I have some weird windows. I think?

[ChrisJ]

I have attached two pictures I had on hand from before we moved into the house a year ago. I will try to take new ones tonight to show detail on the window construction.

The town told us our house was built in or around 1901 and most of its windows do not have sash weights or any location for the cords to go, no pulleys, no cutouts in the sides of the sash, nothing. A few newer windows have sash cords and work beautifully, but all of the others need a stick to stay up. Upper sash doesn't move.

The only thing I noticed with the windows is they all have a thin strip of wood added to one or both sides of the bottom sash, almost like a shim maybe 1/4" thick running from the bottom to the top of the sash. Its hard to see as the trim covers it on most of them. Is there a style or type of window built like this and if so what is suppose to hold the sash up?

[jade mortimer]

it is indeed a bit unusual for windows of 1901 vintage to not have a balance system...it could have been a cost cutting measure by the builder/original home owner....

there are a number of ways to address the issue aside from using sticks to prop open the sash...i'm interested in seeing a photo of the shims you refer to...

check these out and post some photos....
oh, and WELCOME to this site!

http://www.pullmanbalances.com/
http://pdf.blainewindow.com/G5channelbalance2011.pdf
http://www.bing.com/shopping/wright-pro ... ontrol+v21

...jade

[Lynners]

The windows in our 1899 farm house don't have any sort of balance system, either. We just use removable screen inserts to prop them open, and to keep the bugs out.

[ChrisJ]

I'll try to get the closeups of the windows tonight.

Though this is kind of sidetracking, this is a picture of the house. Is this considered a colonial?




The foundation is field stone and I have winder stairs down into the basement and up into the attic.

[Alexander]

I had a 1910 house that had no weights also. There were metal gadgets on the lower sash that would turn and force against the side of the frame pinching the window up in place. Needless to say it did not work well. Any vibration and the sash would come crashing down. My great uncle had lovely little sticks with 3 notches in each window to give you 3 levels of opening and we used screens in the summer to keep them up. The top sash did not move. It was a simple Rural PA house with little decoration and simple woodwork.

Alexander

[Texas_Ranger]

Another method used of keeping sash windows open were spring bolts - the sides of the frames had holes for spring loaded bolts to go into. Maybe someone removed the spring bolts, even though that sounds highly unlikely.

[wletson]

Though this is kind of sidetracking, this is a picture of the house. Is this considered a colonial?

Great looking house. I don't have any input into style, but I had to stop to say "Hi!"

[ChrisJ]

Though this is kind of sidetracking, this is a picture of the house. Is this considered a colonial?

Great looking house. I don't have any input into style, but I had to stop to say "Hi!"

Hi!


Thanks for the compliment.

[ChrisJ]

Here is a closeup of what I'd call a shim, or two of them. Both the lower and upper sash have them on both sides. Not all of the windows are made like this either, others don't have the extra added piece on the sides.

[SkipW]

My first thought is that possibly someone repurposed the sashes from another window and the additional width was needed for your existing openings. That could also be a reason for not having any balance system. Maybe if you are really curious, you could pull one of the additional pieces off to see if there is a slot for a cord in the 'original' window.