When we moved into our "new to us" home a few weeks ago, we discovered the previous residents had left us a couple of windows that weren't entirely whole!
While we had the "Great Wall of Boxes" up against them, we didn't realise that the cold night air was sneaking silently in through the holes but as soon as those boxes moved, we discovered that not only are (very attractive) light summer curtains not good at keeping the cold air out, but that the holes in the windows weren't helping either.
They look like a stone from the lawn mower type breaks and whilst we can fix them, its just not an overwhelming priority right now as we sort out where everything is to go - and then of course where we put it when we need it!
I wondered if I could use the clear packing tape that I had been using on the boxes as its so wide, but I knew that would look a bit uglier than I would like... and then I found an easy solution!
Here's what I did...
This window actually has a piece of glass missing as well as a crack that leads off across the glass in three ways. So I very gently taped it up on both sides with the clear packing tape and then stuck a couple of stick on 3D butterflies from a $2 shop!
They don't look so bad and your attention is on the butterflies rather than the broken glass behind them. I tried to place them on the worst bits to hide them. They actually look better in real life than they do in this image... They are a double butterfly. A flat bit that sticks the wings down on the glass and then another set of identical wings that stick up. I cant see why you couldn't just put a normal clear/leadlighty type sticker on it instead of a 3D one if you happen to have something suitable lying around.
From the outside the break and the butterflies aren't so obvious due to the reflections on the window. I could have put more butterflies on it but I didn't think it needed it. I have since run a bit more tape along the crack as the house moves and the crack keeps growing. The tape is on the front and the back of the window for strength and safety.
The other break was a hole punched through the window - again my guess is a stone from the mower.
It was a much smaller hole and I suspect the glass is either a different type - maybe a safety glass - or the stone hit at a really funny angle to make a hole like this.
The fix was really easy though - just a single butterfly straight across the hole and, Voila, no sneaky cold air rushing in the hole at night!
What I really liked about this fix is that it was quick, cheap and easy and will last a few months until we are up to replacing windows and painting things like the window frames.
I don't think the colours on the butterfly's are going to last. I don't think they are going to be very UV stable but I had them sitting around, they look good and I only need to get a couple of months out of them and they will have been worth every cent of the $3 I paid for them a long time ago for another project!
Score card:
Green-ness: 5/5 for using things you already have for repair.
Frugal-ness: 5/5 for not spending any money on a temporary repair!
Time cost: About 5 minutes!
Skill level: Basic sticking - but be careful with the broken glass!
Fun-ness: Its fun when people notice the butterfly's and comment but don't see the broken window until you point it out to them!
While we had the "Great Wall of Boxes" up against them, we didn't realise that the cold night air was sneaking silently in through the holes but as soon as those boxes moved, we discovered that not only are (very attractive) light summer curtains not good at keeping the cold air out, but that the holes in the windows weren't helping either.
They look like a stone from the lawn mower type breaks and whilst we can fix them, its just not an overwhelming priority right now as we sort out where everything is to go - and then of course where we put it when we need it!
I wondered if I could use the clear packing tape that I had been using on the boxes as its so wide, but I knew that would look a bit uglier than I would like... and then I found an easy solution!
Here's what I did...
This window actually has a piece of glass missing as well as a crack that leads off across the glass in three ways. So I very gently taped it up on both sides with the clear packing tape and then stuck a couple of stick on 3D butterflies from a $2 shop!
They don't look so bad and your attention is on the butterflies rather than the broken glass behind them. I tried to place them on the worst bits to hide them. They actually look better in real life than they do in this image... They are a double butterfly. A flat bit that sticks the wings down on the glass and then another set of identical wings that stick up. I cant see why you couldn't just put a normal clear/leadlighty type sticker on it instead of a 3D one if you happen to have something suitable lying around.
From the outside the break and the butterflies aren't so obvious due to the reflections on the window. I could have put more butterflies on it but I didn't think it needed it. I have since run a bit more tape along the crack as the house moves and the crack keeps growing. The tape is on the front and the back of the window for strength and safety.
The other break was a hole punched through the window - again my guess is a stone from the mower.
It was a much smaller hole and I suspect the glass is either a different type - maybe a safety glass - or the stone hit at a really funny angle to make a hole like this.
The fix was really easy though - just a single butterfly straight across the hole and, Voila, no sneaky cold air rushing in the hole at night!
What I really liked about this fix is that it was quick, cheap and easy and will last a few months until we are up to replacing windows and painting things like the window frames.
I don't think the colours on the butterfly's are going to last. I don't think they are going to be very UV stable but I had them sitting around, they look good and I only need to get a couple of months out of them and they will have been worth every cent of the $3 I paid for them a long time ago for another project!
Green-ness: 5/5 for using things you already have for repair.
Frugal-ness: 5/5 for not spending any money on a temporary repair!
Time cost: About 5 minutes!
Skill level: Basic sticking - but be careful with the broken glass!
Fun-ness: Its fun when people notice the butterfly's and comment but don't see the broken window until you point it out to them!
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