Customer Reviews

Working Windows, 3rd: A Guide to the Repair and Restoration of Wood Windows

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book covers the restoration to working condition of various types of windows found in old homes. The information is presented in a clear, easy to follow format. Unlike most books of this type it is written so well that it is fun to read even if you don't want to fix windows. The author has a great sense of humor and I often found myself laughing out loud and learning at the same time.

If you have old windows in your house and you can use a screwdriver and hammer, this book will tell you how to renovate them. I have been rebuilding windows for 40 years, and still get good ideas from this book. Well worth twice the price.

This book was very helpful in showing how to repair old windows. It is geared mostly to windows that have pulleys and weights however. Mine have friction brakes on the side so that part wasn't helpful, but there was a lot of other good info.

Window installers come at the public with a good line of hype. Many times it is flagrantly untrue. I think, almost every time, it is worth restoring the original windows rather than replacing them with new vinyl ones. Seasonal movement is one of the major problems for windows. Vinyl's seasonal movement is four times that of pine or fir according to the government testing lab that tests building material. Vinyl does not rot or is not destroyed by termites; it deteriorates. They are not made to be repaired, they are throw away. Also, the design of the vinyl window is out of place with the period of the home, making them grossly stand out as inappropriate to the style of the house. If you are concerned about the R rating, your old restored window, with a storm window attached is rated much higher than a new vinyl window. There are some homes,being lived in now, with two to three hundred year old windows still functioning fine. These are the reasons to buy this book. Window restoration and repair are good DIY projects. This book will take you through it.

I live in a 1920's house with mostly wood double hung windows which are rotting away and haven't been opened in at least twenty years. I was worried about the horrendous cost of installing new windows, and the difficulty of doing that in a house with concrete asbestos siding. With the aid of this marvelous book I am now restoring the windows, and doing all the work from the inside! I have done many home projects over the years from building an addition to plumbing and electrical installation and I have read at least a hundred books in my search for ways to do things and not one of those books has been as helpful as this one. If you have wood windows that are rotting, won't open and look to be beyond hope, then buy this book.

We cannot imagine how we could have restored our old windows without Terry Meany and his great book. We checked it out of the library many, many times, then finally realized that this is an essential book to own. We love it!

I've never touched glaze, a heat gun, or seen rope and pulley windows in working order before, but with this book in hand I was able to restore the windows of our 1901 home to working order with new ropes, new glazing, and some new glass where there were existing breaks.

This is a great book and I would recommend it to anyone who needs to work on windows. It is a very easy read, the author kicks in quite a bit humor and keeps things light. You also will not see him call for things that you might not have laying around the house like a router, or a table saw to create dove thingy joints! I got the impression that he is trying to help out every day Joe's keep their windows operational and functional. Only wish it was digital so I could get it on my Nook!

I was hoping for more insight on how to reconstruct a window that was broken. someone threw a rock and broke the mullens that frame the window 4 of the 12 panes. I didn't really see anything there on this so I am still searching for an old window to dismantle or a resonable price for the 3 ft piece of wood.But it is a nice book with good information.

THERE ARE A LOT OF BOOKS ON THE SUBJECT, BUT "WORKING WINDOWS" PICKS UP WHERE THE OTHERS END. THERE IS SO MUCH INFO ON REPAIR VS. REPLACEMENT.

OUR 1885 VICTORIAN WINDOWS ARE IN VERY GOOD SHAPE OVERALL, BUT, FIVE HAVE SEVERE UPPER SASH DRY ROT IN THE LOWER CORNERS. THIS BOOK GOES INTO DETAIL OF FIXING WITHOUT REPLACING, PLUS HOW TO ADDRESS THE ORIGINAL CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM.

SPRING IS AROUND THE CORNER, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO RESTORE THEM.