I think, yes.

The house will look a bit "blind" without them. This was done with color from the actual windows not a generic grey

The muntins prevent the windows from looking like black holes.

Thanks Pal - you are such a peach! I kind of had a feeling you would say I need them. I just thought maybe since it was a cookie cutter house I could get away with it :)

thank you for helping too andee. I guess I need a modern house someday.

OK next question. Would it look odd to have them just in the front of the house? Then I could take them off the back windows (which are really the ones that annoy me more anyway, as well as the side? I don't think anyone would see that or care.

I think I am hesitating in case they break or something when we remove them. I could just take them off and put them in the attic so that we have them if we ever sold.

I agree with Pal's photo example, yes. They fit your house style.

ML

Have you considered just leaving them on the top sashes and having the lower sashes bare? Would that open things up enough for you visually? Assuming they are relatively easy to remove and replace, you could try that and look from the street to check it - take a pic for us of course!

I really like dlm's idea. Do you have separate muntins for top and bottom?

Half-and-half look really half-done. Like your original window installer ran out of money.

http://www.oldhouseguy.com/windows/. Pal's reference to the blank stare...

This post was edited by patricia43 on Thu, Aug 14, 14 at 12:40

I don't think it looks half done at all pammyfay but of course that's my subjective opinion. However I'm basing it on homes in my town that have divided lites on the top sash and it was intentional to the design and has nothing at all to do with running out of money. These are homes that are far older than boop's (mid 30's to 50's) and more classically colonial than hers but it certainly could translate to her house and is worth trying. nice work, awm - I do think it has possibilities.

boop - you might also consider if changing the color would help you like them from the inside a bit more. Look for pictures of black or very dark green/almost black grilles - Houzz has some although most show only the outside. Some people feel the white grilles are visual interrupters but the dark ones are easier to look past. In fact, I just found this one on Pinterest - far more examples there than Houzz, too.

I don't think you have to paint the sashes black - I'm looking for examples of just the grilles and will post if I find any.

Muntined upper and plain lower could be okay, it's actually a vintage/historic look.

I would probably go for some sort of consistency throughout the house, partly because some rooms have windows on the front and side, I would assume.

Historically, the opposite sorts of things were actually done when it was more impressive to have bigger pieces of glass. You would often have 1/1 or 2/1 on the front, especially the first two floors, and higher might be 2/2--and the back might even be more divided. But these were houses with only fronts and backs (row houses) and on streets where you had a hard time getting a long view of the upper stories.

I agree with pal. The windows would look undefined, naked. The muttins add personality and interest(maybe not yours lol). The option of removing them from the bottom isn't a bad idea either.

love the half muntined windows.

Someone on my street put in new windows without muntins. I really don't like it. Black hole is a good description. It almost looks they way a house looks after a fire and all the windows have been knocked out. Someone else did the half muntined look. That's a little better. It only looks like half a black hole. I vote for keeping the muntins.

Y'all are the best! I do think it might be a good idea to paint them. I had originally thought that, then I thought, why not get rid of them? The windows on the inside are dark brownish stained wood, so maybe I can have DH spray paint them brown?

I don't mind the half and half look but I think the white would still bug me so maybe I should just ask him to paint them all.

The rooms in the front do not actually have any side or back windows. So in theory I could leave the ones in the front and then take out the side and back ones for now. When/If we do siding I was thinking of adding some side windows (is that crazy?) to add more light and then it could be an issue though.

I can't wait to see the face I get on this one :)

"When/If we do siding I was thinking of adding some side windows (is that crazy?)"

It's a great idea Cross-lighting is wonderful.

If you redo the siding you may want to think about getting rid of the partial Palladian style window in the front gable.

If you are redoing the windows you may be able to simplify:
And of course you could change colors

I love the last photoshopped pic pal did. It looks great!!!

I love it too! I hadnt thought of taking out that top window. I do like it inside, but I see what you mean on the outside.

If I was footloose fancy free and single I would get rid of the brick. DH LOVES it.

Either way I would like to do the house in red when we redo it.

Some pics from the last dicussion on that here in which I got such helpful feedback :)

I like this one with tan trim and no shutters....

DH likes with whiter trim and shutters...

I like adding the window over the garage and I think I like taking out the rounded window too.

I am not so sure how the windows will look as Pal posted them in that last mock up with less muntins with the red house. But I think it could work!

Funny - I had mentioned the muntins to DH about 3 weeks ago. he didn't say too much. I posted this thread and hadnt' told him. I got home last night and he had taken them out of one of the windows on the side of the house.

It looked so much better! From the inside of course. I told him you all said we had to keep the ones on the front but he could paint them :)