Month: January 2021

This being the season of window making and the generousity of ARC, we did a window inventory. We knew they all needed a lot of TLC but when you see photographs of all of them you realise how much work this will take.

Pictures for each floor start from the left and rotate anti-clockwise.

Ground floor

Everything on this floor is missing or is pretty much trash.

[Show slideshow]

First floor

We actually have two windows that are fully operational. These are protected by the porch, hence their condition. A lot of our windows were shot with BB guns, shame as the glass was old wavy glass.

[Show slideshow]

Second floor

Most of these windows are exposed to the full brunt of the elements, hence they’re in most need of repair.

[Show slideshow]

Cupola/penthouse

The cupola will have nine windows which don’t currently exist, hence no pictures.

Summary

Within a short time we’ll be pretty proficient at making or restoring sash windows and it would be nice to offer some window making classes. We’d need our friend Derrick to be onboard as he has the historical and practical knowledge and is the person I go to when I get stuck. Just an idea.

Lastly anyone want to sponsor a window pane? Not sure what that would entail, but we’d let you look through it and open and close it!!! Maybe have your name tastefully etched onto the glass as well.

We’re excited to announce that we have a designer and manufacturer helping us with our sash windows. Bob, president of the Architectural Resource Center, has very kindly offered to help us source supplies for our sash windows. We were blown away by Bob’s generosity and it has truly touched Aimee and I and is one of the few highlights of 2020. We had a lovely chat with Bob on New Years eve and hope to meet him in person later this year.

As a bit of a background, Bob stated off in the military before becoming a wood working lecturer which he did so for 19 years before starting up the Architectural Resource Center in 1985. Since then the Architectural Resource Center has gone from strength to strength and has an impressive list of clients including the The Biltmore Estate, Carnegie Hall and the White House to name a few.

To give you an idea of the hardware required for one double hung window, you need:

• Four pulleys
• Four sash chains
• Four sets of sash weights
• One window lock
• One or two sash lifts

That’s a lot of hardware for a single window and multiplied by eight it adds up quickly and that’s just for the ground floor. The majority of this hardware is brass for longevity.

Thank you Bob for helping us make our windows work!!