Aksarben Window Works

Back in Crete for phase 2 of this house’s window restoration. In phase 1, we restored three primary windows (see our post from March ‘23 for more photos). Now we’re starting three more primary window restorations, and installing six SpencerWorks traditional storm windows. Because this house is across the street from a plant, we went with laminated glass, silicone bulb seals and sweeps, SRS storm window stays to pull the storm in tight, and 1 5/8” storms rabbeted down to 1 1/8” on the sides so they’re flush with the opening. These storms should provide the best noise mitigation possible.

Paint removal progresses on the Unitarian Church sash here in the shop.

A huge shoutout to Tia, our window tech who is a sash stripping extraordinaire. She’s literally the best I’ve ever seen do this. So detailed, we hardly need to sand prior to paint (but we do). She puts me to shame, and can remove paint from intricate sash work without a scratch to sand out.

In the painting world, we all know the finish can only shine if the prep is great.

If you’ve liked our work in the past, you’re going to love our work going forward, because Tia is raising the bar here at AWW, and I’m thrilled she’s on our team producing this quality.

If you’d like to be a part of our growing team, see our ad on Indeed or inquire here. Thanks!

Ditch the corporate ladder for a real ladder!

We’re looking for a window technician to join our team. This is a fun job, filled with appreciative clients and meaningful work. If you’d like to help make it possible to keep historic windows in historic buildings, see our ad on Indeed or inquire here.

Thanks!

Here’s some photos of seven restored primary windows we finished in October. I returned today to install some SpencerWorks All-Season storms and finally remembered to take photos. We restored the sash, jamb, installed new zinc interlocking weatherstripping, replaced some damaged muntins, and installed SRS Hardware locks and lifts. We even installed some Pullman tape balances on non-original window. The fly agrees, these windows are drop-dead gorgeous!

Our first big project for 2026 is underway at the First Unitarian Church of Omaha. We’re excited to get these massive upper sash out and fully restored. These upper sash come in at nearly 8 feet tall and 52 inches wide. The total window opening is about 13 feet tall.

We’re honored to be working on this project in this historic Omaha church, especially right now. There’s a powerful metaphor happening here. We’re working on these nearly 110 year old windows, while just a block away Farnam St. is closed for the new streetcar construction. Something old, something new. As Omaha changes and grows, these windows have seen it all, and will continue to see it all in the years to come. It’s humbling to work on what I consider some of the most iconic windows in the city. Thanks!

Just in time for Dundee day, we installed these MonRay 500 series storm windows on a beautiful colonial revival in Dundee.

Details matter. You can see that on the short ends of this coverted sun porch we have two single in-swing casements with a set of dual in-swing casements in the middle. The duals are exactly twice as wide as the singles. Other storm window companies would’ve spanned the dual in-swings with one big storm window, but that wouldn’t have been right. The proportion would’ve been off.

What we did is we used the same size storm panel for every storm, but for the dual in-swings, we put the two storm panels together with an h-channel that closely mimicked the width of the stiles. The result is a uniform look across all the storms, and an appropriate sense of proportion.

Really proud of this one, and thankful the client asked us to help.

Oh my, in my haste to finish the window restoration job at .cecilia.cardinals this past spring, I forgot to get some good photos. I was able to get in there today and get some shots of these beautiful 118 year old windows back in service.

On these 38 windows, we did full jamb restoration, a full exterior sash restoration, an interior over-stain and refinish with varnish, new locks and lifts, and new zinc interlocking weatherstripping. On some of the sash in the back of the building, we kept with a 1950s fire safety retrofit, but added tempered glass instead of the much heavier chickenwire glass.

This was a phenomenal project to be a part of, and we’re so thankful for the school and all who helped make this project happen through their generosity and spirit of preservation. I want to thank the AWW crew who executed this restoration, past and present; I could not have done this without you. And, I want to thank Mrs. Koehn, art teacher, restoration advocate, and project manager extraordinaire who made this restoration project happen. Thank you very much!

I’m humbled the school chose us to help bring these windows back to life and keep the past alive for a school that has served six generations of Omahans. Thanks again!

Wrapped this MonRay 500 series storm window install for amazing clients in Dundee. I think there were 45 windows on this job, so a lot of ladder work here, but really fun.

I like these storms for those who prefer aluminum because they sit near flush with standard casing, and they’re a “floating storm” in that you can move the end pieces tight to the casing before setting it. This really helps with out of square work. The custom color match turned out great.

(Pic 5) I realize it’s been a bit since our last post, hope it was worth the weight!

Have a great weekend!

Just wrapped a project in Elmwood Park. Here we built 8 sets of new sash, installed Accurate interlocking weatherstripping, restored the jambs, and installed unlacquered brass locks and lifts.

This was a darker stained woodwork we were able to match with a two-step gel stain process.

A really fun project, which was made even better by two amazing clients! We can’t wait for phase 2!

Our last exterior restoration of the season. I finally remembered to take some “befores.” All the sash operate, and are ready to withstand the elements once more. This is our second phase of work for this client, and we’re excited for phase 3 next spring!