The windows at Gadsden House are a mess being over 200 years old and pretty neglected for most of that period.  The climate in Charleston is not gentle to wood.  Repair techniques and the concept of restoring them at all have moved on since they were last given attention some 50 years ago perhaps, so now it’s time for a fresh look on what our options are.

We have around 50 large windows to deal with at the Gadsden House. Most are of a pretty standard 12 pane sash design of 6 panes per sash with the thin Lambs tongue glazing bars of the period. To the untrained eye they look like any other Charleston window, so what’s wrong with them? 

• The sashes are rotten on some corners, glazing is loose and cracked
• The counterweight cords or chain are often broken or missing
• The glazing bars are broken at many joints and frames are caked in layers of paint
• The sills are badly rotten and letting in water 
• They no longer fit and the weather stripping is useless.
• We have insect damage, though minimal in this case, as they used heartwood

Apart from that they are in good shape!
As one of the leading companies in the city specializing in historic restoration, even with a large skilled workforce, often that is not enough.  We can repair most things but sashes themselves are beyond our capabilities so we turn to a trusted expert who specializes in challenges such as these.

Enter Dave Dick and his team at www.thewaysofwood.com. Dave knows wood, specifically old wood and in his work tries to preserve what is good and replace only what is necessary.  He and his team are true craftsmen and experts in their field. They have removed all the sashes and taken them off site to a controlled indoor environment. They then removed the 200 year old cylinder glass for safe keeping and steamed off all the old glazing and paint.  The rot was then more obviously identified and replaced.  Worn sides were reduced and new wood bonded in.  Broken joints were reinforced with new hardwood and the whole assembly made ready for repainting and glazing anew.   His team really have done a superb job and those windows will sustain long toward the end of this century.

Thought – with modern air conditioning and its pre-determined air exchange, it is not necessary to have every window provide functional opening.  A more secure seal and better protection is gained by restoring function only to those needed for exit, or access to the Piazza, and sealing the remainder against the elements.