Once youve prepared your new remodel window and the old window frame, its time to install a window into that opening:. It was one of those rare occasions when everything in the house was quiet. No kids fighting, no TV, no booming stereo, which explains why I could hear an ominous noise. It was our first winter in a new home. The Oregon rain was doing its usual make-everything-green thing. I slowly turned my attention to a rhythmic noise and realized it was the sound of water dripping somewhere in the first floor dining room.
Not good. Hmm, no plumbing here, no plumbing upstairs above this room. Upon inspection I discovered that there was a significant puddle of water on the window sill and more drops were joining the party.
Could be a roofing issue, I thought, but seeing rain hitting the glass on the exterior , I figured it must be a window issue. Thats when I noticed the screws. Why were there screws going through the window frame?
This was my second clue that this house had fallen victim to a run-and-gun window replacement scheme under the guise of weatherization. The screws go through the window frame and into the house framing because there were no nailing flanges on the windows.
Of course, there are other reasons to replace windows: to prevent condensation to repair damage to make changes in the design of a room to go from solid glass to grids, or the other way around or to get a window that operates easily for opening and closing. When done right, the exterior trim is removed, the flange of the existing aluminum window is exposed, and the flange is released from the house.
Lately I have been finding an epidemic of improperly installed replacement vinyl windows or, if they are properly installed the installations are not working out as planned. I am talking about windows where the old windows have been removed and new windows are installed in the same opening.
There are ways to do it that are considered best practice and installations that are less than ideal. These poor practices are a little bit more like trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear as they say. In homes where the siding runs right up to the window frameas in older metal frame windows that have no wood trim around themthe siding must be cut back to allow for proper removal of the old window as well as to properly flash and attach the new window in the old opening.
What I am seeing over and over is where the glass is removed from the metal frames and then the frames are collapsed so that the nail flanges can be withdrawn from behind the siding. This accomplishes the desired goal of removing the window but also results in less desirable consequences. How can proper repairs be made to this damage without taking the siding off? Alternatively, if you purchased a new window that is smaller in either or both of the dimensions than the existing window, the installer will have to add framing to the existing opening, making your window opening smaller, which will reduce the natural light and views into your home.
Then, after the window is installed from the outside, new house wrap or tar paper, insulation and sheathing will have to be replaced. The system were showing is for new window installation. Ideally, when you replace an existing window with a new one, it should be weatherproofed using this same system.
Chances are, though, that the existing windows are missing proper flashing, house wrap or even felt. The extent of weatherproofing you should consider depends on the new windows exposure to weather. If the windows deep in an entryway and has zero exposure, you can skip the weatherproofing and just caulk around it. If the top of the window is near an eave but the bottom is exposed to the elements, strip off the siding and focus on flashing the bottom half of the window, but ignore the top.
If the windows out in the open, unprotected by overhangs, strip off as much siding as needed to expose the opening and perform the steps just as we show. In my article last month, Installing Flanged Windows: Two Strategies Compared , I reviewed common window flashing defects I come across while inspecting and field-testing. In addition, I stated my opinion that the AMAA B method is a more robust, reliable, and durable flashing optionshowing a step-by-step, B-1 method flashing installation.
With the AAMA A methods , the side flashing is applied on top of the side nailing flanges, while with the B methods place the side flashing on the rough opening before the window is set in place, resulting in the side flashing under the nailing flanges. Step 1. Step 2. Install Plastic Sill Corners. Step 3. Apply Sill Pan Flashing. Apply Sill Pan Flashing Step 3. Step 4. Window Sealant Application. Step 5. Window Install. Step 6. Buttered Sealant. Buttered sealant. Step 7. Side Flashing.
Step 8. If it has a removable sash, remove it, advises This Old House. Lift the frame into the opening and center it in the middle of the sill plate. You may need help to do this. Place a level on the bottom of the frame and tap cedar shims under the frame with a hammer to center the bubble. When you're finished, place the level along the vertical side of the frame and adjust the top of the frame to center the bubble.
Tap a shim between the top of the frame and the header to hold the window in place. Tap shims into the gap between the frame and the vertical studs on both sides of the window. Put two shims in each side and space them roughly equal distances from the top and bottom of the window.
Don't drill holes in the top or bottom of the window. After you've driven a screw into each of the four holes, fine-tune the shims between the bottom of the window and the sill to make sure the window opens and closes properly.
Finish tightening the screws, making sure they aren't tight enough to draw the sides of the window outward. Cut all the shims flush to the window frame with a handsaw. Install wood trim to hide the gaps between the window and the framing and give the window a finished appearance. If your window has a wood frame, you can hide the screws by countersinking.
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