Wooden Sash

Oak Point — Portsmouth, NH

Here’s a great sash project, right in our backyard. Oak Point Architects is located in downtown Portsmouth, in what was originally the Frank Jones Fire Insurance building.

Their windows are big, beautiful, and definitely in need of repair due to severe UV damage — especially on the southern side of the building.

Back in our studio, we uncovered their original beauty and did some major rehabilitation.

Ryan and team at OPA have been fantastic to work with. We’ve completed the first phase of work and will continue to make our way around the building. Stay tuned for some final pics when we’re done!

Woman's Club of Concord

The Woman’s Club of Concord (NH) contacted us about restoring the windows from their top floor. This was an involved project — a classic example of what we refer to as “deferred maintenance.” These attic windows had been severely damaged over the years by a combination of UV rays and moisture.

With sash restoration, our goal is always to save as much of the original wood as possible. We were able to consolidate most of the damaged parts with Abatron Epoxy, but some parts were beyond repair. Michael Wise of Woodworks in Portsmouth perfectly matched the original profiles, and milled new stock for us. Once the sashes were reassembled, oiled, primed and painted, you really couldn’t pick out the original stock from the new. Now the original beauty of this stately victorian will be preserved for another generation to enjoy.

We’re grateful to Nadine Miller for entrusting us with this project.

Marcy Street

This was another project within Portsmouth Historic District. The windows were in tough shape. Previous owners had given up on them and spray foamed them shut. The window wells had also been spray foamed, making them permanently inoperable. The new owners had wanted to replace them, but the HDC wanted them to be restored. I was able to demonstrate how they could be saved through a careful restoration and installing Pullman Tape Balances to make them operable. In the end, the clients were thrilled and unique windows were saved.

Sash & Solder is the perfect resource for anyone that owns an older home, and wants to preserve the historic value and integrity of their original windows while ensuring they're air-tight and functioning properly. Tom Driscoll's expertise is second-to-none. We had windows in our Queen Anne Victorian home with a variety of issues due to neglect to improper care over the years. Others thought they were beyond repair, but Tom was able to take them to his studio, bring them back to life, and reinstall them to function perfectly.  Replacing them would've cost more than restoring, and their authenticity and charm couldn't have been replicated with new windows. - (Jackie Lucas, Homeowner)

Islington Double-Hung Windows

With all the new condos going up on Islington Street, a client was bothered by drafty windows and noise pollution. She was having a difficult time modulating the heat between her office, located in the interior, and the patient’s room, located in a sun room. I was able to weather-strip the windows in the patient room to keep it much more comfortable.

Ebenezer Thompson House

Another long term project within Portsmouth’s Historic District. This has been a multi phase, multi year long project. I was able to work within the clients budget and we set up a schedule that worked well for both of us. The sashes had literally hundreds of years of paint on them. I’ve been able to strip them to bare wood and expose the beautiful original profile. No more unstable paint binding the windows shut. All the windows have been made operable with Pullman Tape Balances. When these windows were originally constructed, operability meant lifting them up and placing a stick under them. They now glide within their weather-stripped jambs.

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Colored Glass, Double Hung Windows

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Some original multi-paned colored glass windows were in need of repair in a stately Brookline, MA home. Mostly, they just rattled a lot during storms and allowed cold air in. I simply removed the sashes, applied weatherstripping to each of the windows, and re-installed them. Just like that, no more rattling — and the owners will enjoy the beauty and quality of the home’s original windows for a long time.

Tom Driscoll is a dream. Creative, on time, on budget. A professional who knows and clearly loves what he does. He breathed new life into our 1880's Victorian stained glass windows on each level of our house.  I didn't realize how much they were rattling until they didn't - even in a Nor-easter. 
- A more than satisfied customer in Brookline