Don't stand under the window when the cat jumps on!
Lloyd Alter
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This is my third post about how I built my cabin to be as low-impact as possible, and today I want to talk about windows. Being a seasonal cabin, I did not have to worry about double glazing, and was able to get a stack of big, lovely windows from a renovation at my sister's house. Normally, windows come with frames that are set in place with shims for adjustment, and then casings to cover the gap between the frames and the house framing, which is usually not done to the precision necessary for a window to open and close properly. These windows did not come with frames as they were part of a sunroom, and not many of them originally opened.
Fortunately I was working with a very talented carpenter, who framed the walls around the window dimensions, eliminating the need for window frames.It is not something that as an architect I would normally recommend as studs can warp, but I have been lucky so far. All the windows are hinged at the top; otherwise they would have been a real problem in an 11 foot wide room- they are big windows!
I developed a system of pulleys and lines to pull the window up, and another pully to pull the line in when the window is down so one doesn't get strangled walking by.It is disconcerting when the cat leaps on top of the window, but other than that, it is an inexpensive way of making old windows work in new ways to maximize light and air.
Previously in this series:
On Building a Cabin in the Woods
On Building a Cabin in the Woods: Go Recycled
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