VINTAGE HOME REPAIR

We refinanced our house to replace virtually all the windows (except the front and back porches). Jeanne Eaton guided us through the process of picking the windows and spent a lot of time explaining our options. We wanted replacement windows that would still have the look of natural wood to match our 1920s era woodwork. We went with Marvin Window inserts to replace our assortment of double-hung windows and storms and combination storms/screens -- 19 windows in all. It was a big job but Jeanne went far beyond what we expected. She stained the interior sides of the windows to match our woodwork. In addition to finishing and installing the windows, she also stripped and stained our windowsills indoors and stripped and painted the outdoor trim around the windows. Most of the work was done during the winter, and the whole project took about 3 months. Jeanne left us daily progress reports to keep us informed. She always did what she said she would do -- or more. She did all the work herself, beautifully and meticulously. A handyman friend of ours couldn't tell the difference between the new windows and the original ones. As the project went on, we came to depend on her advice and skill so we added on: a new front storm door, shades. She steered us to good-quality products. We could not be happier with the work she did. She is also just a fun person to have around. We miss her now.

BASED UPON MY INITIAL PHONE CONVERSATION WITH MARY JO, I THOUGHT THEY WOULD REPAIR SASH CORDS, CRACKED PANES AND REPAIR BROKEN STORMS ON THE DAY OF OUR APPOINTMENT. MARY JO SAID THE COST WOULD BE $45 PER WINDOW, WHICH I UNDERSTOOD TO MEAN THE WINDOW WORK BUT NOT THE STORMS. MARY JO AND TOM CALLED WHEN THEY WERE RUNNING LATE AND WERE PLEASANT AND PERSONABLE. I TOLD THEM THE WORK NEEDED TO BE DONE AS ECONOMICALLY AS POSSIBLE. THEY SHOWED ME WHY SOME OF THE STORMS WOULD BREAK WHEN REMOVED AND SAID THEY WOULDN'T BE REPAIRABLE, THEN GAVE ME A SALES PITCH FOR NEW ONES WITH ESTIMATE OF $250 EACH. THEY SAID HOW DIFFICULT AND EXPENSIVE IT IS TO REPLACE THE BROKEN PANES. DECIDED TO REPAIR SASH CORDS AND UNSTUCK ONE WINDOW. I WAS DISCOURAGED THAT THE WORK WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE DONE AS I THOUGHT, AND WE AGREED THAT WE HAD A MISUNDERSTANDING. I HAVE SINCE REMOVED AND HAD BROKEN STORMS REPAIRED AT A LOCAL HARDWARE SHOP MYSELF. FELT I MAY HAVE BEEN A BIT MISLED FOR A POTENTIAL SALE.

THEY SPECIALIZE IN OLDER WINDOW REPAIR -- GLASS, GLAZING, SASH CORDS. AND DO A FINE, SENSITIVE QUALITY JOB.