Window help

[Tekkie®]

bob haller posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

I heard you twice the first time.

[Tekkie®]

[e-mail] posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

Is this what they use to dine on?

[stryped1]

ut temporarily and measures the square of the window that fits into the rou gh opening. It measured 31 9/16 wide x 71 9/16 tall. I cant find a window l ocally anywhere this size.

One of the panes is broken. Also, the window will not stay up when raised, it just falls back down.

Everything in my house seem installed incorrectly. I just thought in the lo ng term it would be better to replace it.

For example. There is no flashing at all on the window. My house has osb wa lls without housewrap. The bare header above the window is exposed. (The os b that covers the outside walls is somehow missing from the header area. Be cause of this, there is a 7/16 gap at the top of the window. (The thickness of the osb). There was insulation stuffed in there. There were also no nai ls at all on the top flange. I could push on the window from inside the hou se at the top and see the window move.

The wall this window is on is only 12 feet long. My thought was to put tar paper on the wall in leu of housewrap, and install a new window with the st ick on asphalt flashing. (I thought about installing 1/2 inch foam board as well but not sure on that part at this point.

One thing I am worried about with another window is I took one to have a ne w pane put in and it cost me over 100 bucks. I have found new windows for 1

69 bucks.

One question I have is how hard would it be to get my old vinyl siding to l ine up if the new window is slightly a different size on the outside from t he old window?

As always I appreciate it!

[stryped1]

And before anyone says anything, if I decide to try the insulating sheets there is over 1/2 inches of room at each corner piece. Like I said it is an idea, I don't know if I am going to do it or not. I need to find a window first and go from there.

[DerbyDad03]

I'm confused by your comment. Are you saying that you only use new construction windows (the ones with mounting flanges) as opposed to vinyl replacement windows? Doesn't that mean that the siding and trim around the exterior of the RO has to be R&R for each window?

A VRW requires tear-out to the RO (which you mentioned) and typically goes "out" to within an 1/8" on both sides of the RO and within 1/2" of the height, allowing the window to be tilted into the opening from the inside.

When I supplied my measurements I knew they were going to undersize the height by 1/2?, but I also knew I didn't need that much to tilt my windows in. I padded my height measurements a bit just so that I would get as much window as possible. That also meant that I didn't have to raise the windows up too much to eliminate the head expander.

The head expander is not only ugly but it's a PITA to trim around.

[DerbyDad03]

I guess I'm not one of the "most".

In our living room we have a large picture window with a double hung on each side. For the double hungs we put the screen up to the top and open the top sash. Why? The friggin' cat!

Our outdoor cat will knock on our storm door when she wants to walk through the house for an inspection. Depending on what we're doing we don't always hear her knocking. When that happens she (used to) jump from the ground below the window and attached herself to the screen until we noticed her and let her in.

By moving the screens to the top she can't reach them. She will still jump up to the window every now and then and kind of try to land on the window sill, which never works. I'm not sure if she is really trying to land on the sill or if she is just trying to make enough noise to get our attention.

BTW...we have small bells hanging from the inside handle of the patio door. She will reach up and smack them with her paw when she wants to go out.

I never had a single hung window. Can you still tilt in and/or take out the upper sash to clean it?

[Mayayana]

| > How often do you open the top sash? IME, most people never open it. | > | I guess I'm not one of the "most". | | In our living room we have a large picture window with a double hung on | each side. For the double hungs we put the screen up to the top and open | the top sash.

Me, too. I have one over my bed that I leave open at top. The breeze is better in the summer. The cool evening air tends to "drop" in. I've also done it in the past for security, when I've lived in 1st floor apartments.

| I never had a single hung window. Can you still tilt in and/or take out the | upper sash to clean it?

They're not unusual in budget renovations and low-end apartments. The ones I've seen just have a fixed top panel. One actually has to dismantle to whole window to get it out. I'm not sure of the reasoning. Probably it's to save on springs and allow for a flimsier frame. (The top sash acts as a stiffener.)

[clare]

That's what I'm saying, but the trim and siding doesn't have to come off because on good windows the mounting flange is removeable. The window goes in from the inside and fits perfectly to the outer trim.. The window is sealed in with low expansion spray foam. Custom jam extentions are made to fit on site and fastened to the window frames and to the framing, and the original inside trim can usually be salvaged and re-installed - or new inside trim can be made to fit. Depending on the fit, you can order the windows with an integrated "brick mould", which is easily removeable - for a very low extra price.. Can't remember if I used them on my windows or not - I know we got the brickmould on some of the windows when we did mine and the neighbours.

I tell my supplier the size I want - not the rough opening size. That way the fit is up to ME, not them.

And totally un-necessary for a "custom built" window.

You need to see a sample of the windows in question so you can look at and measure the "reveal" - so you know exactly what size you need to make the window and the external trim work - you can always shim the window to fit the RO if you require a window just a tad smaller to make the outer trim work.

When I replaced my upstairs windows I re-used all the internal trim, and the outer "reveal" of the window frame fit 1/8" all around to the existing trim on the siding - which was easily caulked so it looks like the windows went in before the siding went on - Can't tell that they are not the originally installed windows in the house. When I got the price to have my kitchen and lower bathroom windows done I went over the setup with the contractor/supplier and told them exactly how I wanted the job done. Guy said he'd never seen it done that way, but was really impressed with the idea, and he's done it for many other customers since. When the neighbour had the addition put on their house I told the contractor what windows were installed in the rest of the house, and where to get them. He put in a non-matching window - not even the same size - as the third window across the front of the upper floor. It looked like HELL, and I made him tear it out, reframe it, and install the right window in the right position. (and he had installed the new vinyl siding between when I told him it was unacceptable and when he ended up re-doing it - he wasn't happy) The neighbour said that's why she had me monitoring the job - she "couldn't have done it to the guy". Can't tell from looking at the front of the house that there was an addition built - it all looks "original" (built bedroom, guest suite/office and bathroom over the garage and family room)

[clare]

Nope. False economy to install a single hung. Opening the top lets hot air out to provide good circulation in the summer too.

As for the cat - out little Tonkinese used to open the sliding screen door to let heself out if we didn't have it securely latched or blocked - and one day she closed it behind herself. Something in the back yard scared her and she couldn't get back in - she climed almost all the way up th (petprrof fiberglass) screen!!!)

6 1/2 pounds of the smartest cat I've ever seen -and CUTE!!!. She's been gone quite a few years now, and we miss the little rascal.

[DerbyDad03]

I guess I'm not seeing the difference between a window with a flange or brick molding _that you then remove _ and a replacement never had the flange or brick mold from the start. Since they both install from the inside, what's the difference?

Same with me, although I just simply gave them the "wrong" measurements so that when they built the window using their standard process, I ended up with windows sized the way I wanted them to be.

Did that. That's how I knew how much to adjust my measurements.

I, too, used the existing interior trim but I had to rip mine down a bit since the replacement windows were deeper than my original single pane windows.

The exterior trim is wrapped in aluminum. Since I removed the triple track aluminum storms, I also removed all of the aluminum wrap and slid it in towards the new windows then caulked the joints. It was a lot of work, but it came out nice.

I mentioned everything that I did while talking to a window contractor and he said he would have charged me a lot of labor to do everything that I did.

[clare]

The "insert" window, made to fit inside an existing jam, is (generally) of totally different and lighter construction. In many cases it doesn't even have any structural frame. And if using a brick moulding, it is usually installed from the outside. I just checked - neither mine nor my neighbours used a brick moulding except for my kitchen window - and it was a custom narrow brick moulding.

Hard to remember back to when I installed mine - particularly since I was working for a window company at that time and there were so many different ways they were supplied for different jobs.

Dangerous to ASS u me anything when dealing with a supplier if you are doing the install. You say EXACTLY what you want - then you, and ONLY you are responsible for the correct fit.

That's the "jam extension" which I always count on replacing. The "trim" mounts on the wall, covering the "crack" between the jam extention and the plaster, and making it look pretty.

In the case of my kitchen window, there was NO trim, ()or jam extention) because I built the cabinets out over the frame of the window, and the new window needed to fit in tight against the cabinets, with the glass being centered between the cabinets etc so it still looked "right". The installer/supplier was not sure how to do it that it would look right untill I sat down with him and explained how I would do it if I wasn't paying him to do the job.

The aluminum wrap could have been completely removed, along with the exterior trim the way I do it.

A proper window replacement is NEVER cheap if you are paying for it!!!

[Tekkie®]

[e-mail] posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

There is another waiting at the shelter for you. My Franny is agreeing with me right now as I type this.

[DerbyDad03]

...snip...

...snip...

That's where we disagree. There were no dangerous assumptions made.

The manufacturer of my windows has a stated SOP for a window order: They will make them 1/4" narrower and 1/2" shorter than the measurements given by the customer. When you look at it from that perspective, you realize that they don't care about your RO. They don't even care if you have a RO. They will simply make the windows 1/4? narrower and 1/2" shorter that the measurements you give them.

If I give them a set of measurements and let them follow their SOP, I will get windows that are exactly the size I want because I know they will make them 1/4" narrower and 1/2" shorter than the measurements I give them. If they don't, I can send them back. I, and ONLY I, am responsible for the correct fit and I didn't have to get into any conversation related to having them do something than their SOP. I see more room for error and miscommunication by asking/telling them to do something different than they do thousands upon thousands of times a year.

Perhaps your manufacturer handles window orders differently. Maybe they want exact measurements, maybe they accept various types of measurements along with instructions e.g. "These are exact measurements" or "These are RO measurements". In my case, I simply let them follow their SOP, knowing that if they didn't, I could simply return the window(s).