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May have found our original windows, hee hee

18 years ago

I always thought that my parents removed the original windows from the house when they added vinyl to the downstairs over the last 20 years. But I found an old picture which makes it clear that the windows my parents replaced were not original Â they were single pane instead of 4-8 panes.

This house was abandoned at several points in its history and was looted at one of those times. I suppose thatÂs when the windows disappeared. So I was driving around the area today and saw suspicious windows. LOL They really could be.

We just put an add in the monthly newsletter up here Â the closest thing this tiny community has to a paper. In the ad I asked to see pictures of the interior and pictures of artifacts/fixtures. My husband said "and be sure to tell them to bring them back immediately!" (I left that out.) Just requesting the ad landed me in the feature article "Know your neighbor." I am the 5th local person to be featured, the first of whom is under 70.

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Comments (4)

Carol_from_ny
18 years ago
Would you mind posting an update if your appeal gets you anywhere?
Our house and it's land were split up over the years. The barn and some of the property was sold and made into a country club. I've got old post cards of the transformation of the exterior of the barn into the country club. What I don't have is pics of the interior. I've thought of doing something simliar to what you've done but I'm not sure what type of repsonse I'd get.
Maybe if you have a good response I'll get inspired! Good luck with it.....BTW have you checked the local library for books on your area or news clippings? You might be surpsied what you can find. I know I have been.
GaleForce
Original Author
18 years ago
Carol,

I'll let you know.

On the old newsclips -- it's a matter of finding out where they are. This is such a tiny place and they didn't get archived in the nearest public library. But the first thing I found out, not really because of the ad, rather because of talking about the ad, is that the forest service has a collection of old newspapers. They don't have regular office hours now, so I'll check in a few weeks.

The ad costs $3/month so I have nothing to lose.
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There is no energy code problem with using old windows MA although I would advise against it since the likehood of earlier insulating glass seal failure is so great. It's not a good investment. The residential energy code for Massachusetts is contained in Appendex J of the Building Code which contains no mention of the Energy Star program which is a voluntary energy conservation program sponsered by the EPA. In MA the windows of a house have no minimum standard; they are considered one element contributing to the total heat loss of the structure. The easiest way to show compliance is to enter heat loss and equipment efficiency information for the entire structure into a computer program called "REScheck" (supplied by the state) which returns a pass or fail notice. Another way to prove compliance is to have an engineer calculate the heat loss of the structure and certify compliance. Compliance proof must be submitted with the application for a building permit. There is an exception clause for additions to existing houses which sets the acceptable U & R values for each element of the addition rather than requiring analysis of the entire house. The maximum U-value for fenestration in an addition is .39 The current residential energy code in CT is the 2003 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) published by the ICC. "REScheck" software can be used to show compliance just like in MA. Here is a link that might be useful: MA residential energy code
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bullheimer
18 years ago
mind if i ask what in the world you intend to do if you find the original windows and if you expect them to be in any kind of useable condition?
GaleForce
Original Author
18 years ago
hey bullheimer. I just reread my post and see why it may have been a tad bit unclear.

I don't actually intend to recover the windows since those in question are attached to someone else's house. :)

This place was fully furnished, abandoned, and then looted at some point down the line. I have no idea why it was abandoned. I have heard that there is a rancher here who had/has one of the original redwood bathtubs. He was using it to water his cattle.

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