2020: The Year of the Window

I promise that I am not trying to sweep the rest of 2019 under the rug, but with a project as large as BHH, I am in perpetual planning mode most of the time. Over the last five and a half years here, we have made so much progress. (Remember the beginning?) Even so, there is one part of this giant house that requires more focus: window restoration. Coincidentally, it is also my most requested topic on Instagram. So, I am declaring 2020 as The Year of the Window.

Last summer, I counted all of our windows and discovered that we have 140. Gulp. I harbor no illusions that I will fix them all in 365 days, but without a dedicated stretch of work, I will continue at my current snail’s pace.

What to Expect

During The Year of the Window, I will cover all window restoration topics from paint stripping to weather stripping and everything in between. Since I am starting during cold weather, I won’t be able to go exactly in order. For instance, I am not likely to remove a window in January. However, by the end of 2020, there will be a bunch of restoration resources and content here on the blog.

What Not to Expect

I promised myself that I would not choose a specific number of windows to finish. That’s entirely too much pressure. Instead, I will attempt to live in the moment and use the weather to my advantage. Slow but steady progress is my intent.

What’s First?

In preparation for The Year of the Window, I need to set up an indoor workshop. I am officially frozen out of the outdoor one. It was 19 degrees on my dog walk this morning, and Millie was not amused.

For the next couple of weeks, I will set up the basement workshop for peak window restoration efficiency. I will share my tips and tricks for a well-ordered workspace, and I’ll share some of my favorite tools–just in time for Santa or Hannukah, or whatever. I won’t tell a soul if you buy a little something for yourself.

Want to join me for The Year of the Window? If so, comment below. Let me know some specific window restoration topics that still stump you. Perhaps, if we are in this together, we can motivate each other, especially during August. That is when I want to do nothing except soak up the sun like a solar panel. If only restoring windows was as quick as making vitamin D.