ABOUT PORTALS
This is PORTALS WOOD WINDOW & DOOR. Wm. Murphy (Murph), sole owner. As a skilled craftsman and historical enthusiast I observe the condition of wood windows and doors everywhere. In my experience most wood windows and doors have been neglected far too long and are in need of varying degrees of love. Windows often nailed or painted shut, ropes and weights tangled or missing, rusty/seized hinges, cracked glazing putty, failed or missing weather-stripping. I'll take things that make a wood window very unhappy for $200 Alex.
Doors also require adjustments to maintain their proper function and energy efficiency. A PORTALS window/door custom restoration tune up solves these issues. I provide a unique mix of jamb and sash integrated compression bulb and brush weatherstrippings to windows and doors that greatly reduce drafts, dust, and energy loss.
I have 25+ years trades experience starting at 20 years of age in Red Hook, Brooklyn, N.Y. after leaving home/college in the northern Adirondack Mtns. Through friendly connections I gained an entry level position at a well respected high end interior architectural outfit in Manhattan known as Faro, Inc. http://www.farobuilding.com Starting there and since moving to the Bay Area in '02 I climbed the trade ladder from the bottom to the top. The 5 years prior to going out on my own in 2014 I was the lead installer/foreman for a custom installation team that focused exclusively on mastering the craftsmanship necessary to rehabilitate and install historic wood windows and entry doors. I now provide this high quality craftsmanship personally.
Through my work I seek to preserve the original integrity of historic architecture while at the same time adapting older living spaces into the present with fully functional energy efficient wood windows and doors. Restoration and preservation of original historic building materials such as old growth woods, especially in the case of the rope and pulley double hung window, is of the utmost importance in a time where natural resources are rapidly depleting and historic architecture is demolished.
Although restoration and preservation are always the primary goals, the reality is most original wood windows and doors I see these days 80/90+ years old that are exposed to the elements are beyond restoration. An extreme lack of maintenance and neglect over many years in combination with more extreme environmental conditions over the last 2 decades leads to re-builds and replacement as opposed to restoration and a tune up. In this case exact replica made by hand re-builds are produced. 80-100 years is a great run and rebuilds are usually necessary at this age with given neglect.
I truly admire the craftsmanship of old construction and the quality of historic building materials, and I take extremely great pride in my craft. I am licensed by the State of California, EPA Lead Certified, and am fully bonded and insured. If you are thinking about new wood windows or doors, please give serious thought to restoring or replacing with historic wood replicas as opposed to inferior vinyl or aluminum inserts. I don't care how great Pella, Anderson, and Marvin think they are they are not as good as custom wood rebuilds. Although if you must pick one, Marvin all the way.
I look forward to sharing my craftsmanship with you!
Cheers! Murph NFA (~);}
Doors also require adjustments to maintain their proper function and energy efficiency. A PORTALS window/door custom restoration tune up solves these issues. I provide a unique mix of jamb and sash integrated compression bulb and brush weatherstrippings to windows and doors that greatly reduce drafts, dust, and energy loss.
I have 25+ years trades experience starting at 20 years of age in Red Hook, Brooklyn, N.Y. after leaving home/college in the northern Adirondack Mtns. Through friendly connections I gained an entry level position at a well respected high end interior architectural outfit in Manhattan known as Faro, Inc. http://www.farobuilding.com Starting there and since moving to the Bay Area in '02 I climbed the trade ladder from the bottom to the top. The 5 years prior to going out on my own in 2014 I was the lead installer/foreman for a custom installation team that focused exclusively on mastering the craftsmanship necessary to rehabilitate and install historic wood windows and entry doors. I now provide this high quality craftsmanship personally.
Through my work I seek to preserve the original integrity of historic architecture while at the same time adapting older living spaces into the present with fully functional energy efficient wood windows and doors. Restoration and preservation of original historic building materials such as old growth woods, especially in the case of the rope and pulley double hung window, is of the utmost importance in a time where natural resources are rapidly depleting and historic architecture is demolished.
Although restoration and preservation are always the primary goals, the reality is most original wood windows and doors I see these days 80/90+ years old that are exposed to the elements are beyond restoration. An extreme lack of maintenance and neglect over many years in combination with more extreme environmental conditions over the last 2 decades leads to re-builds and replacement as opposed to restoration and a tune up. In this case exact replica made by hand re-builds are produced. 80-100 years is a great run and rebuilds are usually necessary at this age with given neglect.
I truly admire the craftsmanship of old construction and the quality of historic building materials, and I take extremely great pride in my craft. I am licensed by the State of California, EPA Lead Certified, and am fully bonded and insured. If you are thinking about new wood windows or doors, please give serious thought to restoring or replacing with historic wood replicas as opposed to inferior vinyl or aluminum inserts. I don't care how great Pella, Anderson, and Marvin think they are they are not as good as custom wood rebuilds. Although if you must pick one, Marvin all the way.
I look forward to sharing my craftsmanship with you!
Cheers! Murph NFA (~);}
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's
greed. - Mahatma Gandhi 1869-1948
greed. - Mahatma Gandhi 1869-1948