On This Episode
Repair or replace those old windows? Which side of this debate do you land on? Today, I talk about all the window work in BHH, and the common sense rules I follow for restoration. I also answer the question, How many windows are there in this big old house? (It’s a shocking amount!)
Top Row: Guest Room, Dining Room, A’s Bedroom, Foyer
Bottom Row: Laundry Room, Dining Room, Breakfast Nook, Living Room
My guest on episode #2 is Ty McBride, CEO of Wood Window Rescue, in Oklahoma City. Ty discusses how he got started in the preservation trade, why he wants us all to restore instead of replace original windows, and his new HGTV Pilot with Paige Sheller called Restore & Revive.
How to Listen
You may download this episode from Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or listen below. (Note: The newest episode may still be filtering down to the different platforms.) Be sure to come back to read the rest of this post. It contains all the show notes and photos referenced in the episode.
Restore & Revive from HGTV
Video property and credit: HGTV
View the promo for Restore & Revive off-site.
Window Restoration Resources
- Don’t Replace Those Old Windows
- Indow® Window Inserts
- Why you shouldn’t replace old windows unless you should
- Here is a super resource if you’ve ever asked yourself the question, “Why did they build ______ like that?!?” – Building Technology Heritage Library
- Window Glazing Made Easy
The Window Zipper
During this episode, Ty mentions a tool called a window zipper. It is used to loosen windows that have been painted shut. This serrated tool is available on Amazon. (affiliate link)
No additional costs are passed on to you if you click on our affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
We hope you are enjoying True Tales From Old Houses: The BHH Podcast. We would love it if you’d subscribe and give it a review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. If you have constructive criticism or feedback, please don’t hesitate to send me a message or leave a comment below.
Special thanks to Audionautix for our theme song as well as all of the music in today’s episode.
How To Be a Guest on an Upcoming Episode
Want to be a guest on an upcoming episode? I want to hear your story. The first step is to fill out this brief survey: BHH Podcast Inquiry and then, let’s talk.
During October, the topic is ghost stories. Are you a paranormal believer or a skeptic like me? Not all ghost stories are scary. If you feel that your old house has a caretaker or maybe a menace, please fill out the survey. All stories are welcome!
20 Comments
Andrea Matters
Great episode!
We just got Indow inserts for a third-floor sleeping porch located above a steeply pitched shed roof. I cannot adequately express how much we like them! The acrylic panes have a sparkling clarity that doesn’t obscure the beautifully rippled original glass, they fit our out-of-square windows perfectly, the room is much warmer, and—best of all—no need to fuss with a difficult and dangerous task on that high, sloping roof. No, Indow is not paying me to say this. But I highly recommend them as a resource for owners of old houses with old windows!
Stacy
I have heard such good things about Indow inserts. I’m glad you shared your experience with them too. With so many windows here, I haven’t been able to focus on where Indows would make the most impact. Upstairs does seem like a good place to start. Thanks, Andrea.
Chad
The timing of this is fun since my first window is going in tomorrow – and if that goes well my second is going in Sunday. One minor disappointment I got with the new windows is that the glass area is the same as the current vinyl replacement windows that are too small for the openings. Minor because it’s still going to be a MASSIVE aesthetic improvement.
One thing – I do feel a tinge of guilt because I had the option to have historically accurate reproduction Spanish cedar window sash made and have the original window jambs repaired. There is 1 house on the street that has the original windows in place without storms, so once mine are in I can do an apples to apples comparison.
Stacy
How exciting! I am really enjoying following along with your facade project.
No guilt! We all do the best we can with what we have. You’ve done so much good for your house.
SH
I don’t have an old house, so expected to check out this podcast for a minute or two, but was hooked and found myself near the 20 min mark before I knew it! Another fun podcast even for us “outsiders.”
Stacy
I love to hear this, SH. Thank you.
PS: Two more days in the month! How are your projects coming?
SH
Well, I’m doing pretty good, but doing great if 2018 is the leap year where September has an extra day 😀
Stacy
Always! Last year, we had a September 32nd, if I recall. 😀
Kyla
Really interesting podcast, again! Wow, so many windows in your house, and I love all the different patterns, too.
I’ve lived in two houses with vinyl replacement windows (my current 1920s-ish three-family and an 1870s house that had been turned into a two-family), and I haaaaate them. It’s still cold right by the window, and they always stick and are ridiculously hard to open. Don’t even get me started on how ugly the white vinyl inset looks next to the stained wood window casings in the two rooms without painted woodwork.
I grew up in a Victorian with double-hung windows which my dad occasionally repaired himself (mostly replacing sash cord with chain when the cord wore out) and worked in an 1850s house museum, and I adore those original windows. Not replacing windows is like a religion in the historic preservation community (I took some grad school preservation classes), and I’m totally on board with it. Oh, we actually have two original windows in this house (in the shared unheated front stair hall), and sometimes there are noises from the upstairs neighbors about “oh, should we replace those?” and I will never, ever agree.
Stacy
Thank you, Kyla. Even though the windows here give us a few headaches, we wouldn’t trade them for anything.
It sounds like you had some great exposure to historic preservation from a very early age and during your higher education. Lucky! Also, thank you for sharing that info about your vinyl replacement windows. Your experience may help others if they are considering swapping out their original windows.
In November, I will be releasing another window episode. I had the chance to interview one of the most inspiring window preservationists that I have ever met, and I can’t wait to share our conversation with listeners.
Devyn
Great episode… I listened to it while on my transatlantic flight a couple of weeks back.
I truly envy those who are fortunate enough to have original sashes. Our windows were scrapped for vinyl or aluminum years ago and I dearly wish one day to restore them with period correct nine over nine wood windows. At least on the front of the house.
Ame Hughes
My house isn’t that old (1951), but it originally had two massive 9over 9 windows, and many, many 8 over 8 windows. That all changed when the last owner ripped all of them out in 2004, (except for one lone interior window – that was painted shut) and replaced them with vinyl. I want to cry when I think about it.
Stacy
That’s so sad. 🙁 I have a friend right now who is contemplating tearing out a window very similar to the one you describe. I have offered a couple of alternatives, but I would be surprised if my input changes the outcome.
Architectural Observer
It is my hope that HGTV will make a concerted effort in the future to produce programs such as “Restore & Revive”. Much of their past and current programming has directly contributed to the incalculable damage done to antique buildings across the nation by encouraging impressionable people to pick up sledgehammers and vandalize their own homes.
If HGTV were to truly promote actual restoration —instead of gutting and replacing — the tide would turn. People are so easily manipulated by television and are always quick to embrace the latest fad or trend. If only this powerful weapon (television) could be used for preservation instead of destruction! Ty is absolutely correct; built-in-obsolescence has been going on for a long time and it is in fact a deliberate effort to generate more profit at the expense of the consumer (and long-term detriment to our environment and collective historic building stock).
However, as it stands now, most home makeover programs are designed to keep the economy rolling by encouraging wastefulness and cyclical replacement… there is not as much money to be made by encouraging conservation. Until that changes, the clueless masses will continue to throw both quality and history into the dumpster.
Thanks for a great podcast! I look forward to more.
Stacy
Thank you so much for listening and for your thoughtful comments too. I 100% agree with you. TV could be a great tool for promoting preservation. Instead, it is advertising fads and consumerism as you said.
Sedna Inc
Our windows were scrapped for vinyl or aluminum years ago and I dearly wish one day to restore them with period correct nine over nine wood windows. I have a friend right now who is contemplating tearing out a window very similar to the one you describe.
Stacy
Thank you for the comment. It is always sad when old windows are replaced with vinyl. I love that you have a plan to replace them with period-correct ones. Good for you!
Lara
Just getting into your podcast! So good!
I had to seek out this specific post because of the poll on whether followers have original windows in their home. You were surprised because 97% had said old windows should be repaired rather than replaced, but about half of listeners said they do not have original windows. You inferred that these followers must have replaced their windows, but I immediately assumed they’d purchased a house whose windows had been *previously* replaced! I was like, wait, don’t judge them for a decision that they didn’t make!
Anyway. That’s probably me being my usual over-literal autistic self. But I wanted to stick up for those who *wish* their original windows were in situ!
Stacy
Thank you for your message! I am so glad you are enjoying True Tales From Old Houses. Ty’s interview was very early in my window restoration and podcast days. It’s hard to believe he and I chatted over six years ago in 2018! So, I feel confident in saying two things: 1) I had not yet fine-tuned my communication delivery on the podcast and 2) I was in the beginning stages of understanding why and how people choose their old houses.
All that to say, I cringe sometimes when I listen to my earliest episodes, because I didn’t yet know what I didn’t know. 🙂 Anyway, thank you again! I hope you will continue to enjoy the podcast. It’s available on all podcast platforms, and I now keep it separate from this blog. The website is http://www.truetalesfromoldhouses.com. Take care!