Den windows

Finally the windows for the large first floor room are installed! I guess we saved the best for last.

These windows are really large, about 6 ft x 3 ft.

I returned once again to Marvin for these windows since I've really been impressed with the french door we bought from them. Plus, they deliver to the house for free!

All of the trim had been removed on the inside of the house a long time ago when we replaced the drywall. So there wasn't really any work to do on the inside. On the outside we had to remove the brick molding and then use a sawzall to cut the nails or whatever was holding the window in.

So I go the brick molding off of the windows and started trying to determine where the fasteners were with a skinny piece of stick. I went all the way around the window and didn't feel anything. I couldn't see anything either. The reason was because there was nothing holding the windows into the frame! They were sitting on the sill. For the last forty years they've sat in the hole not a single screw or nail holding them in place!

Of all the things that I've seen in remodeling this house nothing surprises me anymore, but I couldn't believe this one. I guess the only thing holding the windows in place all that time was the trim on the inside and the brick molding on the outside. No wonder these windows wouldn't raise.

The new windows came with a nailing fin that is suppose to be really for new construction. But I had enough room around the window, since they weren't quite as big as the old ones, to utilize the fin. I have to say it is very convenient. I had the fin on the kitchen window but I didn't use it. It would have made that job much simpler. The french door might have had one too, I can't remember now.

The windows are very nice. The exterior is already the color that you select, I went with bronze. The inside is unfinished pine that is stainable. Screens are integral and are easy to remove. No grids.

Specs:

U Factor = 0.28
SHGC = 0.32
Visible Transmittance = 0.54


$586 x 2 = $1172

Backsplash

We installed a marble tile mosaic in the kitchen for the backsplash. It was a total of about 27 square feet.

 Each box of tile contained 10 square feet of tile so we boght three boxes. It was $12/box. We laid the tile on the first day and then grouted it on the second day. We added the grout optimizer to the grout too. It is suppose to keep any stains from ever happening on the grout. We used unsanded grout.

We used a diamond cutting wheel on an angle grinder to cut the pieces so a tile saw wasn't necessary. Before grouting we applied sealer to the marble.








It's good to use a razor scraper and a light to make sure all the mastic is off the tile. There is a lot you won't be able to see until you get very close with a light you can hold in your hand.

Before

The simplest thing to do to span the gap between the cabinets where the stove goes is to screw a piece of scrap wood to the wall to rest the tile on. We just used a piece of scrap plywood.

Cost, around $500.

Now that's white!

A while ago the backsplash was white plastic glued to the wall. Perfectly functional but not a whole lot of character.

Bathroom

 Finally the light fixture arrived! Besides one or two other additional things that aren't fixtures we are basically finished with the bathroom renovation.

The final cost was around $3500, less labor of course.

A little bit of touchup work needs to be done but it's minor. We'll probably just leave it as is for a guest bath and not a master bath.

It's not perfect but I'm glad to be done with it. The tile is probably the weakest link. I learned a lot about it by doing it, so the next tile job will be better.

bye bye 1971!

Paint Screw up

This Sherwin Williams Harmony primer has zero volatile organic compounds. You literally cannot smell any paint odors at all. $37 gallon.

I am using the same kind of paint for the ceiling. It is flat white. Yesterday I got three gallons of paint for the ceiling and painted half the room. Today I painted the other half.

When I came back from lunch and inspected the ceiling I noticed a difference on half of it. Turns out the third gallon of pain was eggshell. Huge difference!

Sherwin Williams gave me another gallon, though they weren't very cordial. I had to go to a different store to get it. I'll be glad to get done painting. I'm not impressed with Sherwin Williams' customer service. Their paint is awesome however.

This window's gotta go!

 40 year old window. Double hung, leaky, ugly, it's got to go.
Interior view of the newly installed window.
















Performance specs of the new Pella Window.

Low E
U Factor 0.29
SHGC .33
Visible Transmittance 0.62
Argon Gas filled double pane fixed
Energy Star Rated

$365

It took about 4 hrs to install the window. We weren't trying to break any speed records. The old window was basically held in by 2 nails. There are about 20 screws in the new one. The gap between the framing and the window is filled with expanding foam. We taped the entire framing with a non permeable adhesive sealing tape.






Newly installed, high efficiency Pella. Very happy with this window!


http://www.nfrc.org/WindowRatings/The-NFRC-Label.html

Welcome to the Green Zone

This blog is dedicated to chronicling the trials and tribulations of converting a 1970 split level house in Tucker Georgia into an energy efficient green home/passive house.