I can see clearly now the wood frames are gone...
Finally, after 4 1/2 months, our new windows were installed!! It was quite a process to get them done. We went through Home Depot, who contracts the work out to local businesses. We did the same thing with our carpets. I think we had 4 or 5 different people come during the course of the nearly 5 months it's taken, to measure and re-measure the living room window to ensure it was made properly in the factory. Because of the strange shape, I'm glad they were so diligent with the measurements.
Here is the previous wood framed (read: ugly) living room window.
Here is Marin, with her magnetic drawing board of course, in the living room when the old window was removed. Typically, it was a very cold day, so the girls and I were wearing many layers, but were still very cold!! I didn't see the point of turning the heat on anywhere in the house, seeing as there was a huge gaping hole in the middle of it!!!
And here is our lovely new living room window! It's so much nicer having one big pane of glass to peer through, rather than having the 3 individual panes it had before. I still have to hem the curtains....one step at a time!!
Our bedroom window mirrored the look of the living room window with the 3 separate panes of glass. It also included the most horrible green and possibly pearlized mini blinds. EW!!!
We have now changed it so it still mirrors the living room window, but now has 2/3 as a stationary window, and 1/3 as the portion that will open to let in the fantastic humid air that summer will bring!! Adam isn't thrilled about the "flowery" sheer curtains we now have... I'm not thrilled about the over-sized airplane posters he has framed and mounted in the house. I'd say we're equal!
The basement windows were super ugly. This one had a mini blind covering it, with a hole cut from one corner...to let the cat jump up and people watch... (Yes, people really will do anything for their animals.) Needless to say, the blind will not be re-installed. Our cat likes to jump up and stare out the other window and doesn't need holes cut from plastic blinds in order to see out!
Here is the finished product. You'll see our wall is coming apart in this picture. The walls in this particular room are textured to look like little rocks are hiding beneath the paint. From constant feline activity (previous owners cat), the wall has taken a bit of a beating and it is possible to tear off the textured wall!! I was quite excited with my discovery, but know it would be one hell of a job to take down all the crap covering the walls... Like I said, one step at a time.
This room is my sewing room/guest room. The window is disgusting in the before picture, I know. My cat likes to sit in this window and fight with a dumb neighbourhood cat, from behind the safety of the glass. Hence the paw prints and smudges. She eventually emerges from the battle with a very bushy tail, walking around like she's just defeated the enemy!!! I usually let her gloat!
The previous owners did a terrible job building a makeshift window ledge in this room. I'm not sure of the history behind it, but one of the men who came and measured told me the installers would have to tear it apart and wouldn't be rebuilding it. That would be up to us to do. I said "Sure. Whatever!!" (Knowing Adam would be thrilled about finding some way to fix it....and that it wasn't me who had to come up with a design.) In the end, the installers used a bit of 1/4 round and crown molding and created a very nice window ledge for Horsie to fight on!!
Verdict: It was a long time coming, but after a 9 hour day of putting up with French only installers, rattling off questions etc to me, I'm thrilled with our new windows!! We are going to slowly try and replace the other 5 remaining windows as we can. I'll know to begin early with the ordering process!!
Here is the previous wood framed (read: ugly) living room window.
Here is Marin, with her magnetic drawing board of course, in the living room when the old window was removed. Typically, it was a very cold day, so the girls and I were wearing many layers, but were still very cold!! I didn't see the point of turning the heat on anywhere in the house, seeing as there was a huge gaping hole in the middle of it!!!
And here is our lovely new living room window! It's so much nicer having one big pane of glass to peer through, rather than having the 3 individual panes it had before. I still have to hem the curtains....one step at a time!!
Our bedroom window mirrored the look of the living room window with the 3 separate panes of glass. It also included the most horrible green and possibly pearlized mini blinds. EW!!!
We have now changed it so it still mirrors the living room window, but now has 2/3 as a stationary window, and 1/3 as the portion that will open to let in the fantastic humid air that summer will bring!! Adam isn't thrilled about the "flowery" sheer curtains we now have... I'm not thrilled about the over-sized airplane posters he has framed and mounted in the house. I'd say we're equal!
The basement windows were super ugly. This one had a mini blind covering it, with a hole cut from one corner...to let the cat jump up and people watch... (Yes, people really will do anything for their animals.) Needless to say, the blind will not be re-installed. Our cat likes to jump up and stare out the other window and doesn't need holes cut from plastic blinds in order to see out!
Here is the finished product. You'll see our wall is coming apart in this picture. The walls in this particular room are textured to look like little rocks are hiding beneath the paint. From constant feline activity (previous owners cat), the wall has taken a bit of a beating and it is possible to tear off the textured wall!! I was quite excited with my discovery, but know it would be one hell of a job to take down all the crap covering the walls... Like I said, one step at a time.
This room is my sewing room/guest room. The window is disgusting in the before picture, I know. My cat likes to sit in this window and fight with a dumb neighbourhood cat, from behind the safety of the glass. Hence the paw prints and smudges. She eventually emerges from the battle with a very bushy tail, walking around like she's just defeated the enemy!!! I usually let her gloat!
The previous owners did a terrible job building a makeshift window ledge in this room. I'm not sure of the history behind it, but one of the men who came and measured told me the installers would have to tear it apart and wouldn't be rebuilding it. That would be up to us to do. I said "Sure. Whatever!!" (Knowing Adam would be thrilled about finding some way to fix it....and that it wasn't me who had to come up with a design.) In the end, the installers used a bit of 1/4 round and crown molding and created a very nice window ledge for Horsie to fight on!!
Verdict: It was a long time coming, but after a 9 hour day of putting up with French only installers, rattling off questions etc to me, I'm thrilled with our new windows!! We are going to slowly try and replace the other 5 remaining windows as we can. I'll know to begin early with the ordering process!!
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