Our New Windows

When we bought our fixer upper house, we knew one of the first things we’d be replacing was the windows. They were old and in really rough shape… much like the condition of the rest of the house. Several of the metal window frames were bent, the screens were tore up or missing, and there was moisture in between the glass. They were also beyond filthy and had been severely neglected when it came to any form of cleaning. 

I told myself when we bought the house I wasn’t going to spend a bunch of time cleaning them, but a few weeks after we moved in, I couldn’t take the grime any longer. It wasn’t until I was cleaning one of the four window panes in an upstairs bedroom that I finally stopped myself from wasting anymore time on it. That, and I dropped one of the window panes in the bathtub while I was scrubbing on it. It basically shattered into a million pieces. After a few choice words, and a lot of relief that I didn’t scar up our new bathtub or tile floors, I decided I probably needed to switch gears knowing the windows were on their way out. 

All that to say, the celebration of having new windows is that much sweeter. They also completely changed the look of the house, inside and out!  Never underestimate what new windows can do!

We decided to hire out the installation and trim work of the windows… and we’re so glad we did. They had their work cut out for them. 

After debating on it for a few weeks, we decided to go with grid windows, in white. Our original plan was to do black windows, but after we added the new black roof and soffit, fascia and gutters, the house needed a little pop from the bright white. I’m so glad we changed our mind. 

We went with the same size of windows as before, but changed the trim on both the exterior and interior. It was a little bit messy, because the previous windows were lined with drywall rather than wood on the inside, and we wanted the new windows to be wrapped with wood. Some of the windows fit a little tighter than others, so on the windows that fit more snug, we needed to remove the drywall to have room for the new wood interior.

I didn’t get too many pictures of them installing the new windows, but I was able to wander around the house while they were working…

On the inside sides of the windows (including  the top), we used 1/4″ flooring underlayment (the same thing we use for plank walls). It not only worked like a charm, but it was a big cost savings rather than buying 1″x4″ material.

We had them replace the ledges as well. For those, we used pine 1″x 6″‘s and ripped them down to an inch overhang, on all sides…

Here’s a little sketch up of what we used for each of our interior window’s:

Adding larger trim definitely made the windows look and feel more substantial in size, but it also added so much character too…

I’ll share more interior images a little later, but the exterior also got one, big update…

We loved the interior trim so much, that we had them mimic the same thing on the exterior. Adding the bulkier trim really helped modernize the house and give it the character it’s been begging for…

We didn’t add any trim around the lower level brick windows, but when we add shutters to all the windows, they’ll get some too!

This house looks, without a doubt, night and day different…

And surprise!! We added a window box to our big front window, and soon the two upper windows too! I’ll be dedicating an entire post to the window box because it’s just that good and it’s added so much character to the house. 

I’ve been saying we had a few surprise items up our sleeve, and I wasn’t kidding… here’s how the house looks today…

That’s right, we added a pergola above the two upper windows and it may have been my best idea yet! It’s transformed the house from a standard bi-level into a house that has soo much character. Of course, I’ll also be dedicating a post specifically to that as well. 

Basically, this house isn’t even recognizable anymore… and we’re still not finished! We have shutters we’ll be adding, window boxes on the upper level of the windows on the front of the house, new trim work on the corners of the house, new doors, new garage doors and lots of landscaping!

The back of the house is looking pretty lovely too…

We’re finally getting there, and it feels sooooo good. The back of the house is about to get another big upgrade too! We’re having a new, much larger concrete patio poured to replace the existing one. It’s in really rough shape, even crumbling away in some spots, and it’s too small. More details on that coming your way soon!

Once the patio is replaced, it’s all hands on deck! We’re both so excited to have a nice outdoor space to relax on, and a large area to entertain. 

We’ve come such a long way from where we started…

I’m certain this isn’t the same house… Progress hasn’t ever felt this good!

If you missed out on phase 1 of our exterior makeover, you can read all about how we painted the exterior here.