Wavy Glass
By fishtiger58
@fishtiger58 (29819)
Momence, Illinois
March 4, 2016 7:41am CST
I have mentioned a time or two about my house. It was built in 1900 and is in pretty good shape.I loved this house for a couple of reasons. The old arch ways leading from room to room and the windows. We have 20 windows throughout the house and I love that. When we bought it we had two major repairs to do on it.
The roof had several layers of shingles on it and they were in bad shape. As it turned out the 116 year old house had one hole in the roof. Not bad for a house as old as this. We also had to rewire the entire house, 4 floors which include the basement and the attic. There was 4 different types of wiring in this house, the oldest being knob and tube. Glad to have those done.
The truth be told I love this house the most because of the windows. Several of the living room and dinning room windows still have the 116 year old glass in them. I have been told that this glass is very valuable as they don't make glass like this anymore. When the sun shines in you can see the beautiful waves in the glass. I can't actually take a picture of the wavy glass it just doesn't come out so that you can see it. But what I can get is the pattern it makes on the wall when the sun does shine through.
So my shot is of the sun coming through that 116 year old glass and the pattern it makes on the wall. You can also see my shadow with camera taking the shot. Pretty unusual wouldn't you say?
20 people like this
21 responses
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
4 Mar 16
I've seen that wavy glass in person several times in old homes. My first marriage we bought an 80 year old home and the first week in the upstairs bathroom self-destructed and wound up downstairs in the living room. Not a pretty sight. I cannot get your photo to load for some reason.
2 people like this
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
4 Mar 16
@fishtiger58 It must be a big file and my internet is slow on cloudy days.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
4 Mar 16
I wonder why you can't get my picture. Hope you get to see it.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
5 Mar 16
I love this big old house. It's my dream house, would never give it up.
2 people like this
@shaggin (74988)
• United States
4 Mar 16
I think based on what you wrote that my parents had a window like this in one of their doors. My mother had drew a pretty tree on it with stained glass paints (I think). I always loved it. A few years ago the window got broken. It had neat ripples in the glass. I have never seen glass like that anywhere else.
My house is very old as well. It needs a lot of updating but that is costly so I kind of repair a little at a time when we can. My daughters bedroom was the most recent. I tore out all the lath and plaster and insulation from the ceiling and walls. It was that awful old blown in insulation. It was a lot of work to do it. A friend of mines husband put up new beams in the ceiling and put up all new insulation and sheetrock. It looks so much nicer. I love it. It needs new windows but right now I am not sure about the living situation so I am not putting any more money into this house yet.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (74988)
• United States
7 Mar 16
@fishtiger58 Wow. I cannot even imagine what the cost would be to have all that done. We cannot do it unless we rip the walls out. That is why we only have new electrical wires in two rooms because we ripped all the old lath and plaster and all that down and could get to the wires. I crawled under a tiny crawl space under my house to get the wires fed through or we wouldn't have been able to do it. Thankfully I am tiny or it couldn't have been done. I couldn't even crawl I just had to kind of squiggle like a snake to get in and then my father in law had to pull me out lol. It was worth it!
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
4 Mar 16
Yes I call them waves but ripples describes it as well. Yes these old house need some work but I was surprised by how little it really needed.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
5 Mar 16
@shaggin We rewired the entire house cost us a fortune. 4 floors which included the attic and the basement.
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
4 Mar 16
I love old glass.My home was rebuilt 20 years ago but our family home in Canada is almost 200 years old and has some wonderful original glass.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
6 Mar 16
@fishtiger58 Wavy glass is something I always look for when I visit older houses though it can be created these days to look just like the original.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
7 Mar 16
@BelleStarr Oh really I didn't know that, I was told they can't or don't make it that way anymore. I am confident that the glass I have is truly the 100 + year old glass.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
4 Mar 16
I had never seen it before we bought this house. Now I will never part with it. Love the old things. I bet the glass is beautiful.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (502343)
• Italy
4 Mar 16
@fishtiger58 The house of my grandmother will turn 100 next year. Nobody lives there right now, but my Mom and uncles have decided not to sell the house.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
4 Mar 16
@LadyDuck Are they going to fix it up or is it in good shape?
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
4 Mar 16
I love anything old, when we first saw this house I knew I wanted it right away. We looked at it a few more times and made an offer. Was very happy when we got it.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
4 Mar 16
That is pretty awesome living in a Victorian era house. How long have you owned it? Much trouble heating?
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
4 Mar 16
We bought it in 2002, the first winter it was so cold in here. We had a very old furnace that ran almost constantly that first winter. The next spring we insulated the whole house and bought a new furnace. So now it's all good.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
4 Mar 16
@fishtiger58 Are you in a neighborhood of old houses? Momence by Chicago?
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
4 Mar 16
@JohnRoberts Yes Momence is about 50 miles south of Chicago. This town was established in 1834 so there are lots of houses older than mine. Beautiful old houses.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
7 Mar 16
They are the most beautiful windows, I am more than pleased we have them.
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
7 Mar 16
I would love to have an old house. So much character!
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
7 Mar 16
It really does have lots of character, and beyond that it's really well built.
@Shellyann36 (11383)
• United States
5 Mar 16
Your house sounds awesome. I love the glass.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
7 Mar 16
It is an awesome, when I thought we were not going to get it I was devastated. I wanted this house so bad.
@Juliaacv (56180)
• Canada
4 Mar 16
I have had the good fortune of seeing that old glass in person, and you're right, there is nothing else like it at all. I think that it enhances a home of that age more then any other feature, except for those cool old doorbells those are something special.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
4 Mar 16
We also have crystal door knobs on all the inside doors. I love those. The glass is just amazing to see.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (56180)
• Canada
4 Mar 16
@fishtiger58 We had those in the main house that I grew up in on the homeplace on the farm.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
4 Mar 16
@Juliaacv These days those door knobs are worth some money. I was also told if I break any of that old glass keep it and sell it to stained glass place the love that old glass.
1 person likes this
@amadeo (111937)
• United States
4 Mar 16
@fishtiger58 yes,they are.Wonder if the wavy is imperfection?
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
5 Mar 16
@amadeo I don't think it is an imperfection I think that's just the way glass was way back then.
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
4 Mar 16
These are beautiful windows, but I have heard they don't make windows like this anymore.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
4 Mar 16
what a great find! i'd so love to jest come'n sit, feel the house 'n let it tell me its story. so glad that'cha didn't replace the windows's many folks due (energy efficiency). i love the imperfections's they now call 'em 'n can only envision the great beauty ya witness 's light filters through 'n casts its shadows. breath-takin', no doubt.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
5 Mar 16
@fishtiger58 i'm with ya there, hon. i love the ol' 'n worn through time 'n use versus new 'n pristine. i'm so glad'ja've been able to prevent him from doin' such. to me, those ol' places jest seem to lose their personality when folks go 'round makin' it all bright'n shiny.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
7 Mar 16
@crazyhorseladycx So far he has not touched anything because I asked him not to.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
5 Mar 16
My husband wants to refinish all the wood work in the house but for the last 14 years since we have had the house I have managed to stop him. I love the old varnish and stuff on the woodwork.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
5 Mar 16
I love my old house my old windows everything about this house. It's in better shape than when we bought it but certain things I won't allow to be changed.
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
5 Mar 16
@fishtiger58 My house is a couple years older than yours and is ready to fall down. Not in good shape at all. It needs so much work, but I don't have the finances to do it and I might lose it anyway.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
5 Mar 16
@just4him That's to bad old houses are just so cool. I hope this one stands for another 100 years.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Mar 16
The glass is amazing, one of my favorite things about my house.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
5 Mar 16
The house is 116 years old yes, I thought it was a cool effect.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
5 Mar 16
It's very different for sure. Glad you like it.
1 person likes this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
4 Mar 16
that's a nice effect with the sunlight isn't it.... I do love older houses....
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
4 Mar 16
When I first saw this on the wall I had to think a minute until I figured out what it was from. Old house are just built to stand the test of time. The only part we had to repair was the addition they put on in the 60's. The rest was in great shape for it's age.
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (91063)
• United States
4 Mar 16
My mom lived in a house that was over 100 years old and it had so many features like your glass windows. I love the way you took your picture and captured the pattern on the wall as well as your reflection.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
4 Mar 16
I tried to get my shadow out of the shot but couldn't manage it. Thanks I'm glad you like my shot. I love old houses, I was amazed by the shape of this house. Very little wrong with it that a can of paint couldn't take care of. The rewire was expensive but had to be done, and we got a really good price on this house.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
5 Mar 16
The most beautiful windows I have ever seen. I think of the 20 windows like only 5 are original glass, I am very careful with them when cleaning them and such.
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
4 Mar 16
I love this house and when they turned down our first offer I thought we wouldn't be able to get it. But 10 minutes we gave them a better offer and they took it. Have a great day.
2 people like this
