Anyone who reads this column on a regular basis knows that my husband Mike and I aren’t very good at taking days off.

When we are off from work, we almost always find some project to occupy our time. It seems we are constantly remodeling and replacing outdated or insufficient things around our home and property.

This past week was no exception. We took Thursday as a day off together, and even before it began we knew exactly what we were setting out to do.

So, before we headed to bed on Wednesday, I tried to get us in the right mindset with a spirited chant: “Win-dow! Win-dow! Win-dow!”

You see, our home is at least 120 years old. The auditor’s office lists its construction date as 1900, but folks working in that office have told me that simply means it is at least that old and that it is a default date for old structures about which the details are uncertain.

The foundation is generally in good shape, but it was built using the old-fashioned tile block — a material most contractors today want nothing to do with.

Up until Thursday, all of our basement windows were basically original as well. Those windows consist of a single pan of glass, about 32×24 inches, mounted in a sturdy oak frame and set withing holes in the block walls.

One of those frames had deteriorated and a block beneath it had partially collapsed, so we knew we needed to look into replacing them.

When we got a quote from a local window installer, we immediately decided it was a project we needed to learn to do ourselves.

So, we chose our first target — a window that is easy to reach that my dad had removed the glass from when I was a teenager. In that opening, he installed a large window air conditioner as part of his effort to create a den/play room for my brother’s children when they were very young.

I don’t know the last time that air conditioner was actually run. It had been sitting idle for at least a decade. And, its presence blocked all light from entering that side of the basement through the window.

A couple of weeks ago, we began to disassemble that window. We managed to remove the air condition and the various cables and wires that Dad had run through the opening. We tore out the frame Dad had built to hold that air conditioner semi-permanently in place. We basically got all the way down to the original frame and then stopped, making sure to securely board it up from the inside.

Next, we went shopping. We chose a large, pre-made glass block window with a small vent at its center. We bought the necessary mortar and tools, including a mortar bag that reminds me of icing a cake, and we set everything aside until we had the time to do the actual work.

Thursday was the day. We unboarded that window and set about removing the frame, which was no easy task. Mike used a reciprocating saw to cut through each side, top and bottom of those heavy oak boards, and little by little we were able to pry everything apart and remove it.

Next came the cleaning and preparation. Using a wire brush and a Shop Vac, I knock away decades of debris, loose chunks of old mortar, bits of glue, etc.

Soon we were ready to mix up some fresh mortar and try to set the new window in place. With several shims in place and a helping hand from a friend to lift and help straighten the window, we soon had it in its place.

Mike then used the mortar bag to sort of “pipe” mortar in around the top and sides of the glass. I followed along, smoothing clumps and wiping away smears from the glass. We scrambled to finish before losing the daylight, but we managed to set and seal the window and to clean up the mess we had made in the yard. Mike even used leftover mortar to fill some gaps in and around that part of the foundation, making that entire corner of our house look much more complete, solid and polished.

By Friday morning, the mortar had set up and dried, leaving a fresh, white surface and holding the new window solidly in place.

In the end, our backs ached a bit and we were tired, but Mike and I both felt it was a worthwhile way to spend our “day off.” We are pleased with the window’s appearance both inside and out, and it was great to open that little vent and let some fresh air inside. Then we went out and bought another window …