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Pecan Park Civic Association

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Neighborhood Newsletter-Fall 2006

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Resident Restorations (under construction)

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DEED RESTRICTIONS


Pecan Park is THE largest subdivision in the area, with approximately 900 homes out of 3000. There are 24 subdivisions in this area. MOST have DEED RESTRICTIONS, some don't. The restrictions for Pecan Park somehow "expired" some time ago, which is why you see "businesses" being operated on residential property, homes in disrepair, and extra units of housing on the same lot. DOES THIS CONCERN YOU? What if your next door neighbor decides he wants to start a used tire/fix flats business.....out of his house? The sound of air wrenches at all hours, tires and jacks laying around, cars parked all around you, a little hand-painted, misspelled sign out front. Sound ridiculous? Have you driven through Magnolia Park lately? There are several of these places on small side streets. Evidently, the residents there either didn't care or felt powerless to prevent them.The bad news is that we are in that same, vulnerable situation RIGHT NOW. The good news is that the Civic Association has been working to revise/draft new restrictions. Restrictions help to maintain the residential character and improve/protect our property values. YOU have the opportunity to give input before that draft is final. They address use of the property, where/how you can build on the lot, fencing, maintenance of the property, businesses, parking in the yard and others. A community is only as nice as the people who live and participate in it's upkeep. Don't wait until someone does something you don't like. SET THE RULES for the future NOW.

YOUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR?
Who would stop him?

......

Wood Windows: Why Restore and not Replace.

Wood windows are part of the original, irreplaceable, historic fabric of our homes. Also, they are almost always of a much higher quality than anything you can replace them with today. With a little knowledge and effort, combined with some modern materials, your windows can be restored to their former beauty and the result will be a first class, historically correct, valuable and energy-efficient window. Here are a few reasons why restoring is the better choice.

The Wood: The wood in the past was more dense and tightly grained, resulting in a more stable window. Wood today is grown on tree farms, where growth stimulants are used, and the resulting quality is much lower. The metal or vinyl windows that are commonly used to replace the old wood windows are cheaply made, and, once either the thin metal or vinyl cracks or breaks or the cheap spring system fails (it will), the whole thing has to be thrown away.

The Craftsmanship.Almost all of the wood windows used mortise and tenon joinery, the very best for windows. Also, the panes were truly divided, not like the metal ones which are just single panes with cheap metal strips attached to make them look like the old style. Plus, any unique lips or edges that were carved into the wood cannot be created in metal. The very best replacement windows have 20 year warranties where they are made to replace wood windows that have been there for 50-100 years.

The Mechanisms:The original weight and balance system is still the best window system available in terms of durablility and service. When restored properly, even the largest windows can be lifted with one finger, the result of fine balancing the weights and adjusting the stops (the little strips of wood that the windows ride against). Replacement windows have either spring tension or simple friction systems to keep the windows open which will fail at some point and will likely be impossible to fix so, you end up buying new ones. A great idea, if you're in the window business, that is. Also, the old windows usually allowed the top sash to be lowered, which created hot air ventilation and, when combined with lower sash raising throughout the house, created fresh air currents which could be manipulated and directed to flow throughout the house.

There are many articles on the internet that illustrate how to restore old wood windows. Sash cords (the ropes) nowadays have strong inner cords and will last a lot longer than the originals, or, sash chain can be used that will probably never break. Spring bronze weather stripping will stop air leaks and smooth the operation of the window. Replacement pulleys are available that are high quality and quiet. As Pecan Park's homes become more and more historic with each passing year, let's do our part to protect and preserve them for whoever ends up with them in the future and for our own pleasure while we live in them.