The very first thing I noticed when checking out the lake house was how the windows needed to be replaced just to see outside. All the windows and all the sliding door windows were in need of replacing. Most of them had lost the seal and had water or had fogged through enough that you could hardly see the amazing view. The house was built in the late 1980s which doesn’t seem that long ago but in reality it is. Houses need to be maintained and update periodically even when they are taken care of. Windows are one of those updates that people tend to avoid replacing. Everyone expects their house to have working windows but replacing windows tends to be one of those expenses that you don’t get your return on. It is maintenance that is expected to do and usually a very expensive endeavor. I have remodeled our previous home from top to bottom including windows. We replaced windows in the entire backside of our current home and as we finish the rest we intend to do each window. Let me start by saying that each window or door we have replaced have all been rectangle standard doors or windows and no higher than a normal second story. Although we took out a couple sliding doors in our current home and replaced them with windows we have never once had to replace windows this high or oddly shaped. One more note, we always replace with new construction windows so we maintain the large look of the glass instead of just replacing the windows in the current sash. This usually needs more work upfront, such as removing the window molding, possibly some replacing of rotten wood around the window frame and then finally removing the entire widow including sashes before putting in the new.
Replacing windows in Germantown is an entirely different project than it is in Pickwick. Most of the towns around our cabin are small and do not have a huge number of places to choose from to complete a project like this. I spent almost a year making phone calls, leaving messages and making appointments to only have two people call back and bid out the job. I have never been so discouraged. I think people expect me to be some house wife who is spending my husbands hard earned money without thinking about the price of the project. I have legit tackled this problem before, and I refuse to spend the outrageous amounts I was quoted. I understand that between covid, inflation, and the lack of people available to do the job I should expected some increases but this was way outside of the budgeted amount. Finally looking outside of the area I contacted the gentleman who put the windows in out previous house. Tommy replaced the windows in the first floor of our previous home and we knew he did good work. A contact my uncle originally gave us ( thank you uncle Steve), Tommy moonlights and does weekend work on his own with a few helping hands. It took several phone calls, a couple trips to measure, and some reassurance to get it done. Part two out soon to actually document the work done.
Coffee and Construction Dust 