Custom historic windows

Kolbe's focus on craftsmanship and attention to detail means our products are ideal for historical replication projects. Our products are designed to provide traditional design aesthetics, ease of operation and optimal energy efficiency.

There are numerous options to further restore the beauty of your project, including custom wood species, historical casing, and numerous divided lite possibilities. Kolbe's Old World Classic double hung is the perfect window for historic renovation. A brass pulley system, complete with solid brass chains and alloyed weights, allows this unit to operate with incredible ease, due to the proportionate balance between the sash and weights.

These units are custom-built for each project and are available in numerous wood species. The Ogee direct set was designed with the same traditional details that adorned commercial storefronts of the past, but with all the latest technology to make it perfect for today's restoration projects. The ogee profile is integrated directly into the heavy-duty extruded aluminum frame — adding a new dimension to a window that is built with great strength.

Kolbe's Sterling double hung is designed with traditional aesthetics and ease of operation in mind. The jambliners and block-and-tackle balances that help the window operate are completely concealed, providing a smooth interior and exterior appearance. The following are typical muntin profiles on the east coast of North America, which we are able to duplicate:.

Credit for this research: James Garvin. Window Options that are available:. Counterbalance systems: sash ropes and weights, sash chains and weights, tape balances. Glass: laminated glass slightly higher R-value single strength regular, double strength regular, hand blown glass new , hand blown antique.

Casings: We can provide our windows with exterior casings of any profile. Wood Windows Historic windows are our passion; we specialize in making replicas, or restoring originals. Please contact us if we can help. With the renewed interest in restoration and quality, historic window replication is becoming more popular.

The following are typical muntin profiles on the east coast of North America, which we are able to duplicate: Credit for this research: James Garvin We provide windows made from mahogany, sapele, walnut, or equivalent rot resistant wood. A major drawback of wood replacement windows occurs when you want to use insulated glass in replicas of Early American windows that were lightly made with thin muntins.

Insulated glass units usually require a muntin as wide as 1 in. This wide muntin detracts from the Early American look. Aluminum replacement windows are available in a wide range of price and product quality. At the high end, custom aluminum windows have been used in many historic restoration projects to the satisfaction of design review boards. At the low end, stock aluminum windows depend on sheet aluminum panning to bridge over size variations. Often, this panning bears little resemblance to the original wood frame and brickmold—with unfortunate visual consequences.

Vinyl windows are strong, lightweight, rot resistant and never in need of painting. And vinyl units are available for no tear-out applications, meaning they can be installed in existing frames after the stops have been removed.

And vinyl windows are fairly energy efficient. However, a number of factors make vinyl of limited value for landmark applications. Vinyl windows rarely match the visual characteristics of historic windows; colors are limited; units are difficult—or impossible—to repair and long-term durability is a major question mark.

Steel window restoration by Seekircher Steel Windows. Steel windows are found in historic buildings beginning around However, steel replacement windows are only appropriate where the originals were steel.

A number of metal window companies can supply steel windows that are very close replicas to historic originals. In a few instances, aluminum windows are now being used to replicate steel windows; it's easier to duplicate a steel window in aluminum than replicating a wood window. In many situations, the wood frames are in better shape than the sash. In these cases, replacement window inserts should be considered rather than full tear-out of both sash and frame.

With window inserts, just the old sash and stops are removed, and new sash installed. They give the divided light look of authentic window panes without actually having divided panes.

The final touch is authentic hardware that is available in finishes that match your existing hardware. Each window is built to order to in the sizes needed for historic homes. Owners of historic homes do not need to sacrifice the conveniences of modern windows. Replacing your windows with historically accurate new windows will give you the look of an old window with new features like double or triple pane glass, Low-E coatings, and features that will help protect your wood like EnduraGuard and EnduraClad.

These features help you get the most energy efficiency out of your brand new windows. When you own a historic home, choosing the right replacement windows can be a challenge. Find out all your options for replacement windows for historic homes at your local showroom , where you can get advice on whether to repair or replace your windows and find gorgeous, vintage style replacement windows that will maintain the historic integrity of your home.

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