Finally New Windows

Forty-five years ago, as the school year began with the grand-opening of of the Ohel Shiloh Elementary School, we moved to Shiloh. Our first home was a prefabricated cement structure in a new rather isolated neighborhood, on a mountain overlooking ancient Shiloh and a lower hill where the more veteran Shiloh residents were just about to build their first permanent homes.

We first lived in the center/western side of the neighborhood, but when the time came to choose where/what would be our permanent home, I fell in love with an empty lot on the eastern side. I dreamt of living in a custom-designed well insulated home with passive solar heating. Seeing the earliest rays of the sun would heat our home for the day. We needed large windows, and to keep the temperature comfortable we had to get double frames, wooden on the inside and aluminum on the outside. We'd have the best of available in Israel in the early-mid 1980s. Our contractor and architect did their best to accommodate. In those days there weren't double/dual panes, at least not here.

In the summer, we'd open the windows to let in the cooler air. The really hot summer sun came later in the day reaching the sides of the house with smaller windows... and also the roof. The biggest and only real problem with those windows was that the two window contractors were fully in touch. The shapes matched will enough to open, but the two frames weren't hermetically sealed, so all sorts of strange things happened in the space between them. And "good news/bad news" properly cleaning the glass was impossible. I took it as a "gift," since that meant that one chore could be ignored.

But after forty 40 years opening and closing got harder, and the screens had aged worse than me. A few years earlier we had replaced the deteriorating wooden door to our merpeset/terrace with a high quality one from HiTech Windows, and that simple door got me thinking. It added to the level of insulation... maybe the time had come... to also change the three livingroom windows. 

I bit the bullet early summer and entered their enormous factory in Shaar Binyamin to discuss it with Chaim Briskin, the owner. He sent one of the workers to my house to measure the window --to the millimeter-- and explain what window design they'd recommend. I agreed and ordered. They promised that they'd install the new ones efficiently, not leaving us with empty frames overnight. 

Late last week the news windows and the skilled crew arrived, davka, earlier than I had expected. They quickly took out the three, no six, window frames to be exact, cleaned up the mess and asked me if I wanted the new frames further in or out. I requested as far out as possible to give me a nice deep windowsill. 

They worked quickly and pleasantly. Just after noontime the job was done. I love the new windows, inside and out. Yes, it's all so bright, with clean glass and "invisible" screens. The wire is so fine that you have to look closely to see it. 

The reflection is slightly unclear because of the double glazing. Yes, instead of two totally separate frames, now the glass is double with a bit of air in-between.

To be very honest, for the longest time I wondered if we should invest in something for the house, since we're not young and have a very limited monthly "income." On one hand, I still hope that when the house has to be sold, these gorgeous windows will add to the value of the house, but I've been told that nowadays when people buy homes, they replace EVERYTHING no matter how new and useful it is.

You're probably curious about if I think I made a mistake. I didn't. I'm not looking forward to adding window-washing to my chore list, but I'm glad I finally got these new wonderful windows.

Our New High Tech Door, Worth The Money

When we renovated our kitchen last summer, we also decided to change the door going to the mirpeset, balcony/terrace.

It was wood with a glass window, and after over thirty years being exposed to the worst of the wind, rain and strong sun, the time had come to replace it. Draughts and rain snuck through, and if I tried to clean the window panes, it was clear that they were very loose.

A few years ago, when I had first been concerned that the lower section was about to separate forever, my son-in-law insisted he could fix/replace that part. That repair didn't solve all the problems, just one. But when the door became so warped that the lock mechanism was misaligned, and keys broke, I lost all patience with it.

The time had arrived to get a new door, something that would upgrade our home. My daughter highly recommended in internal blind, inside the double panes of special insulating glass. Considering how much we were spending on the kitchen, I didn't think it was wise to go "cheap" on the door.

For years I'd been drooling over a door of new, modern materials, neither wood nor aluminum. I wanted top notch insulation. It has always been important to me. I had planned and built the house according to the principles of passive solar heating, and it is as well insulated as was possible to build at that time.

Basically, we had a choice between ordering from an American company via a friend of ours, who is their agent here, or buying from a more local company headquartered in nearby Sha'ar Binyamin. And we know the owners of that company, also. The deciding point was that the American company didn't have a possibility for internal blinds. So, I called Chaim Briskin of Hi-Tech Windows in Sha'ar Binyamin, 02-656-5575, email info@pvcwindows.co.il.

I chose what I wanted when visiting their showroom factory, and then later on, they came to my house to measure and take a look at the doorway. Not only did we get a door with a large glass window that has the inner blinds, but we also ordered a simple screen door. By having a screen door, we figured that we can save money in the summer, especially in the evenings, by being able to keep the door open and the screen closed. That way we wouldn't need to use the airconditioner for cooling all that much.


Since the door didn't arrive until the weather had cooled, we can't say how much it will help in the summer. But we're overjoyed at how the door is increasing our winter quality of life. No longer are we suffering from the cold draughts that had plagued our dining area.

It's also a great savings in heating costs. The heater goes off frequently, since heat isn't being lost. During the previous winter, the heater never seemed to go off.

When we built the house, custom designed and built, we ordered double windows. The inner window frames are wood, and the outer ones are aluminum. The planning was rather primitive by today's standards, but despite the numerous imperfections cold stays out.

I firmly believe that it's worth investing in the best possible insulated doors and windows, and today you can get top notch doors and windows from Hi-Tech Windows. I recommend them for all of your window and door needs. You'll save on heating and cooling, especially if you don't skimp on screens. They work all over the country, not just around here.

Disagreements Re:My Last two 52Frames Shots

This week, as Sunday, which is the deadline, was the last of 2017, the 53rd Sunday of the year, a very unusual occurrence, 52Frame's challenge was "Endings."

For me it was clear that I'd have to photograph our local Shiloh Cemetery. I managed to get down there just as the sun was beginning to set. I had the end of the day and the end of lives all in one package. 

I've been using my smartphone, the Samsung J7 as a camera. It really is better than the cheap camera I bought a few years ago. First I photographed it in black and white, but it looked too stark and cold. Then I tried the sepia, which gave it the warmth and character I had envisioned. The cloudy winter sky added the perfect dose of sadness.

When I consulted with member of a "subgroup" from 52Frames, I was told that the sepia was too yellow. I toned it down and added the vignette, hoping it wouldn't be too kitschy. I, davka, like the look it produced, a bit more sorrow, looking into a tunnel of sad memories, which really is the case. This is a community cemetery and I really did know almost everyone buried in it. There are so many stories...

"Cemetery Sunset"
Sad as I knew most of the people buried here. Their ends came much too soon. 

So far, there have been a nice amount of comments. Most people like the basic photo including the light sepia, while there's a split in opinion about the vignette effect.  What do you think? And why?

The previous week's photo, Black and White Minimalism, also had people either liking or hating one of the elements.

"Window Up High"

I took it in my daughter's house on a wintery day. Even though it was less than two weeks ago, I can't remember if I had photographed it in Black and White or removed the color in "post-production." Besides a bit of cropping and sharpening, there wasn't much to do. I liked the simplicity and asymmetric look of it, with the focus on the light in the perfect spot.

Comments have been almost evenly split about that lamp. Some people love it, and others find it distracting. I couldn't have removed it, though I could have turned it off. I think it adds a good visual focus of white on all the grey and black. What do you think? And why?

Windows, Not Just for Looking Through

This week's 52Frames challenge was Windows, no, not the computer kind. The photo I sent in wasn't the one I had planned. It was taken as an afterthought just as I got to my house. And then when I looked at all those windows I had photographed, I decided that I liked it the best, after a bit of simple photo-editing of course.

"Window Unadorned"
This is actually my laundry room window, a photo I shot while approaching my house after taking all sorts of "window shots" in the neighborhood. To say that it was unplanned would be a complete understatement. Of course, davka, the window I had envisioned as my "Window" was the least photogenic of all, and this unkempt window with leaves reflected and "live" has the most "charisma."
That's "art." Isn't it?

Camera: Canon Canon IXUS 145
Shutter: 1/125th of a second
Aperture: f/4
ISO: 200
Location: Shiloh, Israel

I really should have called it "Window Uncleaned." Getting a shot like this one is all in the timing and angle, considering the reflections on the side of the house, north, which rarely gets much sunlight.

And this one was my second choice. I almost submitted it, but then I did a bit more tweaking on the laundryroom one. As you may have guessed from the decoration on top, it's in our neighborhood synagogue, Noam Yonatan in Ramat Shmuel, Shiloh. It also wasn't the one I had been planning.

Here's the one I had planned. I can see it from my regular seat in the synagogue. The "ש" letter "shin" really looks pretty "in person," but it's too narrow and skinny a window to be suitably photogenic when displayed on the computer screen.

Did I choose wrong? I'd love your opinion thanks.

Guilty!

Confession: 

I'm an awful housekeeper. I always was and I always will be.

As a kid I was known as a slob. Over the decades I've learned how to keep myself looking relatively "put together" as the saying goes, but I'm not the fancy type.

If I have to choose between comfort and style I go for comfort every single time. I can't remember the last time I used my iron. I should probably throw it out, since if I did turn it, on rusty water would escape and stain whatever I'm ironing. Thank Gd I found stores that sell nice clothes from fabircs that don't need to be ironed at all.

I haven't a clue how to clean the blinds, so they're coated with a very heavy layer of dust. And our energy-saving livingroom windows, double--two frames, were so badly designed they are impossible to really clean. So I haven't tried for a very long time, like forever. Yes, ever since I realized that I would end up losing the rag between the window or getting so stuck they'd have to be disassembled and thrown out.

My husband has thousands of books, two and three deep on the walls of the den, so we haven't painted, because the thought of taking them down and putting them up again is worse than living with the old dirt and grime. Also, if they were taken down it would be impossible to replace them exactly where they are. And if they move he won't know how to locate specific books.

One good thing I've been doing of late is trying to get rid of things. I've given away lots of clothes, a few jigsaw puzzles and even a bit of my household items, like some serving bowls we never ever use, stained tablecloths and best of all, I saved my daughter money by giving her a couple of great quality (expensive) pots which she now needs, and I don't use.

At present I dream of redoing my very inefficient kitchen and making it easier to cook in and clean. I know that having such a project done will cause lots of stress, but then maybe it will encourage me to tackle other difficult household projects.

Of late my aim has been to unclutter, and I hope that I make significant dents by the time our kids have to move us into an old age home.

Just Switched to Google Chrome, B"H, What an Improvement!!

For the past week or more, I've been suffering from slowdowns and delays using this computer.  I finally realized that the other computer in the house is fine, so it can't be our internet connection.  And what is was the big difference?  The other one has been using Google chrome, while this one was still with windows explorer.

So, I did the obvious intelligent thing.  I installed Google chrome.  I quickly sent out an SOS to Facebook and a neighbor speedily replied with the link.

And now, B"H, my computer is working like a teenager on speed, totally hyper.  I feel like I've been reborn. And it's free, of course.