RESTORING THE WOOD AND METAL WINDOWS

The extensive dry rot and window deterioration was caused in large part by the windows being left in an unpainted state for decades. This caused seams in the frames of the windows to open up (particularly on the south façade which was exposed to significant sun and weather). The fact that the original windows were Redwood is responsible for their longevity, though even Redwood is not impervious to the elements after decades of neglect.

Weather and time amplified the difference in densities of the wood grain, with the softer wood eroding and leaving behind striations of hardwood. This condition necessitated the additional, extremely time consuming, step of applying a two-part wood epoxy filler to each of these areas. We then hand sanded the patches smooth before priming and painting.

The windows were originally constructed using wooden “Glass Stops” or “Sticking”. Because the sticking is not architecturally significant, the common repair approach is to replace damaged sticking with putty/glazing. Our client opted instead, however, to replace them in kind because (A)wood stops are generally more durable than putty/glazing and (B) we wished to stay true to the original architectural fabric of the building.

Replacing the sticking added an additional degree of difficulty to the repairs. First we had to remove them, then we created a template, and finally we fabricated new stops out of Redwood to match. Given that all the stops had to fit seamlessly like fine finish carpentry, the final cuts needed to be performed on site to match the existing perfectly. Each new wood stop required sealing on all sides prior to final installation, priming and paint.

Several windows were beyond restoration. For these, we fabricated and installed new windows to match the existing. These replacements were VERY large and required additional care to maneuver at several stories above street level. We also performed replacement of 40+ broken panes of glass at the building (see below).