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working windows for Rosedale


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There are many things I like about the Rosedale, but the windows are not one of them. They don't work, and they look chintzy to me, with the painted on sashes and leading.

I don't want to use prefab windows because they require 1/2" walls. I could pad the 1/8" Rosedale walls with foam core board, but then I lose floor space, and space is already tight. Also, the windows are odd sizes and have that nice arched top - hard to find prefab windows that fit.

I've been thinking about ways I can make my own custom working windows and I have some ideas, but it's hard to know for sure if it will work before trying it. Has anyone else here made their own custom working windows for the Rosedale? If so, how did you do it?

Or maybe someone here has replaced the Rosedale windows with prefab working windows? What kind did you use? How did you get them to fit?

Thanks in advance!

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Here is a link to tutorials about making your own windows. It's quite detailed about many different styles so you'll have to sift through until you find the type you prefer to build. The site itself, has many, many other wonderful tutorials on all kinds of miniature building.

It really isn't that hard to make your own. It's just time consuming, but, in your case, no doubt, worth it for the custom look you are trying to achieve.

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Here is another link to building windows. The beginning of the tutorial is basic building info for windows in general and concludes with a non-working window in that section. If you scroll down further, she does another section on working windows. You can customize her info to suit your own tastes.

Here is another link to creating stained glass windows that look more "real".

Good luck and be sure to post pictures of what you end up doing. You know we are eye-candy junkies.

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How are you finishing the outside of your Rosedale? If you're adding siding, brick, etc. that would build up the depth of the wood enough to use pre-fab windows. But you would have to enlarge the holes and aren't going to find something with the same aesthetic as the Rosedale's windows, so probably not the best choice.

On my Rosedale I replaced the inserts with plain plastic, which would take care of your concerns about the silkscreening on the plastic.

If you want to keep the same frames that come with the Rosedale, then my idea is to make an upper and lower pane that fit within those window frames, and pin hinge the lower one so it opens into the house. If you do this you don't need two window tracks like you do with a window that slides up and down to open (two tracks might make the window too thick for the walls), and I think a window that opens in like that would provide some neat visual interest. I've seen some windows like that in old apartments in San Francisco.

Not sure if I'm describing it well, but basically what I'm envisioning would be like the Houseworks casement window if you spun the window 90-degrees. Your upper pane would include the arched part and it could be fixed. Your lower pane would be pin hinged at the bottom and open inward into the house.

Just a thought!

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Emily, that's how I plan to make Washington's windows. I made a working single-pane casement bedroom window when I rehabbed the Laurel.

...make an upper and lower pane that fit within those window frames, and pin hinge the lower one so it opens into the house....like the Houseworks casement window if you spun the window 90-degrees...

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If you want to keep the same frames that come with the Rosedale, then my idea is to make an upper and lower pane that fit within those window frames, and pin hinge the lower one so it opens into the house. If you do this you don't need two window tracks like you do with a window that slides up and down to open (two tracks might make the window too thick for the walls), and I think a window that opens in like that would provide some neat visual interest. I've seen some windows like that in old apartments in San Francisco.

Not sure if I'm describing it well, but basically what I'm envisioning would be like the Houseworks casement window if you spun the window 90-degrees. Your upper pane would include the arched part and it could be fixed. Your lower pane would be pin hinged at the bottom and open inward into the house.

That's basically what I'm planning, except the windows will open outward, not inward. I have very old casement windows in my apartment. The building was built in 1886 (same era as the Rosedale design), and casement windows (which always open out) were typical then. I looked at pictures of fullsize arched windows and saw that the arch part is generally fixed. I might make a stained glass design there - not sure yet. I'll have double doors like the Houseworks version, since that, too, is typical for casement windows (except for the oval ones - those won't be divided).

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Hi again!

Sorry for the slow response. This foot surgery is really slowing me down.

Anyway, I've read ALL the links people posted (THANKS!!), figured out a design that should work, and ordered the materials I'll need. I'm going to make working casement windows that use the existing window holes in the Rosedale as the frame. I wanted to leave the existing window holes just as they are because the shape and proportions are nice, design-wise, and because then I can use the trim that came with the kit - saves work.

The 5 arched windows will be two-pane casement windows that include the arch. The oval window will be a one-pane casement window. The separated arch above the door will be stained glass with real lead between the colors (using the idea from the link Selkie posted, but a different type of glass stain).

I need a zillion hinges for all those casement windows. Pin hinges would have been easier (and cheaper), but then I couldn't have used the existing window holes and trim as the frame. Happily, I found a seller from China on eBay that was selling hinges for cheap. The only catch is, I have to wait 2-3 weeks for them.

Also on eBay, I found a WORKING 1:12 scale door knob!! Silly, I realize, but I just LOVE working miniatures! The seller was asking an absurd price for it, but accepted my "best offer".

When all the various materials I ordered get here (bass strip wood, lexan sheet for the glazing, hinges, etc.), I'll start on the windows. I can upload pictures of my progress to my blog, if people are interested.

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I used 1/4" stripwood to make frames to fit the window holes in the Washington 2.0, since the window trim from the kit will stick out a little bit (smoothing the rough plywood edges with a bit of spackle and painting it all to match will make it look good). Then I made frames for the fixed upper panes and the hinged lower panes that I shall pinhinge, similar to the way I pinhinged the doors.

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I used 1/4" stripwood to make frames to fit the window holes in the Washington 2.0, since the window trim from the kit will stick out a little bit (smoothing the rough plywood edges with a bit of spackle and painting it all to match will make it look good). Then I made frames for the fixed upper panes and the hinged lower panes that I shall pinhinge, similar to the way I pinhinged the doors.

That's clever. Basically you made the trim a little thicker, using spackle to cover the join. It also makes the windows slightly smaller (by the amount the trim is made larger). How thick is your frame?

I'm going to make a surround for the glazing using strip wood (which can be bent into a curve when wet - the Rosedale windows are arched), then hinge that directly into the window opening - no frame. There's enough thickness for this because of the trim. I tested it out using shingles from the kit as pane stand-ins, and it looks very natural. Plus it lets me keep the original window openings at full size.

This is all theory, of course. I'll let you know how it works in practice when the materials arrive. :D

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Do you have any pictures? I have a very hard time visualizing. I had to make a model of my design out of cardboard to be able to see how it could work.

I'll post pictures of what I'm doing as soon as I have the materials to start doing it. Can't wait!

(My foot is killing me today - don't know why. I'm typing this from bed. I took two Percoset, but I can't even tell I took it. Still hurts.)

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Do you have any pictures? I have a very hard time visualizing. I had to make a model of my design out of cardboard to be able to see how it could work...

No pictures of the process. The cardboard model is an excellent idea. I woke up one AM with an image in my head of how to do it, went out to the sho and began tracing onto 1/4" graph paper and then measured and cut and glued; the traced, measured, cut and glued some more. Once I have inserted and clipped the pins and glued the windows into their openings I'll feel a lot better about them.

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I hope you will post pictures of your windows.

I love the Rosedale kit and plan to build this house again one day (half scale of course). :)

Working windows would be a lot of fun to have.

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I'll try to remember to take pictures of the windows during construction. When I finish the roll and can get the film burned onto a CD I shall see if I remember how to load them into an album.

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  • 1 year later...

4 foot surgeries later (ugh), I'm back! Unfortunately, my plan for working windows on the Rosedale does not seem do-able. I'm about ready to give up and just replace the plastic that came with the kit with clear plastic (which I've already ordered), but it's very disappointing. When I read through this thread (started before I became temporarily crippled), I felt some renewed hope. Maybe there is a way to do this - I just haven't figured it out yet.

 

Here's where I am with this... I put the outside trim on the windows before fully understanding what a problem the windows would be, but I have not yet put trim on the inside. I bought some polycarbonate sheeting and used u-cut wood to surround it (creating the sash, I guess you'd call it). I soaked the wood in order to bend it around the glazing. It's extremely time consuming, and doesn't look that good because the wood buckles a little as it's bent. Also, the glazing I bought was too thick and the u-cut wood too thin so no hinges of any kind (conventional or pin) can be attached, plus it's virtually impossible to create the sash except by gluing it to the glazing, which is not desirable. I possibly could create a cloth hinge and glue it on either side, but it wouldn't be strong, and it would take forever to get in the correct spot. If the sash looked better it might be worth the trouble, but it doesn't look that great.

 

Does anyone have pictures of the solutions they described in this thread? I have trouble picturing exactly what's being described.

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Here are some pictures of the glazing with u-cut molding around it - first the two panes sitting on the work pad, then stuck into the dollhouse but not hinged. The problem is that the molding is very thin, but I think I may be able to get this to work by making a narrow frame and either gluing brass hinges or using cloth hinges. The piece I was forgetting before was the frame. I may have to trim the glazing a little more to make room.

 

The curved top of the window makes this many times harder. If the window were rectangular, no problem. Even making a frame will be difficult because of the arch.

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What if you think of the window as two sections - the curved piece up top and the rectangle under it. Make the curved part fixed, and then do the rectangular part like a casement window that swings open. That way you can probably figure out a way to use the original window trim, or at least the curved part.

 

You could even put leaded glass or stained glass in the fixed, curved part of the window if you want to be fancy, or use the Rosedale's original acetate for that portion so it looks like the window has mullions.

 

Here's an apartment building I used to live in: https://www.google.com/maps/@37.777398,-122.470477,3a,75y,273.9h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sE9x9WU-K1m0gz60wk_1Itg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 (the green building)

 

You can see how the windows have a decorative area at the top, and then the casement window is underneath. The top floor with the arched windows, that's what I'm envisioning you could do for the Rosedale.

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