The ancient barn window market...

[Jules Richardson]

I keep seeing reclaimed wooden barn/farm windows being bought and sold - several locally in the last few months. JOOI, what the heck are people buying them *for*? I can't imagine they're being re-used in homes as actual windows, no matter how good the wood they're made from may once have been.

I've seen some listed as being "suitable for craft projects" but TBH the sort of amount they sell for surprises me, if people are just buying them up to add bells and whistles and God-knows-what and turning them into "art". I'm not sure I'd want a manky old window with the type of glass that smashes into lethal shards at a moment's notice in my house :-)

cheers

Jules

[harry]

Just a passing fad for those with more money than sense. Someone has a great pile of them somewhere and is making a killing. You would be on a hiding to nothing trying to cut them up except with metal cutting equipment. Old oak is hard as iron.

[Nightjar]

There seems to be a vogue for furniture made out of reclaimed timber at the moment. Perhaps that is where they end up?

Colin Bignell

[Phil]

Mirrors?

[Jules Richardson]

Actually, I do know that was the intention for one purchaser - which seemed a little odd, as I can't help thinking that a frame could have been made and painted to give it the aged look for less than the cost of buying and adapting an existing window. And it wouldn't have ended up smelling of rat piss and pigeon crap.

This was the style of window with lots of small panes, too, so I'm not even convinced that it's particularly functional as a mirror...

cheers

Jules

[Jules Richardson]

Well, hopefully it's a passing fad. People do seem to snap up anything remotely old and then butcher it into a pile of bollocks these days, but I was surprised at knackered old windows being on that list.

I do have a small pile of them in the attic space in the workshop - I'd always planned on ditching the glass and burning[1] the frames in the fire pit when I eventually needed the space that they occupy, but perhaps it'll be amusing to see if anyone will buy them :-)

[1] although I may hang on to some of the thicker pieces for use in other projects.

cheers

Jules

[harry]

Best thing to do! The only ones I ever took out were really rotten. If you want to arfificially age oak, the best tool is a sandblaster.

[Jules Richardson]

I think these ones are solid, but probably have some rodent damage - but to the arty crowd it's all patina, isn't it? ;-) There's a chipmunk nesting amongst them at the moment, so I'll let him be for the winter.

Eighteen of the house windows are the original timber ones from the 1940s (all French style with 8 panes in each side) and they should be coming out next year because I'm sick of maintaining them (and swapping between their winter and summer screens) - so perhaps I should keep my fingers crossed that the used market doesn't collapse before then, and they can offset some of the cost of replacements :-)

cheers

Jules