One of the things I love best about our house is the little eyebrow or “peekaboo” windows upstairs. Hello, cuties.
But one of the things that makes me sad is that they are the only original windows in our house. Before we came along, someone replaced them with cheap vinyl windows (with no screens).
So Lonnie and I weighed all the options and our budgetary restraints and decided new windows would be a good investment. With the help of our contractor, we selected Integrity Wood-Ultrex windows by Marvin.
I’m pretty excited for a few reasons:
>> Aesthetics. My photo stash of the house in the ’30s shows that the original windows had no grids, so our new windows won’t either. I cannot wait to see how this changes the look of our house.
>> Fiberglass outside; wood inside. Because the inside frames are wood, they’ll be painted and look richer than, well, any alternative. That also means they could be stained if you prefer that look. But in my bedroom, I’ll be painting them the same color as the walls and trim, kind of like this image below:
via—originally featured in Chicago Home and Garden
But because the outside frame is fiberglass, they should hold up well in our brutal Idaho climate. Three cheers for durability.
>> Ease in cleaning. I’m going to have to spend a lot of time figuring out all these windows’ tricks because they’re basically contortionists. Because they’re double hung, I can open them from the bottom OR the top. This is so great because I’ll be able to leave open the top part of the upstairs windows without worrying about my twins toppling out.
Also, each sash tilts INTO the house, so I can clean the outside pane without climbing a ladder. See Exhibit A:
>> Efficiency. Considering that I could feel the breeze blowing through our previous window frames, any new window feels like an upgrade. But the Integrity line meets or exceeds Energy Star guidelines, which means we should see a drop in our utility bills.
I know original windows would be fun, but since they aren’t an option, the Integrity line is a good alternative. And of course, they come with screens! Visit Marvin for more information and to start shopping. •
Boulevard West 
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