A few years ago, the oldest house on the market in Minnesota was nearly demolished. This house has been on the National Historical Registry since 1979. Unfortunately, there are many homes in the same boat as this one and they are not seeing the hope that this one house has seen.

Built in 1852 in Anoka, the house owned by the first senator of Minnesota fell into disarray. The yard was cluttered with junk, the wiring had been torn away, dust coated every room, vandalism was everywhere, and the house had been gutted. Even the bathtub was stolen.

Around the time the house was listed on the Historical Registry, it was also listed as one of the most endangered properties. This is no longer the case after a three year home remodeling and renovation project that cost nearly $100,000. Experts call this home a miracle due to the lack of preservation programs that are available.

Some old homes are not so lucky, though.

Last year, the 118-year-old Dewey Radke House in Little Falls was demolished after the City Council voted to have it done. This was the result despite the efforts of citizens to save the house, which spanned a total of three years. Nonetheless, the house was owned by the city and used for meetings, so it was their decision to make. After it was demolished, the Weyerhaeuser Museum sold commemorative mugs. Many residents were brokenhearted over the demolition.

While there are some old homes that are comfortably marketable and only in need of slight remodeling.

St. Paul is home to the historic Davern House, which was built in 1862 and sold for a whopping price tag of $1.25 million in June 2012. This is an example of a comfortably marketable home. Unfortunately, there are rural communities that are home to historic homes that are sitting on very shaky footing that, if the funding was available, could be completely renovated to become quality homes once again. Instead, they are sitting alone and uncared for, their foundations becoming as creaky as their floors.

It’s always nice to have functional bathroom windows. After all, having a bathroom window or two definitely brightens up a room we use so much. And starting off the day in a bright, airy room is certainly a great way to begin the day on the right foot.  But the key concept to keep in mind when choosing bathroom windows is how to receive all of the benefits they provide, while still maintaining a modest level of privacy. Here are four ways to accomplish just that…

One – Use Permanently Opaque Or Frosted Glass

Using lightly frosted or opaque glass is a great way to include windows in the bathroom. They’re still perfectly able to let all of the light in, but without revealing anything that should be kept private. Because this type of glass can be used in standard functioning windows, using this privacy idea can still even allow the opening of bathroom windows to take advantage of the nice outdoor breeze.

Two – Automatically Frosting Windows

Auto-frosting windows are becoming increasingly popular in today’s modern homes – both in bathrooms and in other rooms of the house too. Basically, the windows include a special feature that instantly “frosts” the window with a flip of a switch. The frosting is actually accomplished by a unique reactive material placed between the panes of glass that is activated electrically. These allow both privacy when needed and the ability to appreciate the outdoor view when that’s preferable.

Three – Use Glass Blocks For Bathroom Windows

Chances are, you’ve seen this technique used for creating an exterior bathroom window before. It works great – the light can shine in, but the transparency is completely obstructed. Some architects even use glass blocks for internal bathroom walls or for shower walls. This is a nice technique; however, many find the look to be really modern. So depending on the style of your home, this may or may not be a desirable choice.

Four – The Stained or Leaded Glass Look

Traditional stained and leaded-style glass is a unique option for having windows while maintaining privacy in the bathroom. However, in modern construction, using old-fashioned single pane glass would just be inefficient. This can be overcome either by mounting a real art glass window frame on the inside of the existing window. Alternately, some window manufacturers have really great artistic window designs that accomplish the stained or leaded glass look while still providing a modern efficient and functioning window.

Having bathroom windows is important. But perhaps even more important is the need for privacy. Fortunately, by using these ideas or other similar ideas, both needs can be met.