Andersen Beauty-Line Windows - A Mid-Century Icon.

Andersen Beauty-Line windows are a true mid-century architectural icon. These windows were/are ubiquitous in all sorts of mid-century building. Andersen produced these windows between 1957 and 1979, and they still have quite a few parts available for them, including hardware and some complete lower sash units. Our ranch was build in 1959, and features three banks of Beauty-Lines - a triple across the front of the living room, a double on the other living room wall, and a double at the back of the dining room - you can see the front elevation in an older post here. The upper sash of the Beauty-Line windows was fixed. The lower sash could be opened, and you could choose between a couple of different options as to how it opened. You could opt for an awning, where the hinge is at the top of the sash and the bottom of the window swings outward via a crank - the screen was on the inside in this version. We have the 'hopper' type lower sash, where the hinge mechanism at the bottom and the sash swings inward from the top. In this version, the insect screen is on the outside.



These are exceptionally well-made windows. They feature solid wood construction throughout. I did some stripping and re-priming today - there were at least 4 layers of paint on ours: The original white primer, a white bottom coat, a yellow ocher, and the white top coat. I scraped it all off the outer sill and put a nice coat of Behr primer on. The bare wood of the sill looked like Douglas fir - an excellent wood for windows - much better than pine - it's a hardwood as opposed to a softwood evergreen species and is much less prone to rotting out. The Beauty-Lines had all double pane glass - a really great energy-conscious innovation considering these windows were designed and built when electricity was dirt cheap.

Our windows have seen better days. That being said, they are not water-damaged, and I cannot find any rot. The glass is another story - at least two sashes have panes that have lost their seal and have condensation between the glass. The sashes are absolutely glopped with paint, it wasn't done very well - like maybe with a Super-Soaker CPS 2000. The seams between the sash stiles and rails were mostly exposed (a testament to Doug fir windows that they did not rot), they were never properly primed on the underside of the lower rail, and there is caulk everywhere. In fact, the bank of three windows across the front of the house were caulked shut - but with a bizarre combination of silicone and what appears to be glazing compound.

It took me the majority of a Saturday to free one of the three sashes up.

I started by carefully scoring the paint and caulk deeply all the way around the point of both the inner and outer sash where it contacts the window side rails, the sill, and the transom rail with a new, sharp razor blade (the picture to the right is from the parts catalog currently available from Andersen here). I wasn't too sure how much goop had been injected into the void between the window casing and the sash, so I tried a few nudges to get it free, but nothing. So onto the bigger guns.

The next thing I did was to take a sharp 5-in-one tool, and with the flat side down, laid the tool on the window sill from the outside and worked it from side to side while pushing with pretty good force. This did exactly what I wanted to - the tool penetrated the caulking quite deeply. I did this all the way around the outside window opening, and then repeated this procedure around the inner opening. As I was doing this, I used the sharp 'beak' of the 5-in-one tool to pry lose caulk and gunk out of the opening. Then I put some force onto the window from the outside and i heard a 'crack!', and in it went a few centimeters, and then stopped. I tried to force it open further, but it wouldn't budge any further. But at this point, I could see the hinge mechanisms, and they were pretty damn rusty. I reasoned that the rust was probably binding up the hinges, which actually slide past each other in a vertical orientation - so I gave a quick squirt of penetrating oil to each hinge, and started rocking the sill gently in and out, and in no time the hinges started moving. Within 5 minutes the hinges were completely free and the window was operating flawlessly.

So why do through all of this trouble? Why not just buy into the propaganda that says 'Buy replacement windows! You'll have a warmer, toastier house in no time flat!"

Well, because its a load of steaming hot bovine excrement. Yep - bullshit.

Now, I'm not going to say you can't buy windows this good today, because you probably can. But niot for what these windows cost new. Probably not for what these windows cost new in adjusted 2016 dollars either. You would have to pony up for windows this good today. The reasons I'm doing this are many, but the main ones are:

1. These windows deserve a good freshening up - they look fabulous, they are solid, they're nearly 60 years old and are in amazing condition. Even as they are now, they have no drafts and are solid as a rock and are relatively energy efficient (double pane glass). I'm also a firm believer in repair versus replace. If it can be repaired, repair it - it will generally be cheaper, you end up having the original, likely better made product, its period correct, and it will just look right. 


2. Energy efficiency. These windows have it, and their construction is rock solid. Enough said.


3. Carbon footprint of a potential 'upgrade'. If you're considering replacement windows then you're obviously interested in energy savings in one form or another. The other thing to think about here is that everything that is manufactured today (just as in the past) costs carbon to make: The raw materials have to be harvested, they have to be transported to the mill, they are milled, transported to a manufacturer, milled again, combined with other parts from other places in the world that have also been transported from far away, packaged, transported to the distributor, transported to the wholesaler, transported to the retailer or installer, and finally transported to your house. Each and every step in this process uses carbon in some form or other. Moreover, I betcha in 9 cases out of 10, the windows that are being replaced are better than the replacement windows. Maybe they needed some attention - weather stripping, paint, whatever. But even more importantly, those replacement windows cost a lot. How long do you think it will take to recoup that $5k price tag in energy savings? Probably longer than those cheaply-built vinyl replacement windows will last. In the mean time you just chucked 60 year-old windows that would have been good for another 60 years with a bit of labor. Your house, your call, but my suggestion is think before you buy. Become an educated consumer - don't take your window salesman's word - he's trying to sell you something that you probably don't need.


4. In our neck of the woods, many of the houses built around this time have various sizes of Beauty-Line windows. Unfortunately, some folks have replaced them out with less good-looking and probably lesser quality windows. Let me say this again: These Beauty-Line windows are built like tanks! But point number 4 here is really about looks - these windows look like they belong to this house. Indeed, they do - this house was built for these windows. It wouldn't look the same without them.

I'll update this thread periodically as I get more into the restoration of our Beauty-Lines!