchen

1 double-pane, vinyl-frame, awning window (hinges at the top and opens out like an awning)

Most of the double hung wood windows appear to be original, though I wouldn't be surprised if some of the sashes had been replaced here or there. Unfortunately, the seasons and their weather have not been kind to our windows, and their protective coatings of (most likely lead-based) paint, unmaintained in the last decade, have cracked and peeled and made way for water and rot.

We couldn't afford to replace all of these windows, so we picked the most rotten among them and ordered brand-new, double-pane, wood replacement windows, with exterior vinyl cladding.

Windows cost a lot of money. Especially when your house has 40 of them. We decided to replace 18.

I am not skilled enough a blogger to fully describe and capture, in this little post, the amount of time and thought and hems and haws that went into the purchasing of these windows. Measurements were taken; drawings were made; quotes were requested; measurements were re-taken; quotes were adjusted; window styles changed, sometimes depending on vendor; quotes were adjusted. We researched and drove to warehouses and vendors and waited for sales to kick in. And what about the color!? The hardware, sill angle, division of light?!

Suffice to say, we put a lot of time into the decisions that led to this glorious delivery.

So, who wants to come help us install 'em?