Pretty soon, it will be much easier to replace your windows if you live in a Local Historic District in Providence.
After much discussion, the PHDC will likely approve revised standards on a variety of items in their jurisdiction, including standards for replacement windows.
“Replacement windows that have been documented and approved by the Commission, shall be approved by Staff where allowed (Landmark Buildings shall be reviewed by the Commission),” reads the proposed amendment. The Commission and its staff are still fleshing out the final version of the language, but the goal is to improve the efficiency of window replacements, particularly as landlords seek to become lead-compliant per state law.
Though Ward 1 Councilor John Goncalves introduced a resolution to the City Council at its meeting on Nov. 7 to ease restrictions on window replacement in local historic districts, the decision-making on the matter falls squarely in the PHDC’s domain. Revised standards were already in the works, and the Commission opted to continue the matter from its Oct. 25 meeting to further finalize the language.
Homeowners will be able to select replacement windows from a preapproved list, which will then be approved at the staff level so that every historic window replacement in the city does not need to be brought before the full commission during its monthly meeting.
Additionally at the state level, the Rhode Island Department of Health has clarified its standards for double-hung windows.
Double-hung windows in historic homes pose particular challenges in terms of lead safety. Frequent wood-on-wood friction can release lead particles into the air, posing a health risk.
“Windows that do not operate freely may be a significant source of lead-based paint chips and lead-contaminated dust,” according to a RIDOH Lead Safety Guidance Document. “Interim controls for double-hung wooden windows include stripping and resealing window sashes, installing window track liners, and covering window wells to eliminate abrasion of painted surfaces and provide a smooth cleanable surface in the well.”
Many windows in Providence are double-hung. These windows have two sashes — moveable segments of glass surrounded by wood — operated by ropes. The two sashes can move independently. But for many double-hung windows in Providence, the upper sash is fixed in place — and oftentimes has been for decades.
However, there was a lack of clarity on whether lead standards required windows to be fully operable. If full operability was required in historic homes, it would mean homeowners would need to make these upper sashes mobile again. That would entail replacing the entire window rather than just the bottom, mobile sash.
Now, the upper sash can remain fixed, RIDOH confirmed.
“All window components that are designed to be operable must continue to be operable following interim controls, except in instances of wood-on-wood windows and the upper portion of a double hung window that has been made permanently inoperable. This may apply mostly in historic homes, for example,” reads RIDOH’s guide document.
With a fixed upper sash, only half the window would need to be replaced or altered to be considered lead-compliant.
On the municipal level, the PHDC is set to modify its standards at its upcoming meeting on Nov. 25.
By Katy Pickens / Planning & Preservation Writer / kpickens@ppsri.org