pic of the day

snow!

window restoration pt8

As if you didn't know what the last step was -- two coats of exterior latex paint. Luckily I was able to get 'er done before some bad weather rolled in. There is a bit of minor touch up required before I will fully move on from this set of windows. I need to scrape a bit of the glaze residue and occasional paint drip off the glass. With a razor blade this isn't too big a deal. As you might have noticed I like to tape off the glass while I'm painting. Which works great although I sometimes have a piece of latex ripped off when peeling it off. So a little touch up is in order.

It's been about two years since I originally mused about fixing these windows -- holy cow I hadn't realized it's been that long. In my defense, I took a year hiatus as I concentrated on being a parent. Then the backyard landscaping consumed my spare time for the next six months. It wasn't until sometime this summer that I refocused attention to my dining room windows. I'm so glad to say they're "done". I have other windows in progress so hopefully I'll be able to keep up the momentum. But first I need to get the guest room fired up again. Does it ever end?

Today I'm not going to worry about that though -- commence snoopy happy dance!

chi to chuco

Sorry for the lack of posts -- I plan to complete the window restoration series this week. I just got back from some vacation time in chicago. It never ceases to amaze me the ridiculous amount of cool old architecture there. I mean seriously. I like to think el paso has the old heart of a small midwestern town. Modest, but we got some cool stuff here. Hopefully when I finish this house that will be one more notch towards the ongoing dream to revitalize the old core of this town.

Okay, back to work.

window restoration pt7

You guessed it -- time for a coat of primer. I choose to use a good exterior oil based primer, going with sherwin willams. You may remember a while back me listing a few good links for exterior painting. I remember way back being utterly confused with the whole oil/latex thing. This is what I finally settled on and have been pretty happy with the results.

sash rail?

For lack of a better term I'm calling the aluminum trim on the side of the window casing, sash rail. One of the windows in the guest bedroom is missing one on the lower sash. With a little wind the sash has an annoying habit of slapping back and forth without the rail in place. I really need to get the missing one replaced, problem is I don't know where to find one. I made a pass through lowes and didn't find anything similar, not that I was surprised. I might be able to find something at one of the old school hardware stores, not sure. Anyone know where I could find something like this online?

window restoration pt6

Next step is a little weatherstripping. I've used acrylic/silicone blends before and have been disapointed when they eventually crack. This is especially prone to happen here with the wild fluctuations we can have in climate. Most of the year is bone dry with very little humidity if any, then the monsoon season comes around. Before you know it doors and windows don't work very well for a month or two. So I decided to not cheap out and bought a tube of 100% silicone caulk/sealer. I'm concentrating on the edge where the wood framing meets the brick. Apply and smooth it out with your finger. Simple. We're getting close baby..

berm be gone

Leveling out this patch of dirt brought back bad memories of the big dig, but otherwise not too bad. You may remember my leaky basement (which was the whole point of doing this) -- don't think I would have ever bothered otherwise. I'm glad the hard part is finally over. Now I can start making it purty again. First thing is to pick up a load of flagstone. Trust me, it's going to look sweet. :)