Hartford Courant 2-17-11
Company Turns Old Windows And Doors Into 'Sash Houses'
Torrington Sash And Door Keeps Workers Busy, Recycles Materials And Makes Money
By JANICE PODSADA, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The Hartford Courant
7:36 p.m. EST, February 17, 2011
When snow and sleet idled Joe Sabia's six workers, he showed them the door — an entire shed filled with doors and windows, in fact.
"When the guys bring back the old doors and windows, we store them," said Sabia, the owner of Torrington Sash and Door Works, which installs new windows and doors.
That gave him an idea. Sabia, whose father founded the company in 1939, decided to turn the stockpile of old windows into tabletop greenhouses. It's far better to build greenhouses than to issue pink slips, he figured.
"I have a great group of guys here and I hate laying people off when it gets slow," Sabia said. "I had the guys put a couple together. We put them out front and we sold the first two in two days."
An old shutter or door becomes the base of the greenhouse. Sashes, the moving part of a window, form the roof and sides. Arched windows might be used to add flourish to the roof gables. A coat of white paint finishes the greenhouse, which Sabia prefers to call "sash houses" because of their multiple uses.
"They can be used to store firewood. One guy put it in his garden just for looks. Some people want to grow vegetables indoors. Another guy thought it would make a good chicken coop," Sabia said.
It takes about a day to build one. Sashes that are falling apart and older windows with a high lead content are rejected.
So far, the company has built 10 sash houses. "Every day we come up with a different design."
The miniature greenhouses, 3 or 4 feet tall, are priced from $250 to $375. It's a bonus for Sabia that the company is recycling, all the more so because some of the old windows may have been installed by his father decades ago.
His original inspiration?
"I'm an avid gardener," said Sabia. "I love starting my own seeds and so I've often thought about building one for my wife."
And how does Sabia's wife like her new sash house?
Well, hers hasn't been built yet, he explained.
"She going to get the next one."
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.courant.com/business/hc-torrington-sash-greenhouse-20110217,0,4345096.story