KolbeWindows & Doors
Wood and clad-wood sash for brownstone and limestone façades.
Windows & Doors · Manhattan
Architectural windows and doors for Manhattan townhouses.
We survey, match and build period-correct sash and entries for landmarked houses — and carry the Landmarks paperwork so you do not have to.
01 · What we do
Three things, done to the standard of the house.(3)
- 01
Survey
Every opening measured, profiled and photographed. Townhouses are rarely square and never identical; we document the existing sash, glazing pattern and brickmold — the wood trim that frames the window in the masonry — before anything is proposed.
- 02
Match
Species, profiles, muntin widths, sightlines and finishes matched to the original or to the period of the house. Muntins are the thin bars dividing the glass; sightlines are how much frame you see from the street. Repair where the wood allows; replace where it does not. We will tell you which.
- 03
Craft
Wood and steel windows and entry doors built to the survey, installed by our own crews, and filed with the Landmarks Preservation Commission for staff-level approval — review by Commission staff, without a public hearing.
Manufacturers
The makers we work with.(4)
We specify from a small number of manufacturers whose products can be made to match historic profiles, sightlines and muntin patterns.
CaobaWindows
Mahogany windows and doors made to order.
SeccoSistemi · Steel Windows
Slim steel and bronze profiles for studio and casement openings.
ReynaersAluminium
Thermally broken aluminium systems for rear façades and extensions.
02 · The Landmarks path
Approval is part of the product.
- 01
Survey & documentation
Measured drawings and photographs of every opening.
- 02
Proposal
Drawings prepared to the standard the LPC expects.
- 03
Filing
A Permit for Minor Work or a Certificate of No Effect, filed by us.
- 04
Staff-level review
We answer the Commission's questions. Typically four to eight weeks.
- 05
Fabrication & installation
Built to the approved drawings, installed by our crews.
Most window and door replacements on landmarked townhouses qualify for staff-level review when they match the historic configuration, material and finish. We design to that standard from the first drawing.
03 · Who we work with
Owners, architects, and the contractors who answer to both.(3)
The owner
You receive a survey, a written recommendation on what to repair and what to replace, a fixed proposal and a filing date. We handle the Commission. You are told what is happening at each step, and when the crew will be at the house.
The architect & specifier
We work from your drawings or produce our own, with profiles, sections and hardware schedules at the level of detail the Commission and your specification require. Shop drawings come back for review before anything is built.
The general contractor
We arrive on the date agreed, with approved drawings and the permit in hand. Openings are measured by us, installed by us and closed out by us, so the window and door scope does not sit on your critical path.
In their words
Architects, owners and builders.(4)
Architect
“The shop drawings came back matching our elevations to the sixteenth of an inch. The Commission approved them on first review.”
Homeowner
“They measured every window and explained each choice in plain terms. The new sash look as though they have always been there.”
Builder
“Deliveries arrived when promised and installation followed our schedule. On a landmarked gut renovation that matters a great deal.”
Remodeler
“We bring them in at the survey stage now. It saves weeks of back and forth with the Commission.”
05 · A line we work by
Faithful to the façade.
Headline, sign-off, and the test for every decision: if a product, a detail or a sentence would not be faithful to the house, it is not ours.
Common questions
Before you call.
01Do I need Commission approval?
If your house is an individual landmark or within a historic district, most window and door work on visible façades requires a permit from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. We prepare the drawings and the application.
02Can my existing windows be restored?
Often, yes. The survey records the condition of each sash and frame, and we recommend restoration wherever it is sound to do so.
03How long does a project take?
It depends on approvals and manufacturing. We give a written schedule after the survey.
04Do you work outside Manhattan?
Yes. We have offices in Brooklyn and Philadelphia.
06 · General inquiries
Request a survey.
General inquiries
Offices in Brooklyn and Philadelphia. Surveys by appointment.