Anyone out there go sash windows without weights and cords?

[Skuce]

Any evidence at the top of the jambs of filled in pulley holes?
You said that you have the doors in place for the weights...but no weights?
If they were always guillotine windows...the doors never would have been cut in for weights.

[lupinfarm]

Hi Skuce...Yes there are kind of doors, I pried one off but there was nothing under it. Not sure if there ever was. I am taking the window out of the frame to restore it and replace a pane I broke when I sat against it ( long story). I will try and get some pictures and maybe you could shed some light on my window conundrum.

[construction_man]

well we moved into our house about 3 and a half months ago and we just finished leveling the house it was built in 1894 and as i was pulling the old (rotten) fraiming off of the second level porch and i pulled a piece off from under one of the windows (now remember the windows were replaced about 15 or so years ago) and i noticed a few cords inside the wall so i mannaged to get them out and there were 4 (four) window counterbalances and are about 10 lbs a piece 2 are 11 1/2 in long and the other 2 are about 17 1/2 in long i personally would like to keep em but they are useless here and i would love to see them being used. so if anyone wants em just email me your price and ill get back to you thank you

[lavender_bush]

That's a nice offer construction _man
but you don't say where you are located so people can come and pick them up because they're so heavy it's flipping expensive to mail them so, it's probably cheaper for most posters here to buy them up from a local salvage yard.

BTW - if anyone in MA or RI needs 4lb ers - I have some you can have for free if you don't mind collecting them.

[lupinfarm]

I wonder what the shipping from there to Ontario, Canada would be?

[sooth]

Hey Lupin, just saw this post, and since I'm also in Ontario, I can tell you that my upstairs windows were even more low-tech than yours. Mine were just a fixed sash at the top, and a sliding sash at the bottom. No stay pins, no weatherstripping, no ropes, pulleys, chains, springs, or anything. Literally just a frame in a track. This is the type of window that you'd just prop-up with a stick, or if you want to be fancy, they actually had special sticks you could use (sort of like a large notched saw blade) to adjust the height of the opening. Of course I can't find a photo but I'm sure I've seen some before.

I have no idea if the first floor windows were also like this since they were scrapped before I bought the house.

[sooth]

I just quickly browsed some of the comments and the part about salvaged materials seems very possible. In my own house, a lot of the board that make up the sub-floor appear to be really randomly sized old barn boards (some even have bits of cement or sand stuck to them). The beams that also make up the supports for the first floor and roof also seem to be made of really odd sizes, ranging from about ~11"dia to ~5"dia (the roof ones aren't as varied. I also remember that at my father's house (built in the 1950s) his doors (front and back doors) had wavy glass in them. I thought this was very odd since float glass (today's flat glass) started to be manufactured in 1903. I've seen this at a lot of houses.

[lupinfarm]

Hi Sooth, unfortunately for me I only have one original window left the one in the kitchen. I love the look of it with the mullions
and the 2over 2 panes. I took the lower sash out a couple of weeks ago and discovered that the left side ( viewed from the
outside of the house) is badly rotted. i didnt have the funds to get a replacement or fix so I had to just put it back in and caulk to provide some protection from the winter weather. Next spring I will have the time and money to re visit the problem and either replace the window ( if the rot has gone to far) or repair ( hoping its this option). I would like to have 2 over 2
wooden sash windows put in the rest of the house but this will be a multi year project as I have another 16 windows to do. Was
not possible to do anything this fall as I just had a new water softener and UV system installed.

[sooth]

Depending how your window is made, you might be able to just saw-off the bad side (say, 3/4 of it?) and glue-on a patch. IF the rot is worst, you may need to remake one whole side or two. If you have someone who can do woodwork, or if you have a table saw and want to try it, it's not too difficult. The only hard part would be to try to match the beaded/decorative edge.

[James]

Hi Sooth, those windows of yours are not that unusual. Thats what my house, built in the 18th century has, and my fathers, built in 1949 has as well. It definitely is one of the lower priced windows, at least in the 20th century. But its definitely a window type that has been used for centuries.