Basement Part 3- The window...

Back in the basement- AGAIN. This will not be the last, but remember that window I broke? We needed to get it fixed. With the heat lately, we've been putting it off. Not only that, but let's face it- we've never done this and it was quite intimidating. Neither hubby nor I knew what to do. We watched youtube videos for some visual help. We read posts/articles on various DIY sites. Still, we weren't confident. We talked with people at the stores. Why is it sooo intimidating when you're talking about fixing a hole in the wall of your home?

Jay took the reins on this one. I was merely there playing in cement. He took out the old window- the one I broke while removing the mold from the basement. Remember that saga? After it was out, we realized we really truly had to get this fixed that day... but the kiddo didn't nap like he should have. That lead to a problem. How do you install a window with a 2-year-old running around and wanting to be the "big helper"? YIKES! Thank goodness for Nana. She came to the rescue so we could work on the window. While hubby mixed cement, I transplanted a hosta that was going to be victim of death by cement and stomping otherwise.

Removed old window- hole in wall and hosta transplanted. Look at the mess in the basement while trying to get this done. UGH! Messes everywhere!

Then I went and helped with the cement mixing. It was a MESS. Let me emphasize that. It was a COMPLETE MESS. Unbelievable that people could work with this stuff regularly.

 I have to admit that I really did not want to do this at all tonight. However, after getting started, I really was enjoying the process. Yes, I was covered in cement that was slowly drying on my hands. Yes I got some cuts and knicks from the siding and woodwork- may now need a tetanus shot to go with it. Yes, it was a complete mess, but it also allowed me to feel like I was being an artist. This is the closest I will ever come to artistry (and it's pretty crappy art if I do say so myself), but it was fun and kind of relaxing. Did I just say relaxing about putting in a window? Yep. Hey, after a 2.5 hour kitchen fiasco, anything allowing me to sit and mess something up with a purpose is definitely less like work and maybe more relaxing. It's at least calming.

After about an hour, the window was in place and clean up was underway- actually almost finished. Look at the finished product. That's why I love crafts and home projects- you get to see the end result and it's lasting (unlike cleaning the house which is totally undone after a minute when you have a toddler or actually live in your home).

So, by putting this in ourselves, we saved $100. By shopping around we saved $50. The total cost of the window was:

$99 (plus tax so $107) for the window
+$10.50 for the mortar
$109.50 pre-tax  $117 post-tax.

Not bad. We saved $150 in our efforts by shopping around and installing ourselves. Now we need to paint the cement on the outside to match the rest of the house, but I'm not terribly concerned with that right now.