We Have Windows!

This past Saturday heralded the very first piece of anything (appliance, furniture, etc.) to go into the new house: the wonderful, old combi-fire (wood and gas) cookstove we inherited from dear friends. I was raised with a combi-fire, and I can't wait to use one again! Just imagine padding into the kitchen in the morning in your bathrobe and slippers to start a crackling fire and then setting the pot of oatmeal, cinnamon, and raisins on the back to cook. Heaven! So, my folks and the trusty ol' high-sided trailer (that moved us all up here from Illinois so many years ago) helped us out once again. Then Mom had the job of taking pictures of us for our Christmas letter (Dad's job was to make us smile). Let's hope one of them turns out decently enough!

Then, on Tuesday and Wednesday (yesterday), our 46 windows, 2 swinging patio doors, and 3 exterior doors arrived! The garage is crammed to the gills, and so we started sorting through them yesterday and placing windows at their appropriate spot in either the garage or house as we came to them. Now when we have a spare day or even an extra 45 minutes at the property, we can pop one in! And, of course, we couldn't resist installing one right away.

We ordered all the windows and patio doors prefinished, both inside and out. All the outside colors are the same for both the garage and house, but there are four different finishes for the insides: 'Wheat' for Tom's workshop, the parking area in the garage, and the guest apartment above the garage; 'Cordovan' - a dark stain - for the pub; a natural white for the guest bedroom in the house; and 'Fruitwood' - a warm, rich almost cherry color - for the house. But, point being, you never really know what they're going to look like until you see the finished product. Trying to pick out your ideal finishes from tiny swatches of color in a printed catalog or online is often not truly representative of what it will look like. So, we opened one of the kitchen (Fruitwood) windows, and I'm thrilled with the color! And, the window we chose to first install was the smallest one in Tom's workshop. The 'Wheat' is really nice - a darker, more natural wheat color and not that bright yellow that is so often called 'wheat'.

And, of course, I'm not thrilled with the aluminum trim on the outsides, but I was vetoed (by everyone) when I voted for wood exteriors. Too much upkeep. And, while it's true, I still can't get over the tackiness of anything but wood! Yuck. But, the architectural brickmould we had put on really looks nice, and I do agree that once the siding is on the garage and the cultured stone on the house, the windows will look fantastic. So, no real complaints other than my usual grumpiness. ;)