After half a year of waiting, it’s finally here: our modern farmhouse windows reveal! I’m sharing what we would do again next time (and what we wouldn’t)!
This post has been over half a year in the making. It’s crazy to me to think that the original publish date was back in late November. But here we are, over six months later, and I can say on the one hand that they were worth the wait, but on the other hand – the wait was too long! Let me break it all down for y’all, if you’re deciding whether to upgrade to new, beautiful modern farmhouse windows too!
Last summer, the hubs and I decided our house was due for some window upgrades. We had drafty old windows that were probably original to our late 1970’s home, and we had actually caulked some of them shut to try to save on our energy bill and stay warmer! We both agreed it was time for an upgrade, and as all the sliding doors in our new home were by Pella and were less than five years old, the decision to go with the same company for the window upgrade was easy at the time.
It’s crazy how far our house has come since this…
Decisions, Decisions
We decided to replace all but four windows. We have two extra large single-paned windows in our front foyer next to the front door which we weren’t quite sure what we’d want to do with (grid or no grid?) at the time, and two smaller fixed windows in the family room and dining room that were in better condition. These will be the target of an upgrade at a later time, but for now we were replacing eight windows: one basement window, one garage window, three main floor windows, and three bedroom windows. I had always had a fondness for casement windows (more traditional than sliding, IMO), so we went with the casement style with a grid pattern on each window. We also chose to have black framing inside and out, because I love the modern vibe it gives the home, and it’s perfect for anyone looking for a modern farmhouse style!
Things Start Rolling…
We signed off on the project and payment in August, knowing that amidst a pandemic they were backed up with scheduling. Our date would likely be sometime in early to mid-November – right in time for the holidays! I scheduled the day off work and we eagerly awaited our installation date.
Ruh Roh…
You can probably guess where the story is going if I’m writing about it here: we hit a snag. A big snag. A snag that in our opinion should have been something the company caught. I write about it now not to call them out, but to warn any other homeowners looking to major upgrades on their homes: pay attention, do your homework, and make sure your team is double and triple checking everything. That being said, still be prepared for hang ups and delays in a project – and boy was this a big one for us!
When installing the windows, the basement and first floor windows went in just fine. But when it came to the second story windows, the company had overlooked how steep the overhang of our roof is. The casement windows were unable to be fully opened, and would not be safe or meet code. Major bummer. We discussed the idea of doing a smaller width of window, but unfortunately our city ordinances precluded this from being an option due to egress.
Finally Coming to an End!
In the end I had to compromise. We had them rebuild the second story windows from the ground up (at a reduced overall cost, which was a plus I suppose!) as sliders and they were not installed until April of the following year. Luckily when they are closed there is no discernible difference between the two type of windows, and they look fantastic!
Now I want to hear from you – what would you do with your own windows if you were going to remodel? Share with me in the comments below!