Today we did a big thing, today we ordered a full set of new windows for No. 28. It was A HUGE step in the renovation process, and one that was long overdue.
We had been holding out these past three years for a time when we could afford to refurbish the house’s original sash windows, but over the past few weeks we have realised that not only would that time probably never come, but (and I was really loathe to admit this) the sash windows also probably weren’t a practical option for us in the long term.
So today we put our grown-up pants on and made the decision (the rather brave decision if you ask me) to face up to the fact that refurbishing the sash windows is not something we could afford to do and no matter how pretty they are and how much I love looking at them, they just aren’t particularly practical for us either.
We have previously looked into other options – upvc sash windows (double the price of refurbishing the wood ones), upvc casement windows (did not like them), faux sash windows (they looked too fake), refurbishing them one at a time (still too costly)… and the list goes on.
Last night we had a bit of a brainstorming session about it all and in the end the decision came down to this – we love the character of the house and the original sash windows definitely add to this, however the windows are also quite close to the ground so we can only open the upstairs ones a very small amount for safety’s sake – our pups are daft enough to jump out – and we weren’t interested in replacing them with top openers. Not to mention that if we decided to have kids we would probably keep the windows permanently locked for fear that they could open them and fall from the first floor! So to spend so much money on something that isn’t particularly practical was just silly really, kind of like buying a pair of Christian Louboutin’s to do a Mud Run!
We ended up opting for full size single pane tilt and turn windows. Aside from the character of the house, the other reason we chose to buy this house over others that we viewed, was the location.
Every window at the front of the house looks out over the beautiful Irish Sea and the back facing windows look out over green countryside – it’s the best of both worlds. The tilt and turn windows will (hopefully) make the most of those views. With no separation bar in the centre of the window – like in sash or casement – we will have uninterrupted views of the sea and countryside. The windows also only open by leaning back into the room from the top (so there is no low down gap which the silly pups could escape from) and the windows can also be fully opened inwards for cleaning. Now all that sounds pretty good to me.
So while I am immensely sad to be saying goodbye to the sash windows, I’m hoping that when the new ones are installed I will love them just a much. Fingers crossed!