I made a trip to the window store, and spoke with a nice guy there named David, and we worked out all the details. Long story short, the window style currently in the home (long-pane 3-over-1) is not in the styles available to us, so we had to choose from 4-over-1, 6-over-1, or a style I have seen along the way that I like called Prairie (which despite its name, has a sort of Craftsman/bungalow/Frank Lloyd Wright feel to it). This project is not a restoration, it’s a renovation, but we are trying to keep some stylistic features that go with a 1920s bungalow. To which I said, “How did you order windows? We never picked a style.” He quickly got on the phone and put a hold on the order with Windows Incorporated, and then apologized for assuming that we would want the windows he typically uses. In the course of conversation, Roger mentioned something about the windows he had ordered. Thursday, for some reason, I felt compelled to stop by the house. We have been waiting for Roger, the contractor, to ask us about various style decisions - everything from windows to cabinetry to tile - but to this point, we haven’t made any definite choices, and he hadn’t asked us for any. This week, we almost learned a lesson the hard way about how to work with a contractor. And the more I look at them, and the more I look at the budget, the more I like them! I don’t know about anybody else, but for a $700 difference to have colored window frames, I am pretty darn OK with the choice. And all in all, I think the most important thing about windows is that you can seen through them, and during Greenville’s beautiful springs and falls, you can open them. To change to wood frames or some other window styles literally would have cost thousands more. I hate word problems, but I think that adds up to at least $680 more. There are more than 16 windows in the house. Just to get the light-brown window frames/grids I originally wanted, as opposed to white, would have cost at least $40 per window more. But this whole project will be a series of choices and compromises - trying to do the best you can on a limited budget sometimes means tolerating something that wouldn’t have been your first choice. I am hoping once they are installed, Eric won’t dislike them so much. I was disappointed, and feel guilty because the choice was mostly mine. Unfortunately, when I showed Eric the picture of the windows today, he did not like what he saw and said it still made him feel like he is behind bars. And I wanted something that would at least slightly reflect the bungalow style. Eric hates windows that make him feel like he’s in jail. I decided that rather than 6-over-1 or 4-over-1, we’d go with prairie style, since at least it has some long, narrow shape to the grid work. I wanted something that would not be the usual multi-pane grid that seems dated, and something that would blend with the various 1920s and 30s style windows in the neighborhood. When they are hung, I think they will look great.We couldn’t get colored frames and grids, because it would have made it much more expensive, so we got basic white. The windows look even more grid-covered stacked against each other.
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