Replacement Windows Balance Modern Views and Historic Character

This Trinidad property brings together two very different exteriors. One side features warm stucco walls, carved wood window trim and a red metal roof in the Southwestern tradition. The other is traditional red brick with tall, divided-lite windows. The original windows on both had aged to the point where they no longer held up to southern Colorado’s cold winters and strong high-elevation sun, and the single-pane glass in the brick walls did little to keep heat inside. 

Rather than choosing one window style for everything, the homeowners chose windows suited to each side. Working with our Pella team, they replaced the windows on the front of the home with Pella® Reserve™ windows: contemporary casements where the goal was a wide, open view and traditional single-hung windows where the goal was historical accuracy. Across both, they asked for strong insulating performance.

The original windows on the stucco walls had bulky painted frames that broke up the view of the surrounding pines and open land. For the new windows, the homeowners chose casement windows with narrow sightlines, meaning the frame and sash take up as little of the opening as possible so more of each window is glass. 

Casements are hinged at the side and open outward, which lets a full sash swing clear for fresh air. When they close, the sash presses against the frame to form a tight seal, an important detail on a home exposed to the wind and temperature swings common at this elevation.

Before the project, the windows were painted a bright turquoise. The new casements have a dark exterior finish that lets the stucco and the hand-carved wood surrounds take the lead instead of competing with them. That carved trim stayed in place around each opening, so the character of the exterior carries through while the windows inside it are entirely new. 

The squared-off profile of the contemporary casement is clean and simple, which suits the straightforward geometry of the stucco walls. From the yard, the result reads as expanses of glass set into the wall rather than windows with busy frames.

The brick side of the property called for a different approach. The homeowners wanted historical accuracy and preservation, so they chose traditional single-hung windows that follow the form of the originals: a fixed upper sash over a lower sash that slides up for ventilation. 

The originals were painted wood windows with peeling finishes, and they were showing their age. The new windows are set into the same brick openings above the existing brick sills, and the three-window grouping keeps the same proportions it always had. From the street, the brick elevation looks as it was meant to, only in far better condition.

Much of the traditional look of the original windows came from their divided upper sashes. The new windows carry that detail forward with grilles in the upper sash and clear glass in the lower sash, the same arrangement the brick walls have always had. 

Keeping that pattern was central to the homeowners’ goal. A plain, grille-free window would have changed the character of the brick in a way that would be hard to undo, while the divided upper sash keeps the facade consistent with its original design.

Good insulating performance was a priority for both window styles. In practical terms, that means how well a window keeps heat from escaping in winter and slows unwanted heat from coming in during summer. In southern Colorado, where nights can be cold and afternoon sun is intense, that performance has a direct effect on comfort. 

The biggest change came on the brick side, where the new single-hung windows replace old single-pane glass. The homeowners gained better energy efficiency and windows built to last longer than the originals, without giving up the historic look they set out to protect.

This project started with aging windows on two very different exteriors and a clear set of priorities for each. On the stucco walls, narrow-framed casements deliver expansive glass and a wider view of the landscape. On the brick walls, well-matched single-hung windows preserve the style of the building while improving its comfort. Each side of the home got windows that suit it, and both now perform the way the homeowners wanted.