It’s literally been two months since we first walked into the Home Depot and told them we wanted new windows and doors installed. In that time there have been billing mixups, warehouse delays, ordering screwups, delivery confusion, vacations, bad weather, crooked walls, toxic mold, and family emergencies. Half of the job was finished two weeks ago, but the carpenter had to leave town. So we sat here, feeling incomplete, and staring at the few lonely windows that were still sitting in the garage. But finally, after the carpenter got back into town, and the weather cooperated with us for once, the job was finished yesterday. Now all of our new doors and windows are in place.

Ugly house, pretty windows.

We opted to get rid of the sliding glass doors that we had in the dining room and master bedroom, and go with french doors instead. After 25 years, the sliding doors were impossible to open. And even when you did open them, only one of the panes slid open. So it was impossible to get furniture in the house through that tiny opening. Now with the french doors, there is one side that has a handle and opens easily to walk through, but with just the slide of a little lock, the other side opens as well. So we can fling both the doors wide open and bring whatever furniture we want in and out.

We haven’t been able to go outside from the master bedroom for years.

Not that we ever buy new furniture, but you know. It’s nice to know we could.

In the kitchen we decided to do away with the basic sliding window that had been there forever, and put in a garden window instead. This not only adds a couple of cubic feet to the size of the kitchen (which actually makes a huge difference, believe it or not), but it also gives us plenty of room to put our plants, rather than having them perched precariously on the window sill.

Full sun for the plants.

Plus, now we can actually install a shade in the kitchen window, and not only will we not knock the plants over with it, but they’ll still be getting sun while the kitchen is in the dark! What a country!

It’s so much nicer this way.

So, in all, it’s a pretty exciting time around the Schrantz Ranch. I put up a Flickr photo set showing all the progress all over the house. Check it out. But of course, in the game of renovation dominos you’re never really finished. Now that all the new windows and brand new trim are up, we have caulk smears, bare wood, and nail holes all over the place. So now we need to paint. Great.

But first, the roofers are coming on Friday to put new shingles on the roof. And I know I said that before, but this time I mean it!

Unless it snows!