The Double Hung Window

The double hung window, we love this window! Throughout the US this is the window in most old homes, before 1950 this window made up a large part of any exterior. It was an important part of America’s ever growing neighborhoods. You can find this in every type of  vintage old home. Today at Wood Window Rescue the double hung sash window is our primary focus of our window repair and restoration business. Our sales and service partners along with our repairmen spend weeks learning about how the double hung window works, how to repair it and how it can outperform any modern window system. Every trainee begins with the basics, the anatomy of the double hung window. Below is the walkthrough of a double hung window by me, a link to the anatomy of the double hung window and a glossary of common wood window  terms.

Get a Copy of Our Diagram of a Double Hung Window!

GLOSSARY

DOUBLE HUNG WINDOW- A wood window with two vertically sliding sash separated by a parting bead or stop providing separate tracks for the operation of the sash and in which both sash operate.

SASH- Sash is a framed piece of glass that includes two stiles and two rails. The Sashes may be fixed or hung, operational.

JAMB- The structural window frame that holds the sash. The jamb includes the header, jamb leg and sill.

MECHANICAL- The system the window uses to open and close, this includes hardware and balance type.

SASH TERMS

MEETING RAIL- The horizontal member of a single hung or double hung top or bottom window sash that meets or aligns with its mate when the window is in the closed position.

RAIL- The outside vertical member of a window sash.

STILE- The vertical piece of a sash frame. This is where the balance system is connected on a double hung sash window.

EVERSASH- The reproduction sash made by Wood Window Rescue. The ever sash is designed to match most windows built between 1880 and 1950. The wood window is built using Accoya, the highest grade longest lasting wood available in the world. The EverSash is available though out the nation by contacting Wood Window Rescue.

MUNTIN- A light bar dividing two panes of glass in the field of a sash to form individual lights.

LITE- A pane of glass; also, an opening in a sash for receiving a pane of glass.

GLAZING- The lites/glass are sealed in place using glazing putty. Trade professionals only use high quality oil based glazing like Sarco Type M.

Sarco Type M Multi-Glaze
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JAMB TERMS

JAMB LEG- The side jamb of a double hung window in which the pulleys are mortised and installed.

JAMB HEAD- The uppermost horizontal member of the window frame, fitting between the side jambs or pulley stiles.

SILL- The horizontal member at the bottom of the window frame upon which the lower sash rests when closed.

SUB SILL- In a window frame with two-piece sill construction, it is the lower member beneath the sill.

BLIND STOP- The wood stop on the outside edge of the wood window jamb just behind the exterior casing against which the shutter, blind, or screen rests. If also serves to guide and retain the top sash in a hung window.

PARTING BEAD- The narrow wood strip separating the sash in a check rail window.

INTERIOR STOP- Molded wood strip that holds the lower sash in and ties the jamb leg to the casing.

WEIGHT POCKET- The small removable door cut into the pulley stile of a weight-and-pulley counterbalanced hung window to allow access for repairing broken sash cords or chains. The lower end of the weight pocket is located about six inches above the sill.

DRAFTSTOP- Wood Window Rescue’s exclusive weather-stripping system that integrates high performance pile weather-stripping with traditional wood window moldings like interior stop and parting bead.

MECHANICAL PARTS

SASH CORD- Small diameter rope used to counter balance the double hung sash window.

PULLEY- The pulley (wheel) over which the sash cord or chain is routed for counter balancing a hung window sash with weights with weights located in the jamb leg.

MECHANICAL RESCUE- The flagship Wood Window Rescue service. This service restores the window and sash to working order.

SASH LOCK- A locking mechanism for a wood window used to secure a sash in the close position.

Wood Window Lock
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SASH LIFT- A handle or recessed finger grip used to provide leverage to open a sash window.

Wood Window Lift
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BONUS TERMS

CASING- Trim work that surrounds a window that ties the window into the interior and exterior walls.

MULLION- On a window frame, the casing that joins two frames together as in making up a twin, triple, or other multiple window unit.

STOOL- The horizontal interior trim member at the base of the wood window that sits on top of the window sill, projecting into the room forming a shelf which is the termination point for the interior casing and window stop and provides a lip for the lower sash to seal against when closed.

APRON- The horizontal interior trim member beneath the window stool.

DRIP CAP- A beveled molding applied to the top of the head casing of a window or door frame and extending horizontally beyond the face of the casing, normally having a drip edge on the underside, its purpose to shed water away from the face of the casing and window.

WEATHER STRIPPING: A material around the perimeter of a window designed to reduce air infiltration. Usually  metal or composite.

UNIT: A complete wood window including sash, jamb and sill.

SASH SET: Sash for a double hung window.

OPEN SASH: Sash shipped from Wood Window Rescue with no glass installed.

KNOCK DOWN SASH- A Sash shipped from Wood Window Rescue unassembled without glass.

Have any questions? Leave us a comment below!  Searching for something else? Try searching our blogs!

The Grandest of Openings

The Grandest of Openings

You know what we love? I mean other than the obvious answer of wood windows, of course. We love people. So you can only imagine how elated we were about hosting an event entirely devoted to welcoming others into our shop. Last Thursday we held our official Grand Opening for the Great Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce right here in our facility, complete with the Junction Coffee Bus and an amazing spread of tasty eats catered by one of our talented clients, Bo Taylor.

WWR in KCMO

WWR in KCMO

Kansas City may be famous for its barbeque, but we found ourselves drooling over more than their brisket and ribs. But wait! We are from Oklahoma City. What are we doing talking about Kansas City’s saucy smoked goods? Well, friends, let me tell you all about our experience as a vendor at the Main Street Now Conference, about the relationships we are building, and dare I say, the vision we have for the Midwest.

Window Glazing Made Easy

How to glaze a wood window with Aqua Glaze.

Here at the Wood Window Rescue Shop, we have searched the internet to find the best and most accessible old window repair techniques to share with our audience. This video series from Dave Bowers of Olde Window Restorer is one of the best. We use these videos for training in our window restoration projects and love how the historic wood windows turn out. We hope that you will find these videos and additional window sash repair insight to be helpful.

Tools Needed:

  • Putty Knife

  • Damp Rag

Material Needed:

  • Glazing Points

  • Aqua Glaze

Sarco Type M Multi-Glaze
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Getting Started

We suggest that you remove the window sash from the wood window frame. We also recommend using a make-shift sash easel on a slight incline. If you are doing this at homes and want the best results, do it outside and make sure you have enough time set aside to complete an entire window sash glazing.

Tips on Working with Aqua Glaze

  • Work up a softball sized amount of Aqua Glaze and then set aside in a separate container.

  • To keep window glazing from drying out, keep only a small amount of window putty in your hand while you work the glazing into the wood window sash.

Putty Knife Tricks

  • Keep your knife clean and free of grim. Grim will cause the glazing to drag and will leave a rough, less than desirable window sash glazing.

  • Make sure to use a flexible putty knife. Apply enough pressure so that the knife bends as you pull the knife over the window glazing. Doing this presses the glazing on to the glass and wood on the wood window.

  • Keep your knife moist by wiping often with a damp rag.

How to Estimate Glazing Material

To estimate glazing, we use a great tool created by the folks at SRS Hardware. Here are the basics:

Number of Sashes x Number of Lights Per Sash x .2 x .2 x Perimeter of Each Light x .0022=Gallons of Glazing needed.

To get a more precise estimate and for further detail please check out the Putty Calculator.

Final Tip...

Don't give up! It may take a few tries...especially on those corners. The important part is you are doing this instead of replacing with disposable vinyl windows. 

If you need help, just comment below and we will do our best to help.

5 Renovation Guarantees...That Will Suck

I do my best to make every project as predictable as possible and yet, in every job and every customer complaint, the same things come up. So to be completely transparent, here are the five things that will suck about your renovation project.

1. The Mess

There is no way around this one. There will be a mess! Saw dust, drywall dust, normal dust...we do everything we can to keep it clean but inevitably, we will not get it all. In addition, subcontractors will eat lunch at the job or have a big gulp. I would like to say we are perfect and this always ends up in the trash, but that is not always the case.

However, we do strive to keep job sites clean. We keep trash receptacles on site so it is obvious where the Coke can goes. Each sub-contractor cleans up after they are finished so the next contractor has a clean work area. Outside areas are cleaned up daily, so that loose material is not blowing all over neighborhood. 

2. The Unexpected

I wish I had an x-ray machine and could see through walls. However, I do not. I have opened up walls and found that 60% of the framing was chewed up by termites. I have finished beautiful projects only to find that some backwoods plumber, without a clue or a permit, improperly tied into the sewer main. If you expect anything expect finding this, haphazard wiring, backwards plumbing, irregular framing, asbestos or mold.

It will suck. You will be angry. It will add to your cost. But I will patiently walk through it with you.

remodel_plans_costs.jpg

3. The Cost

First, the cost of a renovation can be expensive and there is often major sticker shock. If you are considering DIY, I would do some soul searching first. Someone else's DIY could could be the reason you have unexpected costs.

Remember, you get that for which you pay. If you hire a handyman, chances are your base cost will be low but your cost overruns will be high. I once took over a project that the owner had paid the handyman and affordable $18/per hour and there was no material mark-up. Sounds like a great deal! Until you realize that he had been on the job for five years! That is a total labor cost of $187,000!!! Then, you add in the materials...YIKES!! 

I always try to fall in the "Goldilocks Zone"...Not too low. Not too high. 

4. The Delays

I have tried praying, cussing and wishing...but there are still delays. 

First, there is the weather. If any exterior work is part of the project, you should just expect delays. Second, life happens. People get sick, have babies, vehicles break down. These things just happen. Third, things change. The copper farmhouse sink is six weeks out instead of two. Fourth and final, it's not a delay...it's down time. There are unavoidable down time periods. Waiting for city inspections, utility companies, scheduling of subcontractors and delivery of materials. 

When we start a project, we have a detailed plan and schedule. It generally includes a level of expectation for delays and down time. And most projects are completed within 2 weeks of original scheduled completion.

5. The Punch-out

The house is almost done. You're ready to move in. That day is so close you can taste it! Press the pause button...there are still a few loose ends. Inevitably, there will be a few things that need to be done. Things like paint touch-up, final cleaning and minor hardware adjustments are very common. These things should not delay the project (See 4). The mistake most people make is that they move in too quick and a weeks worth of punch out items becomes a month of working around furniture, pets and people.

I always recommend doing a walk through with a project manager using a camera, note pad and blue masking tape. Identify what finished looks like and allow the project manager reasonable time to complete.

These are not avoidable, but reasonable expectations. Clear communication between the home owner and the project manager can make them manageable and able to overcome.