Removing old windows for replacement

[blickcd]

My house was built in 1989. Most of the builder grade, double pane, double hung, aluminum frame windows have ruptured seals and are fogged up. I am considering repacing them myself but have no idea how to remove them.

The original windows seem to have a flange that has been nailed to the sheathing before the siding was put on. The house has aluminum siding and also brick veneer, and I don't want to damage either when tearing out the old windows.

The interior is drywall boxed in around the window openings with a sill made of a corian looking material. Damaging the drywall would be easy enough to fix, but I'd like to avoid that too.

I take on a lot of home repair projects and get good results, and I assume I have all the tools I need. I just need some direction here as to how to start.

One final question, and I suppose this is something all DIY people need to ask themselves at one time or another: Will there be any real savings buying windows from Home Depot and installing them myself vs ordering from one of the many local companies, who I assume get them bulk for better prices, and letting their crew install them?

Thanks, Christopher

[Art]

I would look at the Andersen window site. They make a line of windows for replacement purposes. See if they have instructions posted or they will email them to you.

[John‰]                      Â]

Why are you planning to fix something that isn't broke?

If insulated units have failed seals, remove them from the window frames and replace them. There is no need to replace the entire window.

Look in the yellow pages under "glass"; most companies will give you a free estimate and explain to you how to replace the glass in your particular windows. If you really want to do it yourself, most companies will be glad to make or order the insulated units for you and let you pick them up.

Replacing windows is expensive and a lot of work. Why do it if you don't have to?

John

[CR]

You can just replace the glass units without replacing the frames. Or if you want to get rid of the aluminum frames and replace with more efficient or better looking frames it can be done easier than it looks. First, get the exact measurements of the windows you are going to replace. Order them, most places charge about $5 more to order them without the flange, or you can get them with the flange and score it with a knife and snap it off. (measure the new ones when you get them if you get them at Home Depot, two of the ones I ordered came the wrong size.)

Remove the glass units from the old frame, sawsall the old frame in two in the middle at the top and bottom and also cut out the center piece if they are sliders. Pry the bottom pieces up and the top pieces down and then the sides out. The old flanges will come out with the frame.

The new units slide right into the hole and are shimmed and drilled in about

3 places on each side and attached with screws to the jam. Caulk the outside and seal from the inside and put the trim back on. I did 5 of them last summer in one day. (minus the trim) The only slight damage was to the sheetrock in a couple of places that were small enough to fix with fixall.

CR

[George E. Cawthon]

I have a half height brick veneer also and since I didn't know how to do it I hired a window guy to put in the three front windows. I was amazed at how simple it was. You just collapse the frame by drilling holes in the aluminum and then use a come along to put the sides together. Essentially it pulls the nail out of the wood, no damage to the siding or the brick. Then remove the flange on the new windows (see CR response) set the frames in drill holes in the frame and use screws to hold the frames in. Sealing can be a bit of problem but basically use caulk, If you can leave a bit of the flange on the frame it will help and then overlap with a bit of waterproof material, i.e., #30 felt, heavy vinyl, etc. You may find that the new widow frames also set back more which will require cutting the inside wall board and your sill.

In my case, I bought the other windows and installed them, but I also cut the siding back (wouldn't want to do that with brick) and then made 1-1/4 molding that goes around the window, with grooves that are filled with ground to finish off the window. I still removed the flanges and installed with screw to make the windows fit with a about 1/2" stand out from the surface of the siding. Worked very well, but you need a saw and router to make the molding from 2x4s and a sense of what would look good.

The cost of having it done will be about 3 times the cost of buying the windows at HD. You might want to have someone do a window or two and watch what they do before you decide to do it yourself.

BTW. There is no comparison between old aluminum frame windows and new vinyl for insulation and sound reduction.

[ds549]

christopher wrote> "My house was built in 1989. Most of the builder grade, double pane, double hung, aluminum frame windows have ruptured seals and are fogged up. I am considering repacing them myself but have no idea how to remove them. The original windows seem to have a flange that has been nailed to the sheathing before the siding was put on. The house has aluminum siding and also brick veneer, and I don't want to damage either when tearing out the old windows. The interior is drywall boxed in around the window openings with a sill made of a corian looking material. Damaging the drywall would be easy enough to fix, but I'd like to avoid that too. I take on a lot of home repair projects and get good results, and I assume I have all the tools I need. I just need some direction here as to how to start. One final question, and I suppose this is something all DIY people need to ask themselves at one time or another: Will there be any real savings buying windows from Home Depot and installing them myself vs ordering from one of the many local companies, who I assume get them bulk for better prices, and letting their crew install them? Thanks, Christopher"...... ....... i also have a 1oo year old house. i bought a couple 2 pane vynile windows from home depot.... i then saw some windows that were installed by window world for 189.00 installed. and they were better quality than the 3oo+ ones i got frome hd . so i had window world put in the rest. i added low e glass for 30.00 ea and it was worth it. lucas

[Art]

Windows in brick are supposed to be flashed and with weepholes on top.

[blickcd]

As far as why I planned to replace the whole window instead of just the glass units, I assumed that the cost would be about the same or it would be a hassle to find a company that would do such a thing. Perhaps I was wrong. I will check around.

Christopher