When I bought the carriage house three and a half years ago, I quickly made a very long to-do list, ranging from replacing lightbulbs for security lights to installing a half bath. I’m currently doing the last thing on my list! I am reglazing and painting the windows. I know I’m not done with working on the house (for an old house, the repair list seems to grow as fast as you check things off), but it’s satisfying to have that original list nearly complete.
Living in the historic district, the original paned windows cannot be replaced. Even if I wasn’t in the historic district, I wouldn’t want to replace them anyway because I love how they look! Glass window panes are held in place by wood trim on the inside and glazing (like a soft putty which dries hard) on the outside to make a water tight seal. When dry, the glazing is painted over for an even better seal and smooth look. If you have a steady hand, it might even look like wood trim. Over time, glazing will dry out, crack, and fall off. When any of the glazing breaks off, the window is no longer water tight. If enough glazing falls off, the pane itself could fall out. This happened at my parents’ house once when a large pane fell out of a second story window and hit the air compressor. Fortunately it was night time so no one was in the yard and no one was harmed.
For the carriage house, some glass panes were cracked and needed to be replaced. Other windows badly needed reglazing. I hired contractors to replace the broken panes and reglaze the windows on the upper stories. However, there were two windows on the first floor that I could reach with a ladder. Of course, I hate to spend money when I could do something myself… My mom had experience reglazing windows on her historic house and she showed me how to do it.
This weekend, in the mornings before the sun hit the corner of the house, I’ve been working on them. It has actually been really nice to be outside early morning before I do anything else (and before it gets humid). Even though I’ve enjoyed it, I’ll be honest. Each morning, toward the end of a few hours of work, standing on the ladder with the azalea bushes scratching me, the mosquitos biting me, and my knees locking up from leaning to reach the window, I wondered if I should have just paid to have these windows done by a contractor. After some quick mental math including my pay rate, the amount of time it took me, and the cost it would have been for someone else to do it, I believe it was worth doing this project myself (limited to these few windows).
Even if I hadn’t come out ahead, I am happy that I decided to do these windows for other reasons. First, I’m learning a skill which is not well known or practiced at this time. It might not be in high demand or likely that I will use this skill frequently, but learning a traditional craft is a way of preserving it. Second, I am personally investing time into stewarding my house and caring for it. Taking responsibility for place and making the spaces we inhabit both functional and beautiful is important to me as a follower of Christ, who will bring the perfect Kingdom. I also have the satisfaction of knowing that I’ve done good work (though not perfect). I had to let go of my perfectionism a little (or it could have taken me infinitely longer).
What house projects are on your to-do list? Anything been checked off recently that gives you joy and satisfaction?
Welcome To The Carriage House 