E118: Preservation Over Replacement: Saving Century-Old Windows in Pittsburgh with Allegheny Designs

What makes David Flannery with Allegheny Designs a good neighbor?  

Ever wonder why those wavy-glass, wood-framed windows in older homes refuse to quit? We sit down with David Flannery of Allegheny Designs to uncover the surprising truth: the classic double-hung window was essentially perfected in the 19th century, built from dense old growth wood that shrugs off insects and weather, and designed for natural ventilation long before air conditioning. David shares how careful restoration- using spring bronze weatherstripping and traditional glazing putty- brings century-old sash back to life for another hundred years without sacrificing authenticity.

We dig into the myths pushed by the replacement window industry and explain why many modern units are a short-term fix compared to properly repaired originals. David walks us through what homeowners should look for, from failing putty to surface checks that seem scary but are often cosmetic. He also reveals how a simple airflow trick- raising the bottom sash and lowering the top- can cool a house and cut reliance on mechanical systems. Beyond the craft, we talk about the surge in demand, multiyear waitlists, and the growing, collaborative network of restoration pros across the country, including many women-led shops setting the standard for quality and mentorship.

You’ll come away with practical insight on preserving architectural character, improving comfort, and making smarter, more sustainable choices for your home. If you’ve ever faced the decision to replace or restore, this conversation offers a clear, values-driven roadmap. Listen now, then subscribe, share with a neighbor who loves historic homes, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

To learn more about Allegheny Designs go to: 

https://www.alleghenydesigners.com/

Allegheny Designs

(412) 694-8269

E: david@restoringwindows.com 

Transcript

Meet David Of Allegheny Designs

SPEAKER_01 0:00

As well. This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Lila Carter.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of having an old wooden window repaired or restored? A resource maybe closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, David Flannery with Allegheny Designs. David, how's it going today?

SPEAKER_02 0:32

Oh, wonderful. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 0:35

Thank you for being here. We're excited to learn all about you and your business. So please tell us more about your company.

What Window Restoration Really Means

SPEAKER_02 0:43

Well, Allegheny Designs, uh, it's real simple what we do. We take old wood windows, we repair them or restore them. Typically, those are windows that are a hundred years or more uh older. They've been in the house from the time the house was built. They're meant to uh be in the house, they've lasted a hundred years up to this point, and we can come in and again repair and restore them so that they last another hundred years. So it's just an amazing uh service to provide to help people enjoy the original feel of their home.

SPEAKER_00 1:17

And especially since there's so many old Victorian homes and tutor-style homes all over Pittsburgh. We have these kind of pocket throughout the city with various historical homes in them, like the war streets and different areas where I'm sure there's so much potential for business. So, how did you get into this, David?

Accidental Path To A New Craft

SPEAKER_02 1:40

This was a total accident. Uh, I had been in sales, a successful sales career my whole life. And I I hit my late 50s and was like, I'm just I don't care how much I sell or what I sell, I was never happy. So I retired, at least from sales. And I thought, well, I'm handy. I'll just do you know handiwork here, you know, now and then just to keep myself busy. And I was at a customer's house, I was literally fixing a door, and they said, Hey, do you know anybody who can you know repair these wood windows that we have? This is this beautiful house in Highland Park with uh 30 windows. I said, No, I mean Google it. I mean, there's gotta be just a ton of people. They said, We can't find anybody. So I ended up Googling it, and they're right, there was nobody. I just was astounded. So what I said to them was, you know what, let me let me just work on your kitchen window. I'll do it for free. I'm just curious now. So I spent a day or two working on their kitchen window, and I fell in love with it. I couldn't believe the craftsmanship in this window. It's a simple square over a square. We call them double hungs. They're meant to go up from the bottom, down from the top. And I and I realized that the window had been perfected in like 1850. There was nothing else they needed to do to the windows. They were perfect, they were made with wood that was old growth wood, 200 to 300 years old when it was cut. Insects hate it, they can't chew it. Um, water is repelled, disease is repelled. So I essentially come up to these houses now and and I'm able to restore a window for the next hundred years. It's just uh it's just amazing. So I fell in love with it and started a business.

Myths About Replacement Windows

SPEAKER_00 3:29

Very cool. So, what are some myths or maybe misconceptions in this industry whenever people are looking to have their windows repaired or restored?

SPEAKER_02 3:41

Yeah, that's a good question because there's a lot. First of all, and the main one is people don't even know that you can repair a wood window or restore, they just uh think they have to buy replacement windows. You know, the replacement window industry, you know, spends a lot of money with mailers and television commercials telling you that you need to have these high energy efficient windows, your life will be better, your marriage will be better. But the fact is, like I said, the window is already perfected, it just needs to be you know fixed and updated. So that's the myth that you don't need replacement windows, you don't need to throw these beautiful windows into the you know the dumpster and replace it with plastic. And they call them replacement windows for a reason because you're gonna have to replace them 20, 30 years from now. They're not permanent, they're a stopgap. Total waste of your money.

Demand, Waitlists, And Marketing

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Sure. Now we know that marketing is the heart of every business. So how are you currently reaching these people that need these repairs? Um, and how are you attracting them to your business? Otherwise, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:51

When I when I decided, when I fell in love with that first window, and I decided, you know what, I'm gonna I'm gonna make this uh a little business. Again, I thought I was gonna have to knock on doors and put flyers on doorknobs, uh, word of mouth, and I'd have, you know, maybe one job every month or two. Well, I put together a website, and I'm not very good at website design or anything, but within six months, I kept getting emails almost like every week that there was that much interest. And it turned out now I get probably five to ten emails every week. I have a wait list of over three years on restorations. That's how much demand it is. So, literally at this point, I don't have to do anything to market myself. If you type into Google Pittsburgh wood window restoration or how do I repair a wood window, you're gonna find me and you're gonna find our site.

SPEAKER_00 5:48

David, some business people might tell you it's time to scale and hire some people and teach them your craft.

SPEAKER_02 5:54

I I have a very intelligent brother that keeps hitting me over the head with I I need to uh take advantage of this interest that there is.

SPEAKER_00 6:04

Oh my goodness, I'm sure. Yeah, there's there's always potential to make money whenever you're working on a body or a home or a car, because those are always things that we need to repair and uh keep in tip top shape, don't we?

SPEAKER_02 6:20

Oh, absolutely, especially your windows. I mean, they're made, you know, if you stand on the curb, the windows were made to fit in your house, they're made to provide uh ventilation. You know, a lot of people don't realize that the old double hungs, you're actually supposed to raise the bottom one six inches, lower the top one six inches in all the windows in the house, and that circulates the air through the house. Because again, these windows were designed well before air conditioning because they didn't need it. Lower the top one, raise the bottom one, natural circulation.

Old-School Methods And Materials

SPEAKER_00 6:53

Very cool. My mother actually had a job restoring uh stained glass windows, specifically in churches around Pittsburgh and beyond. So she would go into the church, remove the window, you know, pry it out of the frame, bring it back, fix all of the cracked pieces in the old leaded technique. So I know now a lot of people who do stained glass do copper foil. Um but she actually worked in that very um old school technique with specifically antique windows. Um, and so she would restore them and then actually go and put them back into the churches. Um awesome.

SPEAKER_02 7:37

Yeah, it was so she fell in love with it, right? She fell in love with it.

SPEAKER_00 7:42

Yeah, but I grew up as a little girl watching her in her studio restore windows. Um that's a good thing. And so yeah, so seeing you come across my desk with this interview, I was just like, you know, my heart fluttered a little bit because I kind of grew up in that world. But it's still restoring something with that character to it and giving appreciation to that. So I love what you do.

SPEAKER_02 8:07

Well, your your mother was what we call a purist. Meaning, she, you know, she didn't use like modern day techniques, she used the old techniques that were perfected in Europe, and that's what we do. So any material that I add to the windows as I'm repairing or restoring them, like for weather stripping, you can weather strip an old window. We use spring bronze, which will last 50 years. We use a sarco putty to hold the glass in place, which once it hardens, and it takes almost six months to harden, will last a hundred years. We don't add any nails to the window, it's all wood and and wooden dials. Everything's left exactly the way it was designed.

Life Outside The Shop: Bees And Stars

SPEAKER_00 8:50

That's so cool that you learned this craft and that you saw a gap in the market and that you were able to fulfill it. Um, and that's very interesting. I'm sure that it takes up a lot of your time. But outside of work, David, what do you do for fun?

SPEAKER_02 9:06

That's a that's another great question because you can get lost in your job, right? Um, but spring's coming. I'm very excited of planting a garden, having uh come home at night, have some fresh lettuce and tomatoes. And uh I just ordered some bees, so I'm gonna be a beekeeper. I'm gonna start with two hives because you know there is no flower without the bees, and there's no bees without the flower, so I'm really excited to see how those work together. And also, um I started walking my brother's dog, his name is Cooper, and at first it was an obligation, you know, three, four times a day. Oh my god, what did I get myself into? A couple weeks went by. One, I fell in love with the dog. Cooper's just an amazing, amazing dog. But two, it got me outside, it got me walking and looking around, um, looking at trees, looking at the sky. So now um I've reignited my uh passion for astronomy, and uh I'll be looking, you know, whenever we get a clear, clear day or clear night, I'll go out and look at some stars and constellations. But the biggest thing about Cooper is he he really knows how to live. Um, so much so, so many lessons from walking a dog in the woods, all the noise um that society brings at us with the internet and everything, just sort of settle settles you back down and learn to appreciate the world like a dog does.

Why Old Growth Wood Endures

SPEAKER_00 10:34

Oh, that's very sweet. Yeah, I love my dogs, and walking them around my neighborhood is literally the highlight of the day. Maybe you can consider adopting a dog of your own if you love Cooper that much.

SPEAKER_02 10:47

Well, he, you know what? I can't imagine life without him. Oh, that's so sweet.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

He told me he wants a cousin.

SPEAKER_02 10:57

You know what? You never know, right? You never know.

SPEAKER_00 10:59

Yeah, well, Animal Friends or Animal Rescue League are great ones to go and look for your own if you ever decide to. Um, David, so please tell our listeners one thing that they should remember or that should stick with them about Allegheny designs.

SPEAKER_02 11:16

Well, again, it it goes back to the wood. It's old growth wood that was used to make their windows. There's only a few old growth forests left. Um, there's one in Cook Forest, about two hours from Pittsburgh. But if you were to compare the old wood versus the new wood, like you get at Home Depot, there's just there's just no no comparison. And the thing that most people are shocked is they look at their windows and they see some putty around the glass failing, or they see some what are called uh weather tights, you know, cracks in the wood. They think their windows have to be replaced. But the the interesting thing is is that window's already lasted 100 or 120 years, it can wait a couple years to be restored. So no matter how bad you think that window is, you're gonna be surprised to find out that it doesn't need to be fixed today, but it can be fixed in the next couple years and be brought back to life. And you're gifting, think of what you're doing. You're when you leave that house, whether you move somewhere or you go on to your next journey, you're leaving a huge gift to the homeowner. These beautiful windows that work and are you know authentic to their home. It's just a huge gift and a great way to pass it on, as they say.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

Absolutely. So, how can our listeners learn more about Allegheny Designs?

SPEAKER_02 12:38

Well, um the website is Allegheny Designs.com. Um, but again, sometimes that's hard to remember or to Google. You can literally just Google Pittsburgh uh window restoration. Um, how do I repair my wood windows? How do I restore my wood windows? Almost anything you type into Google um will pull us up. You may have to scroll past, you know, the replacement window companies, right? Um, and even ones that say, hey, we restore windows, you know, give us a call. They're not gonna restore your, they're gonna come out and tell you your windows are horrible and you need to replace them. So basically just type in what you're looking for, you know, Pittsburgh. You can also type in David Flannery, and our website will come up.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

Very good. Yeah, and it sounds like people don't need to be afraid of a three-year wait list because their windows are gonna do just fine the next couple of years. Really, you know, they've been in there for a hundred already. So it's just getting on that wait list and then getting an expert out there to eventually do the work is is critical.

A Call For New Tradespeople

SPEAKER_02 13:42

Yeah, and you know, even through this podcast, I'm hoping I attract some young men or women, or even older men and women that want to get in the business, that want to learn about it, want to learn a trade, maybe part-time, or maybe you want to make a career of it. There's so much interest in restoring wood windows that a young woman or a young man can literally build a life around it. And I have to emphasize women when I say that, because women have found a huge, huge place in the industry. We have networks uh across the country, you know, every city has one or two window restoration people, and some of the best companies are run by women. I don't know what it is, but they're wonderful to work with, they're willing to share their knowledge. And so if there's any young women out there, give us a call, jump right in, we'll help you get your feet on the ground.

SPEAKER_00 14:36

Excellent. Well, thank you so much, David, for being on the show today. We wish you and your business the very best moving forward here.

SPEAKER_02 14:46

Thank you so much. You have a great day.

SPEAKER_00 14:49

You too.

Closing And Listener Nomination Info

SPEAKER_01 14:50

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnppittsburgh.com. That's gnppittsburgh.com or call 412 561 9956.