Heritage Style Restoration 37

Changing a sash cord in a double-hung window.

Double-hung windows with sash cords are part and parcel of pre-federation homes. Federation homes and Californian bungalows usually have a mix of casement windows and double -hung windows.

Well,  I have avoided changing the sash cord for twenty-five years, but with the shower renovation,  I have decided to get the little double-hung window in the bathroom of this house that was built circa 1917 in full working order. Climate change seems to be increasing the occurrence of mould. The bathroom needs some airflow with an opened window.

Remove and try to salvage the internal window stops otherwise you pay to get some made to match in western red cedar. I knew the sashes had in been painted a few times in place and partly gap-filled so I carefully cut the paint etc to separate the sashes from the beads and the window frame. Cut the sash cord if it is still there and remove the internal bottom sash. Remove the parting bead separating the internal bottom sash from the external upper sash. I knew the parting bead was already in sections and not in one length, so I made some new parting beads some days earlier from offcuts of western red cedar I had in stock at approximately 9 mm by 30 mm by 1500 mm. Western red cedar is expensive to purchase so instead of throwing remaining off-cuts into a skip for landfill, I have salvaged some over the years and saw-cut, planed and fashioned as needed. Sure enough, the parting bead was removed in pieces. Next, remove the trap block to remove the weights and cut ropes.  Next,  remove the external upper sash. Be careful when removing window sashes so as not to break the glass. Remember or record the position of the weights because the two different sashes have four appropriately weighted weights.

In the 1970s my Italian father became a builder painter decorator and then someone asked him to change the sash cords of a window. I was there and we had a lot of trouble feeding the sash cords down the gap between the window frame and brickwork. Anyway,  we asked another Maltese tradesman as to how to best do that work and the answer was send a mouse down the hole. What is that supposed to mean? The answer was tie a weight to a bit of string or ribbon then in turn tie it to the sash cord, then send it all down the gap. Once the sash cords are fixed onto the edges of the sashes and work correctly start replacing the blocks, parting beads and stop beads.

Como Building P/L, Michael Como provides in SYDNEY, an NSW Building Regulations Consultancy service that comprises, Interpretation of NSW legislation relevant to the construction of Class 1 and 10; Issuing: Complying Development Certificates (CDC), Construction Certificates (CC) [after a local council has approved a development], Occupation certificates (OC), Compliance Certificates, NCC Building Code Australia Reports. Engagement for the certification work is on a contract basis.

Also, a pre-purchase property inspection or building inspection by Michael Como may empower you with knowledge about the condition of a property currently or before you buy it and help you avoid future problems and unexpected costs. However, this service can only be conducted if the insurer is on-side, and currently, they are not and as a result, we do not conduct it.

Michael Como is Your Custom Home Builder in Sydney with over 46 years of construction experience, a Master Craftsman sharing innovative Restoration/renovation Ideas. Licensed since 1988. At this stage, I will only carry out building work at a contracted agreed hourly rate.

Let your imagination soar as you enjoy Building Green Homes or Straw houses or Hemp Homes or Heritage Style Restoration or Bathroom renovations or UHR or Digital twin or Sealing…. Etc.

 

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