Wednesday 9 November 2011

Window saga


Poor R, the young joiner. He has been busy for days on end, opening long-sealed windows in the sitting room, replacing  modern 'brass' fastenings with traditional curly-tailed iron ones,





building a cupboard to hide the gas meter, deepening the windowsill,



 taking out a window that is beyond saving if it is to be draught-free in winter,


and boarding up the void. All under the watchful supervising eye of a small tabby cat.



And trying again and again to hand-build the replacement to fit perfectly, without a router bit being available that could replicate the angles of the glazing bars.

The window went back and forth from the house to the workshop, until eventually the match between the ancient, uneven frame and the new 'light' was satisfactory.



All done. Not much of a view, but definitely an improvement on a sheet of plywood. Thank you, R.

Next major event: choosing the curtains....

14 comments:

Arthur Ransome said...

It looks great. I hope he's pleased with himself after all his hard work. My youngest joiner was an R. too but, luckily for me, he didn't have to tackle anything as painstaking as your new window. There's definite progress at old Tobias C.

rogern said...

the devil is in the detail. those spirally fittings are lovely. I used to have those in my bedroom when i was a teenager. looks like young R has done a very good job.

Noelle the dreamer said...

Job well done R! Things are working out Rachel!
Hang in there!

John said...

I thought Lottie was the Building Inspector.

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

I love window seats and wish I had one to curl up on and read. Your windows are lovely and R is a great craftsman.

Maggie Christie said...

Oh well done R! What a good job done. I could use an R here too.

Anonymous said...

I've been hesitating all week about emailing to ask how things are going - just in case they decidedly weren't! So I'm glad to see the finished window (as is Malcolm!). Hopefully your next post will be of a beautiful, sumptious, elegant bathroom!!

the veg artist said...

Now, I vaguely remember you buying a sewing machine!

flwrjane said...

I don't believe that level of craftsmanship would be possible in the states.

Your attention to detail is inspiring, as is R's.

You are going o have a snug winter.

xo Jane

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Sometimes only a perfectionist will do ! It's an excellent match .

Marcheline said...

If I may say so, the joiner looks a bit like dessert. Why not ask him in for some tea? 8-)

Lins' lleisio said...

Wonderful craftsmanship. Beautiful windows. Just quite envious.

jabblog said...

Lovely deep window sill and the replacement fastenings are a definite improvement.

Ginnie said...

It looks beautiful! Aren't you lucky to find dedicated craftspeople that work hard to get it right.

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