Here's a photo back in May of the old windows and back door configuration. The door opened directly into the kitchen and all the windows were original, installed when the home was built in 1989.

 Here's a look at the old master bedroom before the extension.  Notice the size of the chimney in these 2 photos.

 This picture shows the new Pella windows and the new location of the back door to the home. The door now opens into the great room and not the corner area of the kitchen.

 The master bedroom extension has 3 new pella windows.  The chimney has been shortened since we installed a gas burning log fireplace to replace the wood burning one.

 Interior photo showing the new door and window placement.  The corner of the kitchen area is now very functional with under the window seats and storage.  This is also the location of our kitchen nook table which will seat six.

Walking into our home with the new windows is wonderful. I learned the importance of windows when we did a large remodel when living in CA. Our architect wisely informed me it was one of the most important decisions to make.

From a maintenance standpoint, we wanted to eliminate any future exterior wood rot.  My eyes for some reason seem to really hone in on exterior siding decay. Windows in the Cary area are one of the worst culprits.

Glass is a terrible insulator, but a good quality double pane window can make a big difference. Windows need to withstand, rain, sleet, sun etc. Broken seals or foggy windows are a common problem with older windows, especially if they are exposed to significant direct sunlight.

In our new home, I wanted to make sure that the windows were an important part of our space. After looking at several options, the final decision was the Pella Architect Series with wood interior and Endura Clad exterior. The style of window is double hung and the exterior is pre-painted.

 The front door and the back French doors are true divided light windows (solid wood dividers). All of this fits our European cottage look. In the process I made a mistake - instead of ordering a mahogany front door,we ordered one that needs to be painted.

We decided to paint both doors a distictive "French Blue".  We will then give the blue a distressed look by using a tea bag formula. Stay tuned -- this will be fun!

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