What to do about windows....

[BrantR]

See the pictures below. I am getting ready to remove 60 years of hackwork from the back of my house. The original backporch was added on to using parts ripped from other areas of the house during the big destruction of the house in the 50's. The porch was widened from 5 feet to almost 10. The studs and sheeting are rotted, the sill is almost non-existent, 4 layers of roofing each with its own layer of OSB and huge gaps in the sheeting everywhere. I am getting ready to tear down this room and rebuild it. I would like to go back to the original porch dimensions but will have to keep it the same size. I do not want to lose my interior basement entrance and laundry room. I figure if I keep the laundry room in this room I can keep the original floorplan in the rest of the house. I am trying to make this look like it belongs to the house using period details. I am planning on leaving the rafter tails on the exterior exposed and cutting them to the design of the front porch rafters. I am not sure what to use for siding, either going to be a hardi plank or some type of bead board. I have a few old entry doors I have salvaged and I will be using one of those. Now comes the had part... Windows. I hate new windows with a passion. The vinyl interiors on the low end ones are atrocious. The more expensive ones with wood interior and fiberglass exterior are completely out of my budget, plus I cant justify spending $600 a window for something that won't last. So I have decided to make my own or use salvaged windows. I have some really nice double hung window sahes I purchased last year. The problem is, they are way too big. The dimensions are 44" x 28" They would basically be floor to ceiling. This would look neat but it is a laundry room... I was thinking of maybe using one sash and converting it into a casement window. I have seen some people here complain about old casement windows. I will be using storms in the winter though. Hoping Jade can offer some advice but advice from anyone is greatly appreciated

[SkipW]

Hi Brant, looks like a fun project!

I will have to figure a way to get some pictures later, but I'll describe what I'm suggesting.

How about making some awning windows out of the sashes instead of casement? In our connector to the garage, all of the windows are salvaged sashes from other parts of the house. This work was done by the PO and I have to bless them for saving/reusing the sashes in a functional way. They replaced all of the windows in the front of the house when rebuilding the front walls, the sashes came from the old sunporch, seen at the left of the front porch in my sig pic. They are reused as single windows as seen to the left of the main house (above the dark green bush) and several of them are awning windows to allow fresh air into the connector (which is rustic timber framed, pine board, plywood floored).

The other option would be to make your own, whatever size you need. When I redid the little cottage up on the ledge (it was originally a chicken coop in the 20's) I made windows that are approximately 24x40 with a three over one craftsman style look in an awning window. I salvaged some large 1/4 inch plate storm windows from a job site and cut the glass to size for the windows. The frames were easy, and I just used #1 pine for ease and stability. I also reused a set of french doors I salvaged from another job site, they took a winter's worth of rebuilding, but that's another story..

[SkipW]

Sorry I don't have better pics but here are some...

Connector:



All of these windows are reused sashes



From the inside



The awning one right of the front door is open in this pic

Cottage windows:



First window almost done in the shop



Outside the chicken coop



Front windows open


At some point I'll put together an album of the cottage reno, it was a lot of fun...

[jade mortimer]

well brant, i think skip has answered your question better than i would have--with photographs of work he has already done...the awning style is a great option as it looks great and offers the ventilation you would need...skip, can you show a close-up of the hinges? do you use a long hook and eye to keep the sash open or some other hardware?

...jade

[SkipW]

Hi Jade,

The hinges are simple 2x2 barrel hinges, nothing special, two for each window, externally mounted.

As for the openers, I looked long and hard for appropriate devices and decided to go farther back in history to leverage priciples of Archimedes and gravity studies by Newton......I prop the windows open with a stick!! (sorry, had to)

I had actually tried to source some cool old levers originally used in casement windows, the kind that fold sideways to lock the window closed, and slide through a hoop to push the window open and lock in any position with a thumb screw. After looking at lots of options, I realized that i wanted the space for my screens, as we get bugs mostly at sunset and we use the cottage (mostly) for cocktail hour and sometime dining al fresco.

The windows lock in the closed position with a simple small hook and eye, with the hook mounted on the jamb and the eye on the window, backwards from the way most do it, but I really don't like when the hook on awning windows scars the sill when they drag when closing. the way I have it, that doesn't happen.

Hope that description is what you were interested in

[jade mortimer]

skip...
i liked your description and indeed found it interesting--thanks...
...jade
ps...sticks work!

[BrantR]

Skip,

Thanks for the pictures! I think I have decided to do what you have done. I have always loved the look of an old sunporch lined with windows and that is kinda what I was wanting to do on my porch. This will also cut down on the amount of siding I will need. Just by using old windows and an old door I will save roughly $1500 and it will look authentic. Too prop the windows open, I am picturing a prop for a chest but not sure what the name of it is. I imagine some woodworking site should carry them, would be perfect for propping open the windows. My next question is, how did you seal them? I am guessing spring bronze? Again, thank you so much for your help!

My next issue has to do with the window on the second floor above the porch. If you look at the picture, the window meets the current roof. Because the back wall is only a hair under 7' tall, I will be raising the roof line to accomodate for an 8 foot wall. I will also build a slightly steeper roof. I do not want to modify that window. I was thinking about doing a cutout in the roof for it but am afraid of it leaking when snow builds up? Not sure if anyone hase a window or windows that poke through the roof.

[BrantR]

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