<p>VH</p>
<p>Remember, if you refinish/repair the old windows, you will still have those single pane windows and even they might look nice, but not energy efficient.</p>
<p>7 feet windows are rare now a days, don’t know what to tell you. Check on line for the best deal you can?</p>
<p>Well, I figure we’ll do them in a year or two. When I have a spare $5K hanging around. :)) </p>
<p>I just went and found my receipt and detailed cost sheet for the new wood replacement windows I just ordered. In an old house the frame/casing is probably imbedded in the stucco or imbedded in your lath/plaster interior. So, you will need to buy Sash Window replacements. The reason for this is the depth of the casing for the double hung (or stationary) window.</p>
<p>New fully framed wood replacement double-hung windows have a standard depth of 5" or more. These would be considered ‘new construction’ versus sash replacement. For example, my 1926 stucco bungalow only has 3 1/2" depth available in the existing frames. This would have been very awkward to have the new frames about 2" sticking out inside or outside.</p>
<p>So, for that reason you probably need sash replacements which will fit inside the existing frame. My quote below is:</p>
<p>JELD WEN (through Home Depot)… Wait for when they have their 15% off sale
Custom wood windows with aluminum exterior color clad over the wood for low maintenance
Low E
Dual Pane
Comes with side jambs that are mounted over existing wood frame for weather proofing and provides the up/down movement for the double hung (which avoids having to fix rope pulls)
The quotes below are for custom Craftsman Three Over One grill design with higher quality divide grills. I was able to specify the exact height of the grill design. However I learned that for dual pane windows there is not any way to really get ‘true divided’ glass</p>
<p>Double Hung 42 wide x 35.75 = $427.61
Interior wood primed white</p>
<p>Double Hung 24 wide x 48 high = $449.55
Interior stained with finish</p>
<p>Stationary 24 wide x 72 high = $552.97
Interior stained with finish</p>
<p>This gives you an idea of true reproduction wood windows with low maintenance clad. This is before sales tax and does not include installation. It will take my guy about 3 hrs to hang each 72" high window because old houses are never square. </p>
<p>I just loaded some more pictures of Spanish Bungalow project. We are green boarding the bathroom to get ready for tile installation. And, we are finally able to finish the electrical in the kitchen since we have a kitchen layout. To do the electrical we had no choice but to tear off the plaster walls and ceilings and get down to the wood lath. The plaster was just kind of disintegrating off the ceiling while he was trying to cut holes for the recessed LED lights that are going to be installed.</p>
<p>Put on a rain cap/spark arrestor on the old chimney. Even though the chimney is not fire safe, water has been pouring down the opening at the top so we needed to put on some kind of cover. At first I thought I was going to have to get a custom made chimney cap. Had some fancy company come out and give me a bid of $525 to make a new chimney cap/spark arrestor. Actually found one at Home Depot for only $69 that had an adjustable clamping system inside that could be adjusted to the original flue opening. Yeah!!! finally saved some money</p>
<p>Fireplace Forensic Investigation</p>
<p>My friend has finally arrived to help me. I am so grateful to her. She has dived right in and is doing all the forensics on our fireplace tile, cabinetry restoration and crystal knob restoration. </p>
<p>The fireplace has turned into quite a forensic investigation. After much deliberation we determined that the ugly brick style tile surrounding the original tile was actually fake brick veneer that was probably applied in the 70s or something. We meticulously took off the fake brick veneer, although the thin brick blocks were actually old style fired brick, but it was so ugly I didn’t care.</p>
<p>Our original fireplace tiles have been measured, examined, photographed, etc. She’s had many phone conversations and photo/email exchanges with six original California tile experts. First we thought they were Batchelder (very valuable), then it was narrowed down to either Cal Art tile or ClayCraft tile. We had to mail them to an expert in the Pasadena, CA area and he thinks he might have some replacement tiles in stock! We’re hoping they are the less expensive replacements at about $25 each.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the prior owners did not have any heat and at some point in the life of this house they actually tore off some of the original tile (see early photo with missing tiles) and cut through the thick metal L bracket holding the chimney, drilled through the ugly brick tiles, removed the interior of the fireplace and cut a big hole through exterior stucco. All this to get a gas insert heater into the fireplace, which no longer exists.</p>
<p>So, my friend located a mobile welding guy and we had to weld the bracket back into place in order to get tiles mortared back onto the fireplace. Cost $150 for mobile welding and new bracket. Money just bleeding out the door.</p>
<p>Photos loaded - check out fireplace after the fake brick has been removed and original tiles meticulously taken off to be mailed to Pasadena.</p>
<p>Crystal Knob Restoration
My friend is also working on cleaning up the original crystal door knobs and cabinet knobs. She researched that the best way to get paint off old hardware is to put it on low in Crockpot for 8 hrs. So, these knobs have just been pulled out of the Crockpot (which is probably ruined now that lead paint has been simmering in there for 8 hrs!).</p>
<p>Paint just came right off and everything turned back to bright brass. Still had to use a Q tip and an old toothbrush to get some rust out of the screw areas. And, I think we will need to buy some new brass screws for the small cabinet knobs, but otherwise they are beautiful.</p>
<p>Photos loaded of process</p>
<p>Consider quality custom storm windows instead of replacement windows. Replacement window are usually made of wood inferior to the original, have a shorter life, and make the window opening smaller. </p>
<p>Coralbrook, what was the solution the knobs soaked in?</p>
<p>Just plain water with a drop of dish soap. Key is very low setting for a long time</p>
<p>I am sorry I have not posted an update for so long. I have just been overwhelmed with these two projects. Project #2 is taking up a lot of my time because we have been shopping for tile and going around in circles. We just finished some gorgeous tile installations on that project including a muted fossil stone going up fireplace 17 ft high with a glass mosaic on the other side of the fireplace in the dining room. </p>
<p>I have loaded some more pictures of the Spanish Bungalow.</p>
<p>Exterior stucco painted - I love how the color turned out. I think it is a good compromise between my preference for a ‘cool’ color and her preference for mustardy or terracotta ‘warm’ color. Complements the little red tile roof. Still have to pick out some fun colors for accents on the details of the house and the wood trim. In this neighborhood people have a lot of fun with beautiful color combinations.</p>
<p>Bathroom ready for tile. Buyer wanted a soap niche, shampoo niche, regular shower head and bar style hand held shower head. All in a 38" by 38" corner shower. We are also going to be tiling a wainscoat all the way around the room. Should be interesting.</p>
<p>She selected some very expensive 3x3 original California style ceramic tile with a beautiful little glazed style mini mosaic that complements the turquoise tiles. It will look lovely when it is done (but very expensive)</p>
<p>I need to hurry up and buy the radiant floor mat that needs to get installed on the floor and shower pan under the tile. I’ve never done that before and I have to do a lot of research on what to buy and how to install it because it just isn’t done in our area and the tile guys have no idea how to do it.</p>
<p>From the picture of the shower, it looks as if the edge of the window will be within it. How are you going to handle that? Is the shower going to have a glass enclosure?</p>
<p>Wow, coralbrook, it sounds like you’ve been busy. I wish I could see the pics.</p>
<p>The electric radiant floor mats are not complicated. I installed one in my bathroom just following the directions. It’s such a treat to have warm feet on a cold day.</p>
<p>I like the shower title. It should look terrific when completed.</p>
<p>Reason I’m researching is that I want to find product that can be installed in shower wet area. Some of them can be installed in the wet area.</p>
<p>Buyer does not want any glass enclosure. She is getting a custom ceiling circular curtain rod thing . rt the curtain will hang about an inch inside the window. There is going to be tile wrapping the window to alleviate the wet situation.</p>
<p>I know that I said that I wasn’t going to post photos of Project #2 but I am spending so much time on the project and having a lot of fun with tile installations. So I posted a couple of photos of the tile work and our new kitchen countertops. Photo of the kitchen countertop does not do it justice. It’s quartz that has little mica chips that sparkle and highlight the new stainless sink and the stainless appliances. Owners wanted to try to keep their dark cherry cabinets so we are doing everything to lighten up the kitchen with new countertops, flooring, sink, etc. Kind of a ‘facelift’. Cost of the face lift is going to be only $5,000 which includes:</p>
<p>New countertops
New sink
New faucet
New quartz window sill
New flooring
New lighting
New paint
New cabinet handles</p>
<p>Owner kept cabinets and stainless appliances</p>
<p>All that for only $5,000? That’s fantastic.</p>
<p>Thanks for the pix. I particularly like that “fun” glass mosaic in the shower. </p>
<p>Fireplace Renovation
We have completed our architectural detective work on the original fireplace. This is definitely starting to feel like a This Old House show right now. </p>
<p>First, we removed all of the fake brick veneer that was surrounding the original tile. Then we hired a mobile welder to weld a new Steel L bracket across the interior top of fireplace opening. It had been cut up for someone to put in a gas heater many years ago, although there is nothing in there now. Then we had to shore up a giant hole in the back of the flue that was used to vent gas heater outside. Have mortared in the L bracket to get ready to set antique tile.</p>
<p>The dark brick veneer looked like it was 1970s but it actually may have been older than that because it was old style clay bricks, maybe even hand fired. But, they had to go</p>
<p>It took a long time back and forth to many early California tile specialists in the Los Angeles area, but we found matching tiles at an antique place on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles (Wells Antiques). They specialize in early California stuff. We purchased 6 original tiles that had been salvaged from Pasadena homes from the same era, cost was $25 each plus shipping. So, for $175 I have 6 small tiles that are going to be used for top row of fireplace. Turns out that we have ‘Clay Craft’ tile which was popular in the craftsman and bungalows. Don’t have the really expensive Batchelder tiles, those were in the larger more refined homes.</p>
<p>Also, there is a black paint product that was painted between each tile. We investigated and this is actually standard from the era. No colored grout in 1926, so they painted over the mortar to highlight these tiles. Impossible to try to match this paint so the Buyer has graciously asked us to just use blackest grout we can find and she will try to repaint after she moves in. That was a relief after all this other detective work!!</p>
<p>Photos loaded of the fireplace and antique tiles lined up and ready to be installed.</p>
<p>BUDGET UPDATE</p>
<p>Well, we are just burning through money on the Spanish Bungalow. Amazing how a 900 sf house can be so expensive! It is a lot of detailed restoration going on. For example, I had to pay someone for 40 hours of work just to strip down the original Red Gum window and door trim in the living room and dining room. Thank God I didn’t try to strip all of the detailed grids on the original windows. They are just full of termite and wood rot, impossible to save.</p>
<p>While stripping down the window sills and window trim we discovered a lot of termite damage and had to rip out several window sills and trim. Had to go to a specialty lumber store and they identified it as Red Gum which costs about $10 a foot. Now I have fancy Red Gum lying around that has to be milled by my carpenter into the exact shape for the window sill and some trim replacement. Uggh</p>
<p>It’s week 7 of the project and I was originally targeting about 9-10 weeks. We are not going to make it because the kitchen cabinets aren’t even arriving until Apr 21st and we need about 2 weeks after that to get finished.</p>
<p>$42,000 and counting. I had originally budgeted $65,000. Went down to about $52,000 after the Buyer took out a lot of things from the scope of work. But, she has been slowly adding changes into the scope of work and there have been a lot of ‘change orders’. But, since this is a sale that is under contract we cannot be changing the Sale Price continuously. Her bank giving the loan would just have a fit. So, the listing agent (my agent) and Buyer’s Agent are responsible for keeping track of the running total and Buyer is going to pay outside of escrow. So far her change orders are about $5,000 and I expect them to go up after we finish the tile labor payment for the detailed tile install. She wants a wainscot of tile around the small little bathroom.</p>
<p>So, I am actually estimating I’m going to be at about $58,000 when we finish. But, Sale Price will have gone up to $566,000.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, I am pretty lucky I sold it the day I did. Prices are stalling in the little neighborhood and I see them stalling in other areas of our County also.</p>
<p>PROGRESS UPDATE</p>
<p>We made our deadline for refinishing the original floors today. The floor refinish starts tomorrow and we got everything done we need to:</p>
<p>All plumbing done
All electrical done except radiant floor in bathroom
New kitchen sub floor in
Kitchen walled up with green board, taped, mudded and sanded
Bathroom tile half complete - still waiting for radiant coil to arrive to put on floor
All rooms primed and cleaned up - photos will be weird because for some reason she removed sanding, priming and painting of all the wood trim
Cabinetry restored</p>
<p>WINDOW FAIRY CAME!!! And our beautiful new wood windows are all installed. Miraculously they were installed over the weekend 
just in case the City was driving by on a work day and wanted a permit for new windows</p>
<p>I loaded some new photos</p>
<p>By any chance is this the bath tile you used? <a href=“http://www.mosaictileco.com/vitrex_fashion_mix_azzurro_recycled_glass_tile.htm”>Error Page;
It looks a lot like the one we are going to use in our bath!</p>