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Editorial Advertising General Information |
| Window Restoration and Repair Brings New Life to Old Homes By Ofelia Saenz, Signal Tribune staff writer 
Ed Sanchez has been in the window business for 22 years. Up until 10 years ago, he was in the business of replacing them, but after seeing countless old-wood windows torn from the face of historic homes only to be replaced with lesser quality materials, he has repented and reformed. Today, Sanchez, together with his business partner, Scott Goldfarb, owns and runs Window Restoration and Repair. "I think I'm in this business as a penance for all of the beautiful wood windows I tore out of homes and replaced with aluminum windows," jokes Sanchez. Although they repair newer windows as well, they specialize in older-home windows. In addition to wood, they restore the steel frames that were popular from the 1930s through the late 50s. They can also update a window's functionality by using the same state-of-the-art weather-stripping used on new vinyl windows; Customers are often surprised to learn they can reduce air-infiltration without compromising the "classic look" of their home. "We're very unique in what we do," says Goldfarb. "We're working on things that are 60 to 70 years old [for which] nobody's made parts for 50 years." Goldfarb and Sanchez routinely find themselves machining and producing parts, in many cases, to the delight of customers who may previously have expected their windows were unsalvageable. "Usually it's the operation of the window that makes people call," says Sanchez. "People will live with [less than appealing] looks for a long time, but when their windows won't open or close or lock, it scares them." Sanchez says customers are often surprised by how much Window Restoration and Repair is able to do with older frames. "[When they first call], they figure, 'just get [the windows] working.' Not only can we get them working, we can get them working better than they did in 1912 when they were brand new." Sanchez believes part of the reason window restoration has been a neglected area is the difficulty in finding people with the capacity to perform the work. The process, he says, requires the workman to think like "a mechanic, a carpenter, [someone] innovative, almost like an inventor. It takes some ingenuity to be able to do such a thing." Sanchez and Goldfarb have assembled a confident crew and have done work on historic homes throughout the area. "We can repair just about anything made," Sanchez say proudly. "There's not much that has stumped us." To contact Window Restoration and Repair, call (562) 493-1590, or visit their Web site at www.window-restoration-repair.com. |