Project: 685 St Johns Place

Note: This post originally appeared here. It was written by one of our many satisfied clients.

BROOKLYN BROWNSTONE – OLD IS THE NEW NEW*

August 26, 2018  |  Brooklyn Brownstone Renovation / Crown Heights / Franklin Avenue / Parquet floor / Right Path Windows and Restoration / St. Johns Place  |  2 Comments

Remarkably, the windows were original from 1899. About the only places you see original windows in Brooklyn now are on streets with landmark designations, where authorities apply strict standards to maintain the original appearance. On our street, which is not landmarked, owners are free to replace the windows, and that’s what everyone has done. So the good news is that we have rare original windows. The bad news was that they were in terrible shape. Let me show you.

Parts of the frames and sills were severely rotted and crumbled.

The glass was cracked in every window and pieces were missing in some. Prior owners installed aluminum storm windows, necessary for keeping out the elements but ugly. We added the tape to keep more glass from falling out.

The sashes were just as bad as the frames. Most were rotten and ready to fall apart.

So we had a decision to make: restore or replace. Replacing was the logical answer, as all of our neighbors have done. We could buy high quality, energy-efficient wood windows at a fraction of the restoration cost. But that’s not what we did. Having chosen this house largely because it had so many original details, we decided to try to restore the windows. That one strained the frugal accountant in me but I eventually got on board.

 After researching and talking to several companies we found Right Path Windows and Restoration, which turned out to be a great choice. They were knowledgeable and professional throughout the nearly six-month planning process. The onsite work was done over two weeks in early August. Their workers, Lloyd and Joaquin – hereafter designated The Window Guys – showed up at 8:00 every morning and worked all day with only a short break for lunch. They were pleasant to talk to, took pride in their work and cleaned up every evening before leaving. These are undoubtedly the best workers we’ve had throughout the whole renovation process.  We couldn’t be more pleased.

So we had a decision to make: restore or replace. Replacing was the logical answer, as all of our neighbors have done. We could buy high quality, energy-efficient wood windows at a fraction of the restoration cost. But that’s not what we did. Having chosen this house largely because it had so many original details, we decided to try to restore the windows. That one strained the frugal accountant in me but I eventually got on board.

After researching and talking to several companies we found Right Path Windows and Restoration, which turned out to be a great choice. They were knowledgeable and professional throughout the nearly six-month planning process. The onsite work was done over two weeks in early August. Their workers, Lloyd and Joaquin – hereafter designated The Window Guys – showed up at 8:00 every morning and worked all day with only a short break for lunch. They were pleasant to talk to, took pride in their work and cleaned up every evening before leaving. These are undoubtedly the best workers we’ve had throughout the whole renovation process.  We couldn’t be more pleased.

Here’s Lloyd scraping & sanding the old wood frames after removing the storm windows. He worked slowly and painstakingly, spending about a day on each of the 5 windows (3 in front and 2 in back).

Joaquin installs new chains and weights.

They took the time to cover cabinets, furniture and floors, a big help in keeping dust to a minimum. In spite of that, after they finished Steph & I spent the better part of a day – once again – wiping the dust off all the woodwork and carefully sweeping it up. Why does every job we do generate so much dust?

The sashes were beyond repair and would not have been strong enough to accommodate double panes of glass. So those are new, crafted in RP’s workshop to replicate the old ones. Lloyd restored most of the frame wood, replacing those parts that were rotted, and Joaquin installed the new sashes, chains and weights. In the end, what we have is a combination of new and old. The new parts match the originals and look as they would have in 1899. We even installed “restoration” glass that has the wavy texture of old glass.

This is one of the old weights. We would have liked to re-use them but the new sashes, with two panes of glass, were too heavy and would have been difficult to lift without heavier offsetting weights.

New chains and refinished wood frames.

The refinished sills in the kitchen windows look much better, stained to accentuate the wood grain that was too dark to see before.

The windows look rejuvenated, but they’re not supposed to look brand new.

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