Shoestring Theory

That they look so nice finished is all the handy work of the ladytheorist. She’s mastered the art of trimming and finishing these things out

They’ve been visible in some of the other pictures I’ve posted, but I wanted to point out the new windows going into the house. Originally, we had questioned whether or not replacing all of the windows in the house was really in our budget. Windows get expensive, fast. But we caught a lucky break thanks to the bad economy.

A window and siding company had ordered a bunch of 4′ by 3′ casement windows for a big job. Due to someone’s mistake though, the windows couldn’t be used. Since they were special ordered, the company was stuck with them. They were selling them for less than half of retail price, to recoup some of their money and clear out space in their warehouse. At that price, new windows suddenly fit within our budget.

And a lucky break it was for us. The old windows in the house were all single pane, worn out, rattling, air leaking, energy wasting messes. There were at least four different styles and sizes throughout the house, giving it a rather dysfunctional look from the outside. The new windows are double paned, low E glass, and quite well built. I think that replacing all the old windows is going to end up having more of an impact on our heating/cooling bill as all the insulation we’re stuffing in the walls. So, not only did we get them cheaply, we got really nice windows cheaply. Score! Seriously people, if you’re doing any remodel work on your house, check your local Craigslist. You never know what you’re going to find.

The lady will have six windows and two french doors in her sunroom. It’s her dream come true.

As a comparison, this is what that side of the house used to look like (the picture is from the opposite angle, so use your imagination a little).

Here’s the old west side:

And the new west side:

I’m really amazed at how much these windows are changing the look of the house. They’ve really updated the whole place, made it feel more modern. The house originally had 16 windows in it. By the time we’re done, it will have 21 windows. We still have a three more specialty windows to install (living room and kitchen), but I’ll leave them as a surprise for another day.

Tags:   house · light · remodel · windows2 Comments - Follow the string