Park Hill Beauty in Denver Gets an Upgrade
The Right Windows for an Historic Home
It was appropriate that we early-on spent a good measure of time consulting with the owners to determine which product would be ideal to upgrade the fenestrations in this truly majestic gem in the heart of one of the city’s most architecturally inspired neighborhoods. The diversity of its architecture is the neighborhood’s most outstanding physical feature, matched only the wonderful diversity of the neighbors it cradles.
The owners, two professionals raising three small children, had loved the house from the moment they first saw it, yet at that time lived fourteen blocks west of it. They waited until the house was for sale, were ready and bought it, and having learned its history, wanted to carefully improve it with just the right windows, installed by just the right contractor.
Existing Windows in this Grand Tudor Home
The house is a Tudor-styled home, a grand beauty spread laterally along the breadth of the lots upon which it sits. Like most of the load-bearing masonry structures in the area, it was built with steel casement windows. You know the ones: fussily, they crank open; they rust; and yet they have great sightlines. And their owners typically have a love-hate relationship with them.
The kitchen and dining room windows had been replaced by another contractor, who chose an interesting fluted casing with which to trim the window interiors, but one not congruent with the age and character of the house. Decision: to continue this theme nonetheless, and for that matter, to continue using the particular brand of windows then installed, for the remainder of the window openings, some thirty in all or make a change. Fortunately, the owners were not deeply enamored with that brand of windows, and not particularly with the exterior cladding color or the removable wood grilles with which they had been fitted.
Replacing Steel Casement Windows with Wood Windows
Often steel casement windows are set over terracotta sills or tile. But there is clay tile and then there is the beautiful tile in the sills of the windows in this house. Gorgeous, and in good shape, the tile was not injured by the saws we used to cut out the steel frames. But one large expanse of tile at an upper hallway window could not stand the vibration and a crack formed across several tile. Having no spare tile, this one crack marred what would have otherwise been a perfectly completed job.
Common in homes with steel casement windows, bedroom and other windows were composed of partnered 18 inch sashes, this the typical width of an operable vent sash in the steel window of the day. Today’s building codes have egress/ingress requirements for occupant and rescuer safety, which demand wider clear openings than the steel windows allow. Conversion to a modern single casement is mandatory. Fortunately, after careful consideration of grille bar construction and patterns, the owners welcomed the single casement idea.
So what window did they choose?
- A window with narrow sight lines?
- Handsome simulated divided light grilles?
- Perfectly colored cladding in Chestnut Brown?
- Frames of Douglas fir with fabulously articulated mouldings, all stained on site to match the tone of nearby interior doors and trim?
- Nesting oil-rubbed bronze operator hardware?
- Noise-abating glazing in east-facing bedrooms?
Why yes, all of these things, perfectly executed by Loewen™.
Seeking some economy, Pella Impervia™ horizontal sliding windows were selected for the basement windows. Their efficiency, in combination with their darkly-toned Brown frame color, mated perfectly with the needs of the job.
- Manufacturers:
- Loewen,
- Pella
- Product Series:
- Loewen Aluminum-Clad,
- Pella Impervia
