Ah, the wonders of being a homeowner. There’s no end to this ever-unfolding journey. For example, moving into your new pad, only to discover that none of those beautifully painted, double hung windows in the master bedroom actually open. What the? What kind of insane person lived here, and how can I banish their airflow-denying energy from the space? Someone pass the sage bundle.

Honestly, though. They’re such great windows, and they’ve been sealed shut. I wish I’d known this at the inspection, but the possibility of that being a thing never crossed my mind. Granted, the previous homeowner was an older woman who lived alone, and perhaps she was concerned about security. But, you know, window locks exist – in fact, they exist on many of the other windows in the house.

Enough exclaiming about it, though – time to look into what’s involved in getting this sorted out with a minimum of fuss. Who is good for window replacements, Melbourne builders would probably have a good idea of what needs to be done. Do I need to get the whole window replaced? I’m guessing I might as well – I mean, I could get the more secure ones with locks on them.  

I’ve never once contemplated the question of replacing timber windows near Melbourne. Living in the city, for me, has up until now revolved around rented houses, wherein things like window upgrades were taken care of by someone else. It’s true that it was different when I lived in Tasmania, in that weird shack – the owners definitely left it up to me, the tenant. But that was (let’s say) an unusual situation, and I was just not as invested in the outcome as I am now.

No one ever seems to put much interest on this aspect of owning a house: being a custodian, so to speak, of a structure that requires maintenance of a kind that you’re completely uneducated in. Like I said, it’s a magical journey of wonders!