We are not ashamed to take advantage of guests by putting them to work, so after a long night of campfire frivolity the Saturday before last, we were up early Sunday morning and quickly involved in cooking breakfast and cutting a giant hole in the house so we could install a new kitchen window while we had lots of hands to help.
This is the view of the old window in the short wall of the kitchen. Remember how small it was for the "after" photo further down the page. So exciting!
The small square window was removed, and the hole was made almost three times as big. Brandon doesn't even hesitate to cut holes in this house now. I remember when we first installed the door, and it seemed like such a huge deal that we were using a saw and just cutting into the side of the house. I didn't even know you could do that! Now look at us, just cutting holes as easy a pie. Well, it might not be as easy as pie, but because Brandon and Dan did all the work, and I just took frequent breaks from cooking and lounging, it seemed like a piece of cake!
Even without the window installed, the hole in the wall really brightened up the room. This big window is above where the kitchen sink will be, and faces east with a view of the campfire ring and the apple tree, as well as the forest along the little stream. I planted a peach tree and a cherry tree near by too, so I should have a lovely view while I wash dishes. Maybe I will actually wash dishes when I get to look out this window when I wash? Maybe.
The window is actually a door. It's a door I found at the Habitat for Humanity store priced at twenty-five dollars. It has double pane glass, so hopefully it will hold heat well. A brand new window this size was more than seven hundred dollars, so we really saved a bundle by converting this door to a window.
The guys had to do some alterations to the door by cutting some of the wood off, and create a frame so it could be installed like a window. Brandon got to use his planer to get the perfect fit, and they managed to hang it level and everything!
It was very heavy, but with Brandon, Dan, and Jamie on the inside, and mom and dad on the outside, and me taking pictures, we were able to lift it into place and make adjustments to get it to fit. Thank goodness I was there, right?
In this photo you can see how the window looks on the side of the house. Design wise, from the outside, and from a distance, I think it looks a little too close to the roof on the right side to be visually balanced, but it had to be in that location to work with the room. I do like that it's similar in size to the vertical window in the bedroom wall to the left. The kitchen window project has been one that I have been looking forward to for a long time, so this was very exciting to me, and so much more fun because our friends and family were involved to make it happen. I really like that this house will be full of stories. Each project has a memory, and the kitchen window will have the memory of our first party and the morning after work crew.
Before Brandon was even finished framing it in, I couldn't resist and just had to clean the glass and pretend to wash dishes while admiring my view. See how clean the glass is? So clean I can see every detail of Brandon's scowl as I wash the window while he's trying to get something accomplished. Move out of the way Brandon, I'm trying to enjoy my view!
The window hasn't been caulked or painted yet, but using some left over boards, it was framed in nicely. I don't think it even looks much like a door anymore. Not bad for twenty-five bucks, huh?
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