It was the perfect excuse to run to the local salvage outlets looking for a window to replace this one:
The current window is about 4 inches too narrow and about a foot too short for the window hole in the brick. Since we are removing the siding, we need to find a replacement in the original size.
Our house has five of these windows...
All of them 28 inches wide and 70 inches tall, and in various stages of disrepair... some are possibly beyond repair and held together by metal brackets. We need to find at least one more.
We struck out three times until we got to the Habitat ReStore, where we found THIS window (and three others just like it):
It's 28 inches wide and 69 inches tall (and yes, upside down). UGH! It's also a solid wood, double paned modern window... with almost the exact same detail around the glass panes... very tempting. They have almost enough to do our whole house. But I doubt we can get away with using a window ONE INCH too short in a brick house...
7 comments:
With some creative trim work you should be able to use windows that are 1" short. A thin strip of ply/MDF and some spray foam and you're set. At least they aren't big. Then you'd have to knock bricks out.
But I'm no help because I'll do just about anything to reuse before buying new.
Oh my. I can imagine the sinking feeling when you found the windows and thought they must be the right size, to then measure and find they are 1" too short. What did you decide??
or frame it out with 1" wood. (Don't tell The Guy but one of our very expensive custom windows came in an inch too narrow and the Handyman and I decided that rather than send it back he'd frame it out. You can't tell - it looks just like the other windows!)
would a windowsill solve the problem?
We have used a window too small in our former concrete block house. I think my husband and our handyman put some treated wood on the bottom of the sill, to the right size, and then used shims to get it all in. Then they trimmed the outside so you couldn't tell. I forget all the details, but it is quite possible. 1" doesn't seem like a big deal.
Considering the window in the photo, it looks like it would be less work and probably less time to simply maintain and repair the existing windows. Learn how here:
http://historichomeworks.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=16
and here:
http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/reports/reports.htm#Windows
John Leeke
www.HistoricHomeWorks.com
Anonymous~ Thanks for the links... they will be helpful on the existing windows. The biggest problem is that we need to find a REPLACEMENT for the too-small window! Who took out that stupid window, I ask... NOT ME!
Jen&Stan~ We decided to wait and think... no decisions yet.
Morderemama~ My husband actually wants to pull the sill up that inch to make up for it... don't know if it will work.
Lisa H~ Glad to hear it worked for you! We're still debating...
Mike@RuralRenovation~ I, too, will go to almost any lenght to avoid buying something that expensive new! It KILLS me to be this close...
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