Restoring Windows in an Historic house

An Italianate from 1877 would have had wood framed storm windows in my guesstimation.

If you go outside, and look at the top of the window, are there any signs that storms were originally on the house.

Most old homes are missing their storms, mainly due to poor storage when they were not in use. These often were stored, and sat in water, causing them to rot after a while.

Sadly, I've also seen homeowners set the entire SW collection out for the trash because they didn't know how important they were to the home.

It is an Eastlake Queen Anne Victorian. I dont think it had outdoor shutters. It did have indoor slatted shutters. They are all up in the attic, TONS of them!!! LOL

We are thinking of putting them back up on some of the windows, but not right away. Maybe next summer. I would think they would keep down sun fading of the furniture. Of course right now there is no furniture!! LOL

Alice in Virginia

Ps Can you see the new avatar???

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There is nothing any worse than an angry little old lady, they've had a lifetime to learn all the dirty tricks and people get upset if you hit them!

I can see the avatar. Great house. You clearly need to hire me right away. I'll start on the inside and when the weather turns I'll move outside. Shouldn't take much more than a year to get it done. Just leave your checkbook open.

Wow!!! That is a beautiful house!!!!

unfortunately, we tried everything with our old house. We reglazed the panes, caulked the gaps, etc....., and last year, we broke down and had vinyl replacements put in. I HATED to take out the single panes.....they looked so nice. BUT, I had to lay dishtowels on the window frames to catch the moisture as it melted and ran down the windows in the winter. Lots of mold and moisture, and that caused the paint to peel up as well. Messy! And , on top of that, my kids were COLD! I do not regret replacing the windows. The new ones look nice and my kids are warm. Just my opinion...... you will never keep a house that big warm with single panes. Good luck, you have a beautiful home!

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Stephanie

Wife, Mom to 4 ( 2 in Tn, 2 in Gloryland), caretaker of chickens, rabbits, kittys, 2 dogs, 2 milk goats, 2 jersey cows, and 1 messy house

Thanks everyone, we think it is a pretty cool house too!!

It doesnt get REAL cold where it is, so it shouldnt be too bad if we can just keep out some fo the cold air. And I have no 2 legged children living at home and the 4 legged ones have fur coats!!

My husband surprised me and said he was up for heavy draperies in the winter. So that should help also.

And paintboy, if we win the lottery I will take you up on that!!!!! LOL

Alice in Virginia

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There is nothing any worse than an angry little old lady, they've had a lifetime to learn all the dirty tricks and people get upset if you hit them!

And to cut down on condensation inside the windows, buy a large dehumidifier, or maybe a couple and run them in the winter. That will help out a lot.

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We will meet in the golden city, called the New Jerusalem,
All our pain and all our tears will be no more.....

Is this house truly historic as the title of this topic implies? Or is it merely old? There is a huge difference when it comes to being able to do any repairs to a HISTORIC house.

A historic house would be listed on some sort of registry for homes that are important due to their architecture or because of who lived or stayed there. With historic houses, you often have to submit all plans for any modifications to a local or state board before you are permitted to do them. This is to prevent people from changing the appearance of the home significantly.

For this reason, I would never want to own a historic house in New York State. I would have to get approval for every fence, window change, driveway material, etc... that I install (to make sure that it was in keeping with the time period of the home).

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~TheMartianChick~

My latest novels:
Bystander: A Tale of the End of the World as SHE Knew It!

Christmas in Bystander & Other Village Tales

Coming Soon: A Slice of Heaven

Yes it is an Historic House. On the National Registry, and yes to change anything on the outside you have to get permission. Inside.......not so much!! There are a few things that have tobe maintained, certain light fixtures,etc but the rest inside is ok.

Alice in Virginia

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There is nothing any worse than an angry little old lady, they've had a lifetime to learn all the dirty tricks and people get upset if you hit them!

You should ask her tax person if there is a tax credit for fixing up historic homes in Virginia.

Here the Wisconsin Historical Society's Division of Historic Preservation (DHP) administers a program of 25-percent state income tax credits for repair and rehabilitation of historic homes in Wisconsin.

deb
in wi

Completely restored 2 double hung windows. Striped paint, striped & repainted the hardware, rehung sash weights, re-glazed, had new wood storm windows built (Western New York).
After a few years living with my new old windows this is what I learned - that despite what I read about an old fashioned double hung window with a snug fitting storm being compartable to a replacement it isn't.
That after over 100 years of opening & closing a window it will never be a tight as the first 20 years, wood wears away.
The despite adding copper flashing to the inside tracks per TOH sometimes a snug fit isn't possible.
What I learned was even though I really enjoy the sound of window weights when I opened a window I needed to spend my time & money on more important aspects of my old house.

Still use the 4 new storms I had built even though those windows all have vinyl replacements. Really makes a big difference.
Kept all the window sashes and the glass that was original to the house as I hope to one day use them for a built in cabinet project.
Wish I could come up with a great repurpose for the window weights.

Congradulations on your new old house,
~~ pelenaka ~~

I looked into the tax write off, but it seems that the low cost loans for restoring historic property is only available if the property is going to be used as a business. Like a B&B or something like that, nothing for your average single family home.

Just reread your post and it is for state tax credits, we dont pay state taxes!! LOL
It isnt in Virginia.....

Alice in Virginia

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There is nothing any worse than an angry little old lady, they've had a lifetime to learn all the dirty tricks and people get upset if you hit them!