Monday, September 19, 2011

NEW WINDOWS

Another big home improvement project had been checked off the list.  This time we actually had someone else do the majority of the work. We had our old aluminum framed windows replaced with new ones.  This was a necessary evil, my largest cathedral window, the one which dominates the staircase and led me to fall in love with this condo was cracked and should have been replaced a number of years ago. Last year we had an episode of water leaking in through our patio door and soaking the carpet. We knew the seal on it was bad, there was always fog and condensation inside the dual glass panes, and all the windows let in drafts, but we had been putting off this pricey repair. 

Admittedly these pictures are worse than usual, apparently we had the setting on 'speed' without realizing it. Here you can see the foggy slider with the black frame. It hadn't locked correctly for years, so our back door home security system was a 3 foot dowel rod stuck in the door tracks.


You can barely see the crack in the cathedral window, which is probably why the HOA didn't get onto us about repairing it in a timely manner. I did worry about it every time the wind blew, though.


The new window awaits installment.


A few guys pulled together to do this.  Literally.  Apparently there were a couple of large pulley and winches hauling this thing into place. It was a very organized procedure, as you would expect from a window company. This whole operation happened in about 6 hours while I was at work.


And doesn't the old girl look proud of her new face. Really, the much larger white frames are a good look for the Cape Cod style on our condo.


Here's a look at the finished patio door inside. Definitely a much larger frame, I do feel like we've lost a good bit of actual glass. It does look sharp, and will cut down substantially on heating and cooling bills, and even block more noise. 

This project went a lot faster and smoother than the other projects we have done this year.  Having the professionals do it of course made all the difference.  It did involve a good amount of cleaning and organizing from me, as we had to clear the area in front of all the windows in anticipation of the workers.  That explains the white dresser on the patio, my hubby still needs to knock it apart and trash it. It was no longer working in the girls room and has been replaced with storage bins under the bed.

Now looking at all these lovely white frames, I can't wait to paint. Almost. Maybe after Christmas. We still have a cracked bathtub to replace. I wonder if we can afford those professionals again.