Old Windows

I love my old windows! Original wood windows was one of the items on my list when house hunting. Wood windows add so much warmth, character and history to house! I know some people think I am crazy, but I am not going to replace my windows. They do need a little work though.

With the weather so beautiful on Saturday we couldn't resist tackling a project! After cleaning the house we then decided to make a mess! Ha!

One of the reasons old windows don't have a good reputation is they get a little cranky if they are not taken care of. They can be hard to open and close or the window won't stay up without being propped. The very simple reason is the window sash is held up with weights and after so many years the rope breaks. That was the problem we fixed on Saturday. It is a bit of a process and involves carefully removing trim, but so nice to have windows that stay up!

Do you see the hole? That is a weight pocket. Every window has one on each side to hold the window weights.

The weights inside the pocket tied to the sash with rope.

On the right a 5 pound weight for the larger window and on the left a 4 pound. (Isn't that the coolest thing they are stamped with the number?)We gave them a quick rinse to get rid of 90 years of cobwebs.

 There is a couple of pieces of trim that have to come out to get to the weight pocket. While we were taking things apart I scraped and sanded the edges to help the windows go and down smoother. 

The weight pocket cover. I don't think anyone had ever gotten into it to re-string the windows. They fit really snug, the only way to get them out is pry and there wasn't any previous pry marks.

Three windows down, just 7 more to go! I will be putting together a more in depth post on the the complete process. We ran out of daylight and were just trying to get them back in for the night!

So did you have lovely weather this weekend? Did you tackle a project?