what to do about this window
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What do I do about the Windows...
Comments (8)Your outer windows can be gotten open but it will take some effort. However, it is well worth it, and is usually not a technically difficult project, though if you have a big sunroom, it may seem tedious. It mostly takes patience, and persistence, to break painted-in windows loose You will probably have to loosen them from both the inside and out if they have been painted shut on both surfaces. There is a tool call the window zipper which may help, but I often find other tools from sharpened screwdrivers, to utility knives (hard to control safely, but sometimes just the ticket, especially with caulk), the 5 in 1 painting tool, assorted chisels, scrapers, etc. do work. A heat gun (with a glass shield accessory) may also be invaluable to soften the paint join. You might also try various paint strippers (my current fave is Soygel), though these are harder to control on veritcal surfaces. Resign yourself to going at it slowly, but steadily. Your original windows are almost priceless since having appropriate ones made to match will be very, very, costly. If the windows are even passably OK, it's worth the effort to rehab them. There is book, Working Windows by Terry Meany, that is still in print and the standard text for undertaking DIY window rehab. The best thing about a window project is that it is one place where even someone with basic (or like me, primitive, when I started) DIY skills can easily learn to make good quality repairs. And because you do the same things over, and over, and over, on a window project one gets quite skilled. In some cities there are dedicated window-rehabbing contractors, but it usually costs a bomb to hire some one to do it, especially on-site. (Though getting a quote may spur you on when you're flagging and wondering why you started.) Keep in mind you may have some lead paint issues: dust particals and paint fragments that need containment, and potential vapors if you use a heat gun or plate. Please, do not even contemplate using a torch, you risk burning your house down. As a PP noted you may risk that with careless heat gunning, but it's less than with a torch. Heat gunning (with a glass shield) should be OK if you just use it to soften the paint film enough to make it break more easily. House painting is 80% prep work, and getting the windows in good, ready-to-paint shape is 50% of the prep. If this is more work and time than you have budgeted for your project this summer, then try to do at least one window (on each exposure if there's more than one), so you can get some air circulation going. Then paint the others without breaking them open. Next summer you can go back and do the others. One extra layer of paint won't really be a big deal, nor would painting them again once they are open be a big deal. Are your exterior windows hinged or hung? Keep an eye out for the screens - once you get things working you'll need them, too. In warm weather you'll able to use the sunporch as a sleeping porch, and fall asleep listening to the frogs croaking and watching the lightning bugs blink. Waking up on a sleeping porch just before dawn while still being snug in a comfortable bed is exquisite. HTH, Molly~...See MoreWhat can I do about a window contractor who totally ripped me off
Comments (3)Thank you for your responses, but I was told by the IRS that if the windows had been purchased prior to December 31, 2010 it would have been 30% of the cost of the windows or up to $1,500.00 so I am out $711.00 which is why I wanted the windows put in prior to Dec. 31st so I could have gotten the $711.00 back to go towards the window cost. I spoke to several other contractors and they all stated that I should have no problem getting the tax credit from this window contractor as he did try to deceive me with installing the wrong windows and I have all proof of this including verbal and written proof. So couldn't I take him to court for this money? I did try to work with this man, but he isn't willing to give me what I should be getting for a tax credit and I don't feel he should get by with this, what he did was totally illegal as he was going to give me the wrong stickers had he been able to get by with it and then I would have been defrauding the government by applying for the tax credit with the wrong windows....See MoreNeed advice on what to do with bath window
Comments (39)Just a note about the flat panel curtains I recommended... when I put those up in my house I used tension rods (no nails/screw/damage) and curtain rings that have clips on the end to clip the fabric to. The clips slide easy, and no need to see pockets... and, cheap and easy enough that the fabric can be changed out as tastes and room colors change......See MoreWhat kind of curtains do I need?? Master bedroom with French doors
Comments (0)We have lived in this house for about 2 years and I have struggled from day one with what to do about these windows. We live on about 50 acres so privacy isn’t a concern but I just like the ways curtains look. Should I use 2 panels on the windows? 4 panels? Leave the French doors uncovered? Roman shades? Have one super wide curtain rod to go all the way across? I’m spinning in circles! We tend to lean toward the farmhouse look. I need y’all’s amazing ideas!...See MoreRelated Professionals
Hutto Window Contractors · Peekskill Window Contractors · Jacinto City Interior Designers & Decorators · Auburn General Contractors · Monroe General Contractors · View Park-Windsor Hills General Contractors · Horsham Carpenters · Olathe Carpenters · Waltham Carpenters · Bel Air North Interior Designers & Decorators · Springfield Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Camarillo Furniture & Accessories · Encinitas Furniture & Accessories · Kirkland Furniture & Accessories · Culver City Furniture & Accessories- last monthlast modified: last month
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