We thought we’d paint the house.

If only we could get to the painting!

SO. MUCH. PREP. WORK. had to happen first. Step one in our Dutch Colonial exterior makeover was replacing rotten trim. This sort of wear and tear is normal for an aging home in New England (or anywhere!). Shade and moisture eventually has its way with wood. Knowing everything is solid and sealed before slapping a new coat of paint on is like hitting a reset button. So, let the hammering begin!

Meanwhile, there was the question of the windows.. to replace or not to replace. The internet is full of articles about how and why new windows will save you money — many of them penned or paid for by the window industry itself. Imagine my surprise to find an alternative to window replacement buried in all that noise. In the name of saving $25K, and armed with the knowledge new ones wouldn’t be any more efficient (!!!! READ THIS !!!!) , we decided to repair the originals. This required a window glazier. What’s a window glazier? A RARE BIRD!! At least when it came to this task. It took months to find someone willing to do the job of rebuilding the little lines between panes of glass (it’s a dying, tedious skill), but we found our saint. And then another saint to paint all those lines!

These 1980s windows aren’t anything to cherish. They weren’t built for the ages. Many don’t function properly and eventually, we’ll replace them, but glazing bought us some time and freed up cash for other parts of the project. As they say, you pick your battles.

Click here to go to Dutch Colonial Exterior Makeover, Part 2: New Front Door and The Paint Job.

Or here to go back to the Before and After Picture Index

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