I used to rent a classic Oakland/Berkeley Crafstman in Rockridge back when that was affordable. We held up all our windows with sticks, which seemed normal to me. Those old, sticky wooden windows just fall down when you open them, right?
I even asked a handyman friend if he could fix the windows. He flat out said no.
But a few years ago, a customer asked me to please try to fix hers. I’ll admit, it was difficult. Most of the windows were painted completely shut. I couldn’t even open them. And even when I did open them, getting to the repair was even harder. Some of the pulleys didn’t work. And the ropes were completely trashed. But after a lot of sweat, I got there.
Now I do a bunch of these window repairs, and thankfully I can do them a lot faster than when I started. A lot of houses in Oakland and Berkeley still have these double hung windows with rope. And a lot of homeowners don’t want to replace them – it’s expensive! But window companies can also charge way too much for repair. A customer recently told me a company charged her $650 to repair one! That’s insane to me. Another customer said she tried 3 other handypeople across the Bay Area and no one would fix double hung windows.
First of all – my friend was wrong. They are totally fixable! So far I haven’t met one I can’t fix. It takes patience and care, because most of these windows are made with soft redwood frames and trim. They can dent or even snap easily. But with the right touch, they get back to working.
Handy Manage 