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Johnson Residence - Longfellow Neighborhood of Minneapolis
Wade Johnson reached out to Hayes Window Restoration after meticulously restoring much of his 1920s-built bungalow in the Longfellow Neighborhood of south Minneapolis. With a knack for maintaining and reintroducing historic details, his home was a relative time capsule of historic character. There was just one problem: What to do about the windows?
Sash cords were broken and windows were painted shut. Those that weren’t painted shut could only open a few inches. The interior stained finish was tired and sun-beaten. The exterior side of the window sashes had chipping paint and putty falling off into the sill area inside the storm window. Wade knew these windows were a key part of his home’s character. He had already invested in new wood storm windows several years earlier that were made by a local millwork operation. Unfortunately the primary windows still needed attention.
Wade was happy to find Hayes Window Restoration, located right in his neighborhood, to plan and execute a multi-phase window restoration project that, in time, restored all 37 windows of his home.
In consultation with Wade, Hayes Window Restoration formulated a customized plan to restore his windows that aligned with Wade’s priorities, timeline, and budget. The plan resulted in a phased restoration process that kept his original windows out of the landfill, that resulted in restored beauty and character-defining windows for his historic home, and that set his windows up for another 100 years of service.
We thank Wade for his trust in our craftspeople and his commitment to the historic integrity of his home.
"Our window sash restoration project with Hayes Window Restoration was the culmination and crown jewel of a multi-year project to restore our south Minneapolis 1920s bungalow to a very traditional look, improving both its beauty and functionality.
Everyone at Hayes Windows was great to work with, from the installers, shop refinishers, front office personnel, and Joe himself. We love the beauty of the restored windows and how well they function. Some sashes can be lifted or lowered with one finger! Yet they also stay in place when opened. I especially love the look of the original restored hardware. I highly recommend Hayes Windows Restoration for your window repair and restoration needs."
Wade Johnson
Home Owner
Ready to restore your windows?
We are a team who loves old houses and the hard work it takes to restore their original charm. By restoring your original windows, you are maintaining historic character, old growth wood, and you are supporting local craftspeople. Reach out to us to find out how we can help you become a steward of your historic home, and bring new life to your classic windows that will last for lifetimes with the proper maintenance.
McCormick/Drinan Residence - Cathedral Hill Neighborhood of Saint Paul
Zindzi McCormick and Tim Drinan reached out to Hayes Window Restoration as part of a larger renovation to their historic home in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood of Saint Paul. They had been in the home for several years and decided to undertake some renovation updates to make the home work better for their growing family. Along with the decision to update their home came the question: What about their original wood windows?
The windows featured large, tall sashes and unique divided-lite wood divisions of the glass – a key characteristic of Victorian architecture. Despite this character, most of the windows had been painted shut after years of inoperability due to broken sash cords. Paint had flooded into the areas where the sashes needed room to slide in the jambs in order to open, and paint caked the original Victorian hardware. Not only were the windows inoperable, they were drafty. The excess paint was not enough to keep cold air from flowing through cracks between the sash and jambs because no weatherstripping had ever been installed on these windows.
Hayes Window Restoration met with Zindzi and Tim to listen to their priorities for restoring their historic home and offered guidance for the different window restoration options they had available. Since the windows were inoperable, because of the built up layers of paint, and drafty during winter, they opted for full restoration of their double-hung windows.
Hayes Window Restoration scheduled two phases of restoration and worked through the winter on tight deadlines to make sure the project stayed on schedule with the additional renovation work being undertaken at the home. The window restoration project resulted in the emergence of historic details on their window sashes and hardware that had been hidden for decades under layers of paint. They regained the ability to open and close their windows with ease. They now have windows that are tight against drafts because of the permanent spring bronze weatherstripping that was installed.
Zindzi and Tim have values that very much align with our own: to act as stewards of their historic home so that they may enjoy the character today and so that future generations may continue to appreciate these vital features of historic homes. We thank Zindzi and Tim for the opportunity to work with them!
"When we bought our house, the historic elements like the old windows were a huge selling point. We get incredible light through the wavy old glass throughout the house. With broken or missing storms, misaligned sashes, and 100+ years of use, our windows were terribly drafty. We thought we might need to replace some of the windows and weatherize the rest. So, we reached out to Hayes Window Restoration.
When we talked to them, the promise of making the windows "like new" totally blew us away! Hearing about the detailed process in their workshop gave us so much confidence and we were so excited knowing we wouldn't need to replace windows and could instead restore them. We decided to go all in and ended up restoring 2x as many windows as we had originally planned!
The weatherization has been a huge upgrade, and the operation and aesthetics of the windows are truly like new (even the once painted-over brass hardware is sparkling!). We're so happy with the outcome."
Zindzi McCormick and Tim Drinan
Home Owners