18 May 2014

Out of jail

When I look at the photos of the old window that I posted yesterday (scroll down), I get the impression that we were once in jail but now we are free. No more bars block our view. Somehow, the living room feels a lot bigger now.

Above: the view from the living room when I got up at six this morning


Right: before the curtains went back up yesterday afternoon


Left: the window seen from out on the terrace

Above: the front of the house with the new window (compare this "before" view)


Left: pendant les travaux


Right: the old windows being removed

And finally, above: a flash picture from this morning

34 comments:

  1. Pour le coup d'œil, je préférais avant, mais pour la commodité l'après n'est pas mal du tout.

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  2. Wow, it looks definitely better. Congratulations.

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  3. Looks much better...
    and you'll feel the benefit.
    Also, if you pull back the curtains in the early morning...
    that low sun will warm the room up quite quickly.
    There is a difference in this room of five degrees Centipede....
    between a dull morning and a sunny one....
    and we've got a good third less than you exposed to the light.

    But perhaps, more important....
    how have Callie...
    and to a lesser extent Bertie...
    reacted??

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    1. Callie is fine with the new sliding door, but this morning Bertie came up on the terrace and waited for me to let him in. When I slid the door back, he looked at me carefully to make sure that it was really me and that he was in the right place. Cats don't like change.

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  4. I love it !!! Et moins de temps pour faire les... carreaux ;-)
    Bises à vous deux !

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    1. Oui, Marie, ceux qui disent qu'ils préfèrent l'ancien style n'ont jamais eu à laver tous ces petits carreaux. Nous on est ravis de ne plus l'avoir à faire. Et puis c'est vrai que la pièce paraît plus grande maintenant. Bises...

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    2. Oui...
      you can't use one of those new Karcher house window cleaners on those "petits carreaux"...
      and you've got all that white paint, too, so no using newsprint either!!

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  5. Bonjour Ken

    Can the panels for locking and unlocking be tilted to let air in instead of opening then wide open? They look great and make the room look big.

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    1. Oopsy just read Walt's blog. They are sliding doors and don't open in or out. My mistake :-)

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  6. Wow. It looks great ! It really does open up the room. BTW, what are you going to do with the old doors? I'd love to have them if they're headed for the déchetterie !

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    1. Sorry Stuart, but the window contractor already hauled the old window panels away. I don't know if he wanted them or just planned to haul them to the déchetterie. Wish I had known you could use them.

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    2. OK. No problem. Thanks.

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  7. "Wow" is definitely the word!

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  8. Et la maison fait plus moderne... Bravo !

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    1. Marie, nous avons l'impression de vivre dans un "tree house" — quelle serait l'expression équivalente en français ? L'ancienne propriétaire appelait cet endroit "un havre de paix dans un océan de verdure".

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  9. Wonder who will be first to get a good "boink" walking
    into that clear glass. Might be Callie.

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    1. Our late dog, Collette, did that at least once, back in California. Callie isn't used to running at full speed in that direction, so I'd be surprised...

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  10. A great new look! I love the dappled sun on the floor. You'll see more of that. And of everything else.

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  11. YES! I detest the "bars on windows" look; I am not in prison, I want an open, airy feel. your home is a cozy place; I like all the pix!

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  12. Awesome! They look great.

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    1. Thanks Tom, we are pretty happy now and expect to enjoy the light and easy outdoor acces this summer as well as the added warmth of the new double-glazed window next winter. It's all positive, I think.

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  13. Wow! So much light. So much open feel. Mid-century modern, we have arrived! And, are those real, usable, folded-back shutters that I see on the side? I'm sure you've mentioned them before, but I'm not used to realllll shutters that close. Did you ever use them much?

    Happy for you two!

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    1. Judy, we used to close those shutters often, especially in winter when it gets dark early and we spent evening time downstairs. Since 2010 we spend evenings up in the loft, where we don't need shutters for privacy. We almost never close the big terrace shutters any more. It's too bad, in a way, because we are no longer near the wood-burning stove when the weather's cold. But having the loft space is great.

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  14. I can see the advantage in the new look. How many fewer corners of windows to clean (always the most tedious bit)?!

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  15. That's pretty! Very bright now. Funny, where we live the trend is the opposite. People are switching out their sliding glass doors for the "french" doors. We haven't done it for the reason that the doors would have to open into the house, as you mentioned. We put a pretty little sticker at eye level after several people walked into them when they were closed.

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  16. Definitely a more modern look. More light, less cleaning time. I, however, really do prefer the divided light look When I had it, my dividers were removable (less expensive) so cleaning was not an issue. I really love the cottage look for myself. The higher efficiency rating for insulation, though, would be a big deal for me; warmth is getting more important as I age... ( darn it all! )

    Mary in OR

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  17. so much nicer without the bars, yes

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  18. Looks fabulous Ken. And will be much more practical as well. Great change! Sue

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  19. The new sliders really open up the view to your beautiful backyard. Great choice!

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  20. I love the look of the new wall of glass! I find the old look very charming, but losing all that wood really opens up the room and brings in so much more light. We had that look once and I hated that my eye was always distracted by the trim. Enjoy it!

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  21. Quality-of- life changer; beautiful and efficient. You will see and appreciate the new doors every day!

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