About

I am Patty Spencer the founder and owner of Fresh Air Sash Cord Repair, Inc.

I have a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and worked as a consulting engineer before I started my family and Fresh Air Sash Cord Repair. My strong technical background, mechanical aptitude, and attention to detail are unique assets that I pass on to every Fresh Air customer. In my consulting career I also gained valuable experience in working with clients and running a business.

My first window repair was in 1992 on a bathroom window in my own 85 year old Northeast Portland home. It was a humbling experience! I realized that window repair required knowledge, patience and skills, so I set out to learn everything I could about double-hung windows in older Portland homes. I read many home-repair books, talked to contractors, began acquiring tools and repaired the rest of the windows in my home. I also embarked on many of my own remodeling projects, gaining insight and appreciation for home remodeling and working with contractors. Seven years later, in 1999, I started Fresh Air Sash Cord Repair. Since then, I have repaired more than 1,525 windows in over 350 homes in the Portland metro area.

Before I begin my work with you, I schedule time to discuss your project thoroughly. I will come to your home at no charge* and inspect every window that concerns you. I’ll show you pictures, describe the repair options and procedures, address related concerns such as painting, glass repair, storm windows etc. If this repair is part of a larger remodeling project, we can discuss how I can work with your other trades people. We’ll discuss costs and timing and I will give you a firm bid. At that point we will schedule the repair work. I only schedule one client at a time, so you will receive my undivided attention for the duration of your project.

For most of us, our homes are our biggest financial investment – and we feel a strong attachment to them. You have chosen to live in a home with history and recognize the intrinsic value of its original windows. So I want to make sure that you, my client, have the information you need before you make any decisions, and that you feel 100 percent comfortable with your choices.

Licensed, Bonded, Insured, CCB #184991

EPA Certified Renovator. Certified by the EPA to perform Renovation, Repair and Painting in a lead-safe manner, October 2009.

Window Whisperer, article published in the Portland Tribune, November 20, 2008. www.nancywoods.org.

Completed “Save Your Wood Windows” Hands-on Training Program, 2008

Completed OSU Lead-Based Paint Training Program for Remodeling, Repair, and Painting, 2008

Completed HUD/NARI Lead Remodeler’s Training Program, 1999

Member, National Trust for Historic Preservation, www.preservationnation.org.

Member, Architectural Heritage Center, www.visitahc.org.

Can be found on Angie’s List, www.angieslist.com

Giving back to the community – For the past nine years, I have donated window repair services to each of my children’s school’s fundraising auctions, as well as the 2007 Alameda House renovation project.

*I charge a nominal fee for real estate transactions, which I will apply to repair work after closing.