Handmade Interiors
Home Samples of My Work Price List: Architectural Elements References and Links Contact Me Other Work: Stringed Instruments	Caroline Sly PO Box 313 Ashfield, MA 01330 413-628-0130 e-mail
	The windows of an old house are its eyes, and they express its soul as no other feature does. When the original windows and frames are still in place, they stand very far forward in the facade, especially if the frames are the plank frames typical of the 18^th century.			The glass appears to be right on the surface, because the glass recess is shallow and the putty looks very flat. The two halves of the double hung windows are nearly on the same plane because their thickness is only about an inch, not the one and three eighths inch of modern windows.
	The old windows still with us today have endured two hundred years because they are made of quartersawn heartwood of white pine from big, slow growing trees. Such wood resists rot and weather damage and will hold up for years to come if kept painted.			With modern weatherstripping built in and an interior storm window consonant with the style of the original architecture, your old house can be adequately weather tight. I use silicone rubber tube seals and polypropylene leaf seals.
	Mantelpieces and paneling are hand planed, carved by hand, and joined with mortise and tenon joints. Doors and window sash are through tenoned, and stiles and muntins are shaped with molding planes made for the purpose.			Crown, bolection, and architrave moldings are also made with molding planes .
				I also offer corner cupboards in white pine, in designs varying from extremely simple to extremely formal, including shell cupboards.
	In my work I am open to incorporating antique elements whenever possible – such as in this paneled wall. I am ready to discuss your 18^th century restoration needs at any time. Contact me and we can talk about proposals.
	© 2008 Caroline Sly Web Design: Hildegard Graphics