info@csidewindows.com
(978) 354-5544Black Replacement Windows in a Salem Brick Facade
Brick openings with granite lintels and sills, and a window that had to look like it had always been there. Six over one, black outside, straight into the existing opening.
Project managed by
Alex D., Seaside - 5.0 Google (29 reviews)
- Marvin & Andersen Certified
- Licensed & Insured
- Serving the North Shore since 2014
Salem's older brick houses do not forgive a wrong window. The opening is framed by a granite lintel above and a granite sill below, the proportions were set two hundred years ago, and a white vinyl unit with the wrong grid pattern announces itself from across the street. This one had to disappear into the wall.
The challenge
Brick does not move, so the window has to be right
In a wood framed house you have some room to work with. In a solid brick opening with granite above and below you have exactly the dimensions the mason left, and the new unit either fits or it does not. The sightline matters as much as the size. Get the grid pattern wrong and the house looks like it was re sided by somebody in a hurry, which on a street where every other facade is original is not a small thing.
How Seaside solved it
Six over one, black exterior, measured to the brick
We specified a six over one pattern with the grid in the upper sash only, which is what the period actually used, and a black exterior so the unit reads as a dark opening the way the originals do rather than as a white rectangle. Each opening was measured individually off the brick, because masonry openings from this era vary by an inch between windows on the same wall.
The work
A closer look at the project
The result
From the sidewalk you would not know
That is the whole goal and it is a strange thing to sell, because the better the job the less you see.
One honest note for anyone reading this with a Salem address. The city has four local historic districts and the commission there reviews exterior changes on regulated properties, which means approval comes before anything is ordered, not after. If you are not sure which side of the line your house is on, call us with the address and we will tell you before you spend money.
Ready for a free estimate?
A local Salem team. We measure first and quote the whole job, no pressure.