Replacement windows, a new front door and iron railings on a brick rowhome, South Philadelphia

Before

The before photo shows what most of the block looks like: an aluminum awning over the door, a worn entry door, old windows with failed seals and a railing that had been painted a dozen times. None of it was wrong, exactly. It was just tired, and it did not match the house that was being built inside.

Windows in a brick house

Replacing windows in a masonry rowhome is a different job from a wood-framed suburban house:

• Measure every opening. Brick openings in old houses vary by half an inch or more. Each window was ordered to its own opening, which is why we measured in April and installed in May.
• Pocket replacement, not full tear-out. The old sash and frames came out, the brick opening stayed. A full-frame replacement in brick means cutting masonry, and it is rarely worth it.
• Black outside, white inside. The exterior frames are black, which gives the brick front a crisp, current look. Inside they are white, so the trim and casing stay simple. This two-color option is standard from most vinyl window makers and costs little extra.
• Seal, insulate, flash. Low-expansion foam around the frame, a sill pan under it, caulk on the outside. In a party-wall house the front and back walls are the only ones that face weather, so they get all the attention.

The front door

The awning came off first. A new entry door with an oval glass panel went into the existing opening, with a new threshold, weatherstripping and trim. White was the right color against the dark brick and black windows: it makes the entry read as the front of the house instead of a hole in it.

Railings

The old railings came out and new iron railings went in at the front steps, set into the masonry. They match the iron balusters on the new staircase inside, which is a small thing nobody notices and everybody feels.

Order of work

Windows went in during May so the house was weather-tight before drywall. The door and railings came last, in August, because a new door on a construction site gets scratched. The after photo was taken the week the project finished.

If your rowhome looks like the before photo

Windows, a door and railings are a smaller project than they look and they change the whole front of the house. We can do them on their own or as part of a bigger renovation. Our windows and doors page covers how we measure and what to expect.