Comments on: A cool way to turn a window into a door

By: Funk Daddy

Funk Daddy — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Yeah that’s cool, but a faster and cooler way is to have Chuck Norris over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTB8i8G7t7M

By: ChickieD

ChickieD — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 13:06:00 +0000

It’s true that during the colonial era houses were taxed by the windows. I toured a home from that era in Wilmington, NC and had an excellent docent, and she said that the home was taxed by the number of windows. In fact, she showed us all the items that were taxed in the home – no wonder we revolted.

By: Historybuff

Historybuff — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 08:24:00 +0000

I know you’re a pain [pane] but you weren’t made in a glass factory.

By: Amelia_G

Amelia_G — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 07:01:00 +0000

French peasants are notorious.

By: Al_Packer

Al_Packer — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 04:31:00 +0000

Some French farmers had small houses, but if youi were a trusted friend they would pull the rug aside, lift the hatch, and take you down into the much larger, much more nicely furnished real house. All done to hide signs of visible wealth from the tax man.

By: George Grey Cowie

George Grey Cowie — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 03:58:00 +0000

Houses in my home town (New Orleans) were taxed by the number of chimneys, which is why there were so many rooms that were back-to-back with fireplaces and shared one chimney. This includes houses with side-by-side duplexes shared between two related families.

By: Missy Pants

Missy Pants — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 03:57:00 +0000

You beat me to it. :)
In Newfoundland they have what is refered to as “Mother-in-law” doors, which a full door, usually on the front of the house above the actual front door, but it opens onto nothing, if you stepped through it from the inside you’d fall down to the ground. Tax levels for “incomplete” construction was different than completed houses. So having a door to a non-existant balcony or stair case kept the houses at the lower level. http://www.pbase.com/image/83903014

By: PathogenAntifreeze

PathogenAntifreeze — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 03:24:00 +0000

Gah… that was a reply… out of context, it would look weird here.

By: PathogenAntifreeze

PathogenAntifreeze — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 03:24:00 +0000

”Oh my god!!! Did you *SHIT* in the kitchen sink???” she cried. “Honey, we’re saving on taxes this way,” he replied nonchalantly.

By: R

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 03:19:00 +0000

You know, mansard roofs were invented to give Parisians an extra story of house without adding any taxes, Charleston houses have their long side facing the inside lot and the narrow side facing the front for tax reasons too. Someone needs to write a book on architectural conventions designed to cheat the taxman. (Geoff M. @ BLDGBLOG, I’m looking at you)

By: awjt

awjt — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 01:26:00 +0000

Whatever turns you moron.

By: Sisuile

Sisuile — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:56:00 +0000

Jefferson Windows are a relic of a property taxation methodology. At one point in the City of St. Louis, property taxes were figured on the number of doors on your home – It made figuring taxes easy, as the assessors could just count the number of doors from the outside and move down the street. Jefferson windows are visibly windows, not doors, and a way to cheat this system. We still have part of this methodology in place – a good 3/4ths (at least) of the city doesn’t have metered water bills, it’s figured by a formula involving number of rooms, toilets, & shower/bathtubs. These are things that usually don’t change without the city being aware of it from the plumbing/building permits.

By: Not Yet

Not Yet — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:02:00 +0000

Brainspore, the line you’re looking for is:

“Was you mother a glassmaker?”

By: RichZellich

RichZellich — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:24:00 +0000

It’s commonly called a Jefferson Window. No, Thomas Jefferson didn’t invent them (a common myth), but he did use triple sash windows in his Monticello home.

They’re not uncommon in St. Louis.

By: Brainspore

Brainspore — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:27:00 +0000

Hey, whatever keeps your vessel buoyant.

By: robdobbs

robdobbs — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:22:00 +0000

I use this one: You make a better door than a window.

By: Maggie Koerth-Baker

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:21:00 +0000

No, it’s a bit different. We’ve got sash windows in the US, too. I have them in my house. But in my sash windows, when I pull up the bottom half, it just slides up behind the top half.

I couldn’t get a good picture of it, but this window actually slides into the wall itself. It’s probably the same counterweight mechanism, but it works more like a pocket door.

By: hassan-i-sabbah

hassan-i-sabbah — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:13:00 +0000

They are cool though. FYI just in case; Never use the counter weights from sash windows as nunchuks…. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sash_window

By: hassan-i-sabbah

hassan-i-sabbah — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:10:00 +0000

Its just a big Sash window, common in Georgian houses, we have a lot of them in Scotland.

By: Brainspore

Brainspore — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:04:00 +0000

This reminds me of a phrase that’s sometimes used to let someone know that they’re blocking your view.

I think it goes “you are too opaque to see through.”

By: AtlPatrick

AtlPatrick — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:56:00 +0000

They had these in New Orleans; I lived in a “shotgun double” near St. Charles Ave with these on the second floor. I had heard that they did this because houses in the 1800′s were taxed by the number of doors to the outside; dunno if that’s true.

By: Sean P Kelly

Sean P Kelly — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:40:00 +0000

I live in that neighborhood too! Added to seeing Cory at the library yesterday, I coulda had a BoingBoing twofer going on this month. Then all I’d need is to run into Xeni and I’m pretty sure I get a free sub.