The Story Behind the Rossmoyne Job
Rossmoyne is one of Glendale’s best-known neighborhoods, and its upper streets climb into the hills above Nibley Park. Up here the houses sit on sloped lots with brush-covered hillsides behind them, and many are single-story ranch homes with brick bases, deep roof overhangs and board-and-batten siding. This home on the 700 block of Cavanagh Rd is a good example of the style.
The house still had its original wood windows, finished with a diamond-pattern grille that gave the front a traditional cottage look. Wood windows of that age need regular scraping and painting to stay sound, and the sashes tend to stick, swell and let air through as the years go on. The owners wanted windows that would perform better and need less care, without tearing into the siding, trim or brick to get there.
That shaped how we did the job. Instead of removing everything down to the rough opening, we used Andersen 100 Series block frame windows sized to fit inside the existing wood frames. The original frames and sills stayed in place and were painted to look new, so the exterior kept its original trim lines, and the interior walls were never opened up. The new units dropped the old diamond grilles for clear glass in dark frames, which gave the house a cleaner, more current face while keeping its ranch character.
The Problem
The home's original wood windows had reached the end of their useful life. Like most wood windows of their era, they needed ongoing maintenance to hold up, and they could not match the energy performance of a modern unit. The owners wanted new windows, but a full tear-out would have meant disturbing the board-and-batten siding, the brick below the windows and the interior finishes around every opening.
The Solution
We specified Andersen 100 Series windows in a block frame configuration, made to fit inside the home's existing wood frames. Our in-house crew removed the old wood sashes, set, shimmed and sealed each new unit in place, and left the original frames and sills intact. The frames and sills were then painted so they look new alongside the new windows. As an authorized Andersen dealer, we ordered the windows directly, and our own licensed crew handled removal, install and finish work, with no subcontractors.
The Result
New Fibrex composite windows across the home, with no damage to the siding, brick or interior walls. The original wood frames and sills now look fresh, the dark window frames stand out cleanly against the white board-and-batten, and the clear glass opens up the view from inside. The owners now have windows that won't need to be scraped and repainted, since Fibrex resists rot and never needs painting.