Customer Reviews

Working Windows, Revised and Updated Edition: A Guide to the Repair and Restoration of Wood Windows

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

... It arrived on Friday, and was an easy read, with lots of diagrams and helpful hints. On Sunday I attacked a 73 year old double hung window which had been painted shut for decades, and everything I encountered was just as described in the book. By the end of the day, the window had been reassembled and both sashes now function properly. My total out of pocket cost was less than $20, including enough materials to do several other windows. To make this review a "5" the author should include a reference list of where to find those "hard to find" parts (including internet URL's).

A great primer that convinced us to restore our classic six light double-hung windows instead of replacing them. So why would someone want to restore old windows instead of just replacing them?

A) They're gorgeous, practical works of art...the eyes of the house. Our windows are "six-light prairie style, double hung" windows. They're one of the typical syles for bungalows in the Midwest, and are a big part of what make our house the thing we love.

B) When restored properly, they will be weathertight as well as beautiful. (They are NOT maintenance free, however. If you are looking for maintenance free, restoration may not be for you.)

C) It will cost us less to restore these windows than to replace them with a vinyl clad wood window. This is based on the number of windows we have and the shape that they are in.

If those benefits are interesting to you, you need this book. Meany has written a fun book useful for the do-it-yourself'er as well as those wanting to learn about how window restoration works. With years of experience, Terence brings wisdom and humor (and some nice diagrams) to his writing. He gives beginners a realistic preview of what you're likely to encounter. Those with experience might find the book a bit basic but will appreciate the breadth of his experience and his recommendations on how to handle a few unusual challenges.

This winter, we have toasty warm, restored and WORKING windows :)

Everyone who's owned an old house has gone through it - after being barraged by literature from window manufacturers, energy companies and design mags, you start thinking about putting in new replacement windows. It makes sense, right? Spend the money now, and reaps the dividends in energy savings with those smart, vinyl clad future-proof windows.

Some of us continue to read past this, and we learn more beyond the hype. Those old double-hung sashes that have been keeping out the rain and wind for a century would be replaced with sashes that will last a few decades at most - replacements that often cannot be painted or even repaired when their exotic caulks inevitably fail. Replacments that nullify the architectural integrity of your older home. Replacements manufactured with materials that have a profound negative environmental impact.

So, what to do? You're tired of the breezes through your home, the condensation and frost in the winter, the windows you can't even open, the money you can see wafting out of doors every time the heat or AC kicks in. Can you repair these ancient windows, make them work like new - maybe even work *better* than new?

Working Windows is the answer to that last question, and answers with an emphatic "YES!". Aside from windows rotting clear off of their frames, this book will help you recover, restore and improve your existing windows. From fixing problems with rot and warping to sealing out the weather to pointing and glazing, this book covers everything. Want to make your own storm windows? It's got it. How about screens? Sure thing.

The market for restoring older windows is a bit on the fringe, so finding the parts can be tricky, and in this revised version even that's taken care of: there are addresses and URLs for just about every tool and material mentioned. If you just want to open those painted-shut sashes for free, that's covered, but if you're looking for high end architecturally-sound storm windows, that's covered, too.

My only complaint with the book is that some of the illustrations are cryptic. Perhaps in the third edition some full color, detailed images can help walk us through window restoration.

I have recently purchased an older home that has a number of double-hung windows that need sash cords replaced and some minor repairs. I had never worked with wooden windows before and was at a loss for knowing where to start or what to do. This book was invaluable. I am half way through all the windows and without 'Working Windows' I would still be lost. The style of writing is fun and informative. The book contains general information through specific product recommendations.

The revised and updated edition of Working Windows probably has twice the information of the original book, which was already the best book on the subject. And yet the price is still the same! I've repaired lots of windows, so I'm hardly a novice, but I still picked up a lot of tips and tricks and things I didn't know. And it's lovely that someone still wants to write about how to repair one of the eminently repairable things in a world in which most things are no longer repairable but merely disposable. In a way it's a sad commentary on our society that everything is thrown away rather than repaired, though many modern products aren't even repairable (like the replacement windows so many people have been talked into- when their rather short lifespan is over, they'll just go to the landfill).

The author's writing style is humorous, which I enjoyed, because I see no reason why providing information precludes it from being entertaining (if you prefer that, the National Park Service has a nice, dry, boring article on the repair of historic windows which is widely available). And he explains things clearly enough that even someone who isn't very "handy" could still manage to repair a window.

Anyone with wooden windows could benefit from having (and using) a copy of this book.

I've been annoyed for years by books on doors and windows that were pretty much exclusively about NEW doors and windows. Old windows? Can't fix 'em with a touch of paint? Chuck 'em.

This book takes a serious look inside of old windows, though it's probably most useful for houses 1890-1940. (My house is 1929, and the windows matched his directions perfectly.) While my windows were straightforward, and this book gave me the courage to take them apart, I also enjoyed the discussions of more difficult cases and how to cope with them.

I'm actually happy this book didn't spend time on other options for old windows - how to replace them is outside the scope of the book, though the author certainly says there are times it's appropriate. It's good to find a book which explains one set of things and explains it well instead of trying to explain every possibility - especially when window replacement is covered in seemingly infinite depth in every other book on this subject.

This is one of my favorite books in my DIY collection, which is considerable. But it's not for everyone, as you might guess by reading the few negative reviews that people have posted. This is the book for an intelligent person who likes to fix things, but just hasn't had a previous opportunity to acquaint himself (or herself) with the facts of wood windows. It is densely packed with useful advice about every phase of window repair and restoration, including a lot of information about specific name-brand products (strippers, hardeners, fillers, glazing compound, thinners, paints), which is a big help on your visit to the shelves of the average DIY superstore. There are pages devoted to painting skills - the relative advantages of latex vs. oil-based paints, proper painting techniques and brush care. If you grew up around the trades you probably sucked in this stuff with your daddy's second-hand cigarette smoke, but if you are a self-taught DIYer, you are bound to discover a lot of things you've been doing wrong. As one detractor wrote in his review, this book is one man's opinion about window repair. That's absolutely true, but Terry Meany (who is this person "Jamie Shaw" that Amazon lists as the author?) is really up-front about these being his opinions and explains why he holds them. So it's easy to work from Meany's suggestions and your own experience to your own set of informed opinions. The book is also written in an engaging, articulate fashion. From this book I learned the word "solipsism," how it applies to restoring woodwork, and the connections between divorce and paint removal. It's an unusual DIY book that can provide that sort of information. Armed with this book I was able to dismantle and restore a set of rotted leaded glass casement windows I would never have dreamed of tackling had Terry Meany not given me the courage. Next project is all the broke sash cords...

Several months ago we bought a 1910 two story with THIRTY double hung windows in it. None were working, all were painted shut inside and out AND to add insult to injury were also NAILED shut. WOW. I started working on them without any reference material and somewhat into the project discovered this book. It was a lifesaver. If you have an old house and want to keep the windows it came with, then this book is for you. If you want to know WHY you should keep your wooden windows instead of replacing them (which I think is a crime) with newer windows, read this book. If you want to know how all the several different types of these windows work and all the little tricks that will save you hours of work and days of indigestion as you start to work on them, read this book. It is also full of sources for antique replacement hardware which alone justifys the price since invariably these old windows are missing locks or other hardware or have a bad pulley or two. This book has helped me in a hundred ways in my project to rebuild these windows. I refer to it constantly. EVERYTHING is covered, even how to make screens for them. There were no questions I had about wooden windows that weren't answered in it. So get one and read it BEFORE you make any decision on rebulding or refurbishing your windows or replacing them, it is well written and humorous. You won't be sorry you did. Now for a couple of tips not in the book. First, very old window pane glazing assumes the consistency of concrete. Since I needed a way to remove the glass from the windows ( a must in rebuliding and refinishing the frames) without breaking it since it is the crinkly imperfect glass that is period to and a part of the windows and no longer available, I discovered that if you paint the glazing heavily with STRIP EZE and let it sit for 30 minutes it will softten the glazing and make it easy to remove. The mothods for removing glazing mentioned in the book do work but the risk of breaking a pane or two is higher. Second, infinite PATIENCE is required and will be rewarded when you work on these windows. Do not try to rush through the process. Do one window at a time, the book will tell you how to OPEN all the windows, but just take one at a time apart. Rushing will cause more problems than you are correcting. And lastly, when using DAP 33 glazing, follow the directions on the back of the can EXACTLY. You are creating big problems for later if you don't. I allow my reglazed windows to "cure" in the sun for two weeks before I begin painting and sealing them. Anyway, buy this book before you make any decisions on replacing or repairing your old windows. You won't be sorry you did and if you have the time, save the old windows, they are really are works of art and in the case of double hung windows, highly functional.

Mr. Meaney combines straightforward, grounded explanations with the right amount of humor to keep this work from becoming just another "how-to" text. This is a must for all restoration "purists" out there who want to save original building materials to the greatest extent possible.

My husband and I decided to restore the double hung windows in our 70-year old house, and this book has been a great guide. The book addresses every issue we have come across in our restoration, and the explainations are easy to understand. I would recommend this book to anyone.