My windows are not totally 'true to scale'; they are, in fact, slightly less deep than they ought to be, making the construction a bit easier. The difference is not very noticeable in the setting for which they are being built which is the garden.

To make the window glass I use either the clear part from the so called 'Jewel Cases' for CD's, these are rigid clear styrene, and almost (add a couple of pieces of scrap top & bottom, they will be covered up by the frame) large enough for the 11.5 ft height for shops etc. For shops though you will have to buy new cases, otherwise damaged clear fronts can be used. I am also using the clear plastic packaging that a lot of items are now packaged in, especially at Christmas time. Thise are generally much clearer so save them for use later when you can! To fix the 'glass' in I use my normal glue, applying with a cocktail (or toothpick) stick to the inside of the frame and then gently lay the pre-cut 'glass' in position.

Before any 'glass' is needed, however, the window hole needs to be cut. I add to the size of the hole sufficient for the internal edges to be covered with plastic card strip. My cabin is 1.5mm thick, so that is the width of these edge strips. They are cut from .030 (.75 mm) so 1.5mm is added to the window size on both dimensions (sides and top/bottom). In addition there are 4.5mm wide strips added to the outside of the window hole covering up the edges of the strips just added. All of these strips are cut are from .030 (.75mm) strip, and in the case of board & batt (en) buildings before the battens are added (they will come up to the window facing outer edges). What you are doing is finishing off the window frame. Smooth the joins between the two strips to ensure that there is no overlap. To mark out the window hole, I drill a small hole at each corner (of the hole) whilst the wall sheet is flat on the bench; then the hole can be cut from both sides of the sheet quite easily. The windowsill will fit onto the lower part of the window opening later.

For small closed (non (prototype) opening) windows, I added about ¼ to 3/8ths inch added on all 4 sides - this is to allow for gluing the window to the inside of your walls. For 'sash style' windows halve the vertical dimension and cut a couple of pieces with the extra on three sides only. To cut the clear styrene I marked each side of it with a scriber then partially cut on the marked line, and deepen the groove with an 'Olfa' cutter (or skrawker), used gently. Do this on both sides of the cut line; there is no need to cut right through the sheet, with a couple of grooves (front & rear of the sheet), it can be gently snapped apart. You will know when the grooves are deep enough, as it will flex easily. Do not try cut deep as you will mark the inside of the styrene - it will leave cracked flakes showing; gentle cuts are required.

If possible, paint the window frame at this point, then the glass can be fitted. For 'sash' windows mark the window opening with a line that is half the depth and glue one of the two pieces of 'glass' to the top half of the window; you can use the semi viscous style plastic cement and it will dry quite quickly. When dry, it is time to fit the window frame, the outer frame made from .030 (.75mm) thick plastic card and is 3.75mm wide (scale 3"). For fixing, I use the water thin plastic cement, applied very carefully from the rear edge (you can practice here); check the cement has got far enough by looking from the inside. With practice you can also add more cement on the inner edge, BUT be careful, as too much will mark the surface. The width mentioned is a terrible measurement I agree, but I set it on a pair of small screw dividers, and then use those to mark out strips that will be needed all at the same time. That way you can have as many as required easily. Fit these strips all round the (upper) window, and paint the lower underneath edge of the window glass on your window frame colour now. The strips between the glass sheets are next; the cabin windows have 4 small sheets per sash section; later and with larger windows these were reduced in number. I suspect these cabins were done the cheapest way possible, quite understandable really, they were 'company housing' at the time.

These cross strips are 1.25mm wide, or possibly 1.5mm I am not certain, (suggestion make these 1.5mm, later Victorian windows would have had the thinner ones - they will look better!), again from .030 plastic card. Cut them the same way as above, and do all that you require together. When cutting fine strip like these do not cut plastic card from end to end in one cut - that way it will have a 'curl' on it. After marking it out, start and end the cuts through the plastic card about ½ an inch in from the end, when cut through finish each end off to free the strip. That way should stop most of the 'curl'. Mark out the centre of the sides and top/bottom, and fit the strips as above, (AFTER your practice session), be careful as these are much thinner.

You now have the upper part complete, congratulations! For the lower half, which in sash windows are fitted behind the top half, first add and glue from clear styrene scrap 3 pieces around the window hole. These are spacers are to ensure that the lower half is 'set back'. The lowest piece can be fitted with about 2mm standing up from the base, this will be partly covered with a windowsill shortly, meanwhile, paint it the same colour of your window frame. Now the bottom 'glass' half can be glued onto these spacer pieces, and just touching the lower edge of the top piece. Now edge the glass that you fitted as the upper part BUT the top outer frame piece is only half the depth of the rest of the frame: the other half is hidden. Mine are 1.5mm deep here. Continue with the crosspieces as before.

For the windowsill, add a piece of the same strip used for the window facings but 1mm wider. Trim the ends to fit, so that the windowsill extends to the outer edges of the window frame. This is, in effect, a plank that has been fitted on top of the lower edge of the window frame to act as a 'sill'. The windowsill needs to be fitted at a slight slope, to get this slope I fit a small piece of .030mm square plastic card strip close against the bottom scrap clear styrene strip fitted below the main window that was fitted earlier which will make the windowsill slope forwards. That is the intention, as otherwise water will lie there Also slightly 'round off' the front upper edge of the windowsill to assist the water to leave. Do not forget that this cabin is intended for garden use. In 'better' properties the windowsill would be much thicker. Adding an extra strip underneath could show this. Drawings I have looked at seem to show flat windowsills, but my sloped design, will I think, cope better with garden conditions.

On the final straight now; to finish off add a .030 square strip around the sides and top outside the top section - this will leave a gap between the lower section and the newly fitted strip; that is correct - it is the slot that the upper window slid in. It is painted the same colour as the window sections.

That's it, you have now constructed a sash window; add some curtains (folded, painted (choose your colour) paper, glued inside if required. An alternative is a roll blind, which is even easier, a single sheet of paper with a folded and glued lower edge glued on the inside. The 'ochre 'colour of American envelopes is in my opinion perfect for this purpose. No, I didn't have any so I had to do my own.

A final thing is to give the frame and window a coat of 'varnish'; I use the Johnson's product made for kitchen floors 'Klear' or 'Future' in the USA. This is a fast setting (20 minutes), acrylic varnish, that is much used by Military modelers, and is very good. Beware of deep colours like re oxide - paint these colours by themselves.

I have taken a couple of 'horrible close ups' with that 'all seeing' camera eye. These show all the details of my sash style windows.