Replacement windows - exterior trim/wrap


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Old 04-30-19, 11:28 AM
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Replacement windows - exterior trim/wrap

Hello All - I've been DIY'ing - out of financial necessity and enjoyment - forever and can't believe I'm only now finding this forum. Just wow, the Internet constantly amazes me how many generous people there are in the world.

The question: I'm looking to DIY replacement windows and trying to decide between new construction and replacement windows (sometimes called "pocket", but basically fit inside existing frames). I plan to still get mid/high quality windows with low e-glass, 2 or 3 pane, gas filled, etc. Some other research (Reddit has a few great threads on this) tells me that the mid-higher lines of Crestline (Menard's) and Reliabilt (Lowe's) are both solid choices....but brand is less important than install and trim process.

Background details: Two story home built 1993 in Ohio. 24-25 windows I think, all but a few of existing windows are single-hung Acorn brand metal frame (aluminum I think). House has newer, insulated vinyl siding so residing it not in consideration. Windows on front of house have wood trim as perimeter and vinyl siding butting up to that. Windows on sides and rear have vinyl J-channel butting right up against (and caulked to) side of window).

My thinking on New Construction windows:
Pros: By far the biggest for me is not messing with exterior trim wrap. Works for all but 2-3 windows. Can be positive about good seals to house wrap. Cheaper per unit generally. Could even build up rough opening to fit a stock (cheaper) window size. I have all the skills, tools, experience here - but more work per window and I really HATE heights.
Cons: working from exterior of home involves heights and complexity for 2nd story. Longer and more work per window with sealing and trim reinstall, paint, caulk.

My thinking on Replacement Windows
Pros: Faster, install from inside, generally find more higher end window options on replacements
Cons: Never worked with trim wrap (vinyl coated alumnium) and would have to fashion a DIY brake to mold it. Not positive of size needed and condition of existing window frame. Unsure how/where to caulk everything to maintain water tight to building envolpe AND trim wrap. Acorn metal frame single hung windows are supposedly tough to remove, could be a rough sawzall around the edge.

Bottom line: I'd love to do Replacement Windows, but how & where to do the aluminum wrapping is giving me a lot of pause. New Construction I know I can do, but will hate the heights and it's a much slower/longer process with all the extra work of cutting back siding, new j channels, and new wood trim.

Skills and tools: I would say I'm somewhere between a weekend warrior and a low-end professional in terms of skills. I've installed about 5 rooms/showers/backsplashes worth of ceramic tile, built decks/fences/swingsets, built-in shelves, relocated a laundry room including all mechanicals. All that is probably nothing for this forum, but what I'm trying to say is intermediate DIY skills are covered between myself/brother/dad.

Thanks to anyone who can offer anything - especially about exterior trim wrap for replacements!!!

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Last edited by PJmax; 04-30-19 at 11:47 AM. Reason: reoriented/resized pictures

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04-30-19, 02:39 PM
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I really don't think your windows are candidates for replacement windows at all. You will need to do new construction. And personally, I would order every one custom and not reframe anything.

That way every window should have the same formula if you measure your existing windows outside. Then remove all the interior trim and double check that those measurements will give you at least 3/8" -1/2" of room in the rough opening on each side on the inside.

If you dont already have a couple 24' extension ladders, but them. Then get yourself a pair of Werner ladder jacks. You can lay a plank on them. Easy peasy.

You will want all new j-channel around all your windows in all likelihood unless you happen to get windows exactly the same size as the old ones.

You could use Boral or Azek trim... both hold paint really well. L.P. Smarttrim is okay. Or vinyl brickmold. Avoiding wrapping with trim coil is my recommendation. You don't have the right style windows that need wrapping.

The windows in the brick.... you might want to make them 4 1/4" smaller than the brick opening so that you can still use the nail fin and then surround them with vinyl brickmold.

Dont get a brown window unless you go fiberglass.
 
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Old 04-30-19, 11:55 AM
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Few more photos of some of the windows.

I am considering a one-window test with a new construction window - likely a stock 32"w x 54" tall size. It would be a first floor opening so that I could get at everything. Cut siding back, then fully remove old window at the fins. I'd probably demo the existing window with replacement windows in mind and evaluate the opening and how it would need to be caulked and sealed and trimmed out. Would not be the end of world if this window was different from rest of windows as it's tucked against neighbors house and fireplace with a window blind over it. It's probably a weird strategy but would give me a lot of intel.

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Last edited by PJmax; 05-02-19 at 12:53 PM. Reason: reoriented/resized pictures
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Old 04-30-19, 02:39 PM
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I really don't think your windows are candidates for replacement windows at all. You will need to do new construction. And personally, I would order every one custom and not reframe anything.

That way every window should have the same formula if you measure your existing windows outside. Then remove all the interior trim and double check that those measurements will give you at least 3/8" -1/2" of room in the rough opening on each side on the inside.

If you dont already have a couple 24' extension ladders, but them. Then get yourself a pair of Werner ladder jacks. You can lay a plank on them. Easy peasy.

You will want all new j-channel around all your windows in all likelihood unless you happen to get windows exactly the same size as the old ones.

You could use Boral or Azek trim... both hold paint really well. L.P. Smarttrim is okay. Or vinyl brickmold. Avoiding wrapping with trim coil is my recommendation. You don't have the right style windows that need wrapping.

The windows in the brick.... you might want to make them 4 1/4" smaller than the brick opening so that you can still use the nail fin and then surround them with vinyl brickmold.

Dont get a brown window unless you go fiberglass.
 
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Old 05-02-19, 09:49 AM
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Sleeper - Really helpful perspective....gives me a lot to think about. Thank you. I'm going to respond to pieces and parts because I have questions.

"I really don't think your windows are candidates for replacement windows at all."
Are you saying that because of something specific to Acorn, or the frames themselves, or the single hung? Asking because as I demo that first test window I'm wondering what I should be looking for to determine if replacement windows would be workable in the rest.

"Easy peasy"
For you maybe, haha, but carrying a new construction window up 10-15 feet and heights in general is not my cup of tea. However, I did do some research of ladder jacks and I think I could get comfortable enough. Might even spring for the wide stabilizer arms but we'll see.

"order every one custom and not reframe anything"
I'm wondering why not.....Most of my ROs are approx 36w x 60h, which I think is a little on the larger end but what do I know. I'm not in love with any one brand or retailer - and have reconsidered Crestline and Reliabilt after some additional research. That decision comes later. But since I'm going to wrap with new wood trim around each window (in the 3-5" wide range), what is the harm of slighly adjusting the RO. Anything other than less glass that I'm not considering?

"Dont get a brown window unless you go fiberglass"
Curious about why not....something wrong with biscuit or tan colored vinyl. I was almost certainly going to do white vinyl inside and out for cost reasons. I'd love to go fiberglass....especially the Pella Impervia black exterior/black interior, but I think those windows are in the mid $400's.

Last topic to cover.....One of my neighbors down the street got windows a few years ago....vinyl replacements of the same old Acorn single hung window. Looks like their trim is some sort of standard trim kit coming from the frame into the edge of the replacement window, and then vinyl/aluminum wrap for the outside perimeter. I could probably achieve the coil brake cuts and angles for the exterior pieces, but I think the inside pieces are a special vinyl trim kit specific to those windows. A picture of his window is attached.

Thanks again........can't tell you how much I appreciate all this.

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Old 05-02-19, 01:03 PM
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A replacement window goes in an existing frame. Once you tear your old windows out, there is NO FRAME LEFT, just your rough opening. And putting a replacement window (the ones in your photo don't have nail fins) in a hole and caulking it in, like you show in the last picture is a real poor install. You use nailing fins to install windows, they are your flashing and incorporate the window with the WRB, your housewrap. Any window installation that relies on caulk to keep water out is not going to last long.

Custom sizes = less work. Maximum glass.

Brown is brown. Like the crayon. Brown is not biscuit or tan. Dark colors get too hot and even if some companies sell a dark brown vinyl window I would not trust it. Fiberglass can withstand the heat.

If you are even considering Crestline you should think again. (Biting my tongue) Your neighbors windows (the windows themselves... not the install) look decent. They remind me of Softlite Pro series / Gorrell 5300 series, which are decent windows. (Softlite bought out Gorrell a few years back.)

​​​​​
 
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Old 05-02-19, 02:14 PM
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Man, can't thank you enough. Makes a lot of sense. In all my research, I really could not find a video or picture where my style of existing frame was getting a replacement window.....so this gives me some definite reassurance about pursuing new construction.

Yeah, my neighbors windows are very nice. 3 pane, gas filled, low e glass coating. I think he paid $800-1000 per window though and I have 26 windows.....so no can do.

Hear you on Crestline. I should not have even mentioned brand names as I'm not even close on that end yet.....lot of reading left to do. If I can afford fiberglass, I will be going that route but otherwise and likely white vinyl.

I will post some progress pics and feedback as I get into that test window......especially of the existing window frame demo. Thanks again.
 
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Old 04-03-20, 06:07 AM
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Well, due to a lot of life and job and money circumstances, the 1-window test did not happen last summer......but this virus quarantine has a new list of projects being revisited and the window test made it.

No pictures yet to post, but have refined my thinking about a plan for the 1 window test:

First, I've decided on a window that faces my neighbors house and isn't visible from back or front of the house. And there are no windows on this part of my neighbors house, so it's truly the most out-of-sight. the window is also ground level, bottom starts at about 4 feet.

Still plan to try to do the whole 1-window test on a plank to simulate working on ladder jacks and a plank in between for the 2nd story. I strongly suspect the ladder jack comfort level to be a solid NOPE.....so I've already looked into a 3-level stack of scaffolds. There are occasionally some for sale secondhand via Craigslist, and I'm about 95% on going that route and just selling them afterward.

Completely agree that new construction is probably the long-term peace of mind solution, so I can incorporate into the house wrap. Just for pure price on the 1-window, I'm leaning toward the Reliabilt 455 series in a stock size. I don't precisely know my RO size yet, but I think it's really close to 36w x 60h.....hoping so. Will find out for sure when I demo the interior window surround which is currently drywall. I'm not married to Reliabilt for the rest of the house though, and this window has a down/closed blind on it 100% of the time so there is very little downside to having a different window than the rest of the house.

Also, thinking of buying a small battery powered 4.5" circular saw for cutting into the vinyl siding. From what I've read, it works well and especially well if you mount the blade backward so it cuts by friction instead of with the sharp teeth (worried about cracking the siding).

Last point of new plan is about reinstall: Planning to cut say a 4" perimeter around existing window into the siding (but not so deep as to cut into the house wrap hopefully). Then do all the demo of existing window via the nail fin. Then when I go to reinstall, I get the window installed and sealed up into house wrap......and then thinking install J-channel first all the way around ideally lining it up parallel with window edge all the way around. This might be tricky as I'll need to slide j channel in behind siding and secure it somehow. Maybe there is a product for this that's similar to vinyl J channel, dunnno...will look into it. Anyway, with window installed and a nice perimeter of new J channel, all I have to do is rip some azek/boral per Sleeper's recommendation above. Probably would paint on the ground and then install....dunno.

that's all for now. not as good as update with pictures, but this is a badly needed undertaking that I haven't been able to get going until now.

Any and ALL thoughts are welcome!!!!
 
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Old 04-03-20, 06:45 AM
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and then thinking install J-channel first all the way around
Just get the windows with the integral vinyl siding channel!
 
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Old 04-03-20, 07:19 AM
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Marq1 - I keep thinking about that.....but definitely concerned about my ability to cut siding close enough and get it right. Margin of error and just not knowing enough about what's behind there and how window j channel orients to existing RO.

I wasn't planning on taking down all the siding pieces all the way around, so if I went that way.....I'd have to figure out how to hold all that siding out of my way while I install the window and work into house wrap. Even demoing the existing ****e window would be trouble I think.

but the more I type this, the more I think maybe taking siding down all the way around is a really good idea. easier to cut....can really measure twice, cut once after I've got the window re-installed. No need to cut siding in place, mess with or spend $$ on new j channel, and no need to rip/paint new trim. Love it the more I think of it.

Thanks!!
 
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Old 04-03-20, 04:30 PM
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If you get integral j channel you have to remove all the siding around the window in order to remove and reinstall the windows.

Generally speaking your new window sizes should be exactly the same as the existing ones as shown in your first post, first pic. Tip to tip. No deductions. Brick openings will obviously be different if you want to use a nail fin. You would want 1 1/2 for the fin on top sides and bottom. These may need drywall work and / or new trim since the new window may be a little smaller than the existing ones.

Cutting the vinyl siding is a good idea... It allows you to get the old window out... Then once the new one is in you can take (for example) a 2" board and slide it along the window edges with a pencil and scribe another line to make an exact cut. Quick and dirty is to shove j channel behind, don't nail it to the house... just use the trim to hold it in place with a few small screws into the side of the trim. If you want to nail the j channel to the house the siding must come off. Wider 4" trim is nice as you can tape the fins to the house better.
 
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Old 04-04-20, 07:39 AM
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Perfect. Thanks Sleeper, as always appreciate the options and ideas.

On this first trial window, leaning hard toward removing all siding all the way around window, at least for this first one. More prep, but more room for error and evaluation when I get it down to wrap and existing window.

The ones on the front of the house have existing wood trim, so there shouldn't be any siding work. On the brick mold, leaning toward nailing fin and slightly smaller window than existing. Absolutely worst case scenario for me is having a leaking window a few months after taking on this project, so fins and integrated house wrap is worth it.

One plus side, demo'ing the inside drywall surround means I will probably full wood frame each window and paint white to match the new window. I think my wife will really like that part of the finished product.

Will be a few weeks.....but hoping to post pictures next of the 1-window test.
 
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Old 04-04-20, 07:55 AM
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If your window is much smaller than the existing, the nails in your nailing fin wont have anything to nail to.

If you are going to make it smaller, like on the brick openings, make it 1 1/2" smaller so that you can put a 2x6 (ripped on a table saw to the correct wall thickness) on one side.
 
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Old 08-26-20, 06:47 AM
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IT"S BACK!!!! Delay after delay, the virus and a million other things got in the way of this one........but I'm back to say the single test window has been ordered.

I decided to go with a new construction window with nailing fin and integrated j channel. Found it surprisingly hard to find quality windows for the DIY market....at least in the Columbus Ohio market. I'd prefer a Simonton, Pro Via, Milgard, etc.....but most supply houses won't sell to consumers (contractors only) and even fewer want to deal with a single window. I will keep looking and searching though........but for this test window I went with Thermastar by Pella, and in a stock size at Lowes so I can return it (concerns about RO measurement below).

I'm pretty concerned about accuracy of my rough opening measurement. I stripped the inside drywall from the return and I'm getting 36.75" wide x 59.75" tall on this window. Stock size at Lowes is 36x60......but if my measurements are exact then the nail fins are wide enough to reach both sides. If not, I'll probably nail up a 3/4" board ripped to 3.5" to shrink the RO to exactly what the window is made for. Not my plan for all windows.....every other I will order custom size. This is the way.

The other concern about a smaller window is the vinyl siding (without j channel) is cut to exactly 35.75", and Jchannel edge to edge is 36.25"......so I'm going to borrow some siding from the overlap (less overlap to insert farther into jchannel) and then also really make sure I have that window centered so both sides are maybe 0.5" into j channel. Not ideal, won't make this the plan going forward......and if this completely sucks then I'll take siding back down and do a composite trim around the window and new j channel before cutting/reinstalling siding.

Stay tuned!! It'll be the next few weeks......and I'll try to post pictures to "pay it forward" for the next DIY'er who finds this thread.
 
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Old 08-26-20, 08:26 AM
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For the vinyl you really dont need to worry too much, just use the old material up to fit then buy some additional pieces to finish up rather than trying to reinstall because it's not going to work!

That should be a factor you have looked into, getting additional siding to match!
 
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Old 08-26-20, 11:22 AM
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Man I did look into that, but I'm sure hoping you're wrong.....can't find a good match with this color. pretty sure previous owner bought from a door to door seller of vinyl after a storm. Vinyl siding is also foam backed, so no idea how easy that will be to wrangle. I didn't look too many places though, I'm sure I can find it if I look around enough. The window and RO has occupied most of my focus so far. Stay tuned!!
 
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Old 10-05-20, 09:02 AM
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Guess who's back, back again........window's back, window's back. ~Eminem. Or maybe I could be convinced to go with Barry Manilow's "Looks Like We Made" for the older generation on here......

Unfunny intros aside, it's time to come back for the completed project update...............I will post more of a step-by-step with a lot of pictures for the future person like me who finds this and is thinking about a DIY window replacement.


 
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Old 10-05-20, 09:26 AM
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Couple reminders:

A 1-window test
If you remember, this is a one-window test to see if I can do this job and what the in's/out's of it would be to evaluate if I can do the rest of my house. I chose one of the least visible windows on the house in case of total FUBAR, especially from the outside. On the inside, this window has a closed blind on it 99.99% of the year, so there is little downside risk. I was even ready for the possibility that I get the old window off and new window doesn't fit right, and I'd have to nail up some plywood for a few days as a worst case last resort.

Window brand
With this being a 1-window test, I was not very successful getting any quality window wholesalers to call me back. The builder supply houses either only wanted to sell to contractors or had minimum order sizes. I ended up going with a Thermastar by Pella from Lowes (this model exactly), which I fully understand is not considered a high quality window. It's 1000x better than the single-hung 1993 Acorn aluminum window I had, and had enough of the specs like Ufactor, Solar Heat Gain, etc that I needed. Maybe most importantly, it's a stock item at my Lowes in Ohio - so I could wait to open it until I was sure it would fit my rough opening. If SHTF, then I could go the plywood route and call in a pro. I probably will not go with Thermastar for the rest of my windows, and can live with the fact that it won't match exactly....though will be similar enough and was worth it for the other things I needed (returnable, price, enough specs). I may regret that in 8 years if I have yellow vinyl, cracked glass or busted seals, but right now it was the right trade for me.

Work Platform
I decided to rent a 1-level scaffold for the job. My local Menards rents them for like $12/day (and $6/day for every day thereafter). That might be overkill to the pros on here who can work on gutters and roofs, while juggling on a unicyle on a stepladder.....but that's not me. I don't like heights at all.....AND I will say have a large stable platform that puts the entire job at waist height is absolutely HUGE. It's a total different job if I'm working with a stepladder in between me and the window, or working on 1 plank spanned between two ladders. Not even close bud. If I went ahead with the whole job, I would 100% buy a 3-level scaffold from Menards or maybe rent it for a few days at a time when I'm all ready to roll on the next window. Sometimes the right tool makes the difference from a cost/benefit standpoint. In my opinion, even at only 3 feet off the ground, it was 100% worth the $18 dollars for 2 day rental and a trip there & back. All day, every day, 2x on Sunday.

More coming...........
 
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Old 10-05-20, 11:02 AM
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Demo first. As Sleeper said, going with a new construction style window with nailing fin means pulling off the siding all the way around is the best way to be really sure you're going to get that fin behind the house wrap. It's really not that bad with a siding removal tool and some patience.

Another major surprise was what passes for 'builder grade' new construction. My original window was held by maybe 2 nails in the fin per side. No integration with the house wrap, or at least not anything really deliberate.




 
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Old 10-05-20, 11:06 AM
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You can also see the benefit of the scaffold here.....the ability to raise that platform up one level as needed was awesome.

I cut back the foam all the way around the window to get ready to reinstall. That presented a problem later on with fitting the siding into the integrated J channel on the window, but needed some foam cut back so I could open the house wrap and nail in the fin.

Not shown in a photo, but I then demo'd the drywall surrounds on the window jamb because I was going to refinish those out with wood and do a sort of DIY craftsman style on the interior trim. Pics of that coming.
 
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Old 10-05-20, 11:43 AM
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Old 10-05-20, 11:48 AM
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Couple more shots showing the preparation of the RO. The flashing tape was like $10 on Amazon for 33 ft. The OSI Max is like nuclear caulk, don't get that anywhere you don't mind it being permanently like a favorite shirt.

The flash tape shot is really building my bottom sill. The tape is like a rubberized stuff but I was worried about stretching it so I cut the corner and did a small piece over the gap.

The top shot shows the house wrap cut back a little bit so the nailing fin will go against the house and the top house wrap will come down over the nailing fin and flashing.
 
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Old 10-05-20, 12:12 PM
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So I just realized I don't have a picture of the fully nailed and taped window before I started reinstalling siding. Basically, after nailing the window up and making sure I was level and plumb and the window operated, I did a laboer of flashing on each side that spanned from nailing fin (well over the nail holes) to the substrate then out to the house wrap. Rolled and rubbed it a lot as you can tell the flashing really responds to pressure. Along the top, which you can see in the photo, I did a strip of flashing tape under the house wrap - so over the nailing fin but directly onto the house. Then the house wrap comes down over that flashing tape and ideally all the way to the nailing fin where it gets blue taped. I also did a short piece of flashing on those diagonal cuts....maybe 3-4" up past the end of the cut.





 
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Old 10-05-20, 12:29 PM
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Last note about the exterior.

New window with Integrated J channel and reinstalling siding
The integrated J channel on the new window required me to reduce the overlap of the siding pieces by about 3/4" to get them far enough for government work into the J channel on the window. In some spots, it's not quite as far into the J channel as I'd like, but it was far enough that I could live with it. The short siding pieces on the right side had to be cut a little to fit. In the end, I like the look of this window a lot with no trim and would replicate this approach for the others on the sides and back of my house (front has azek trimmed windows or brick).

Foam behind siding and fitting the siding into J channel
So, very late in the project, I realized the siding was not flush with the house exterior, by approx 1/4" due to the foam layer behind the siding. I remember the guy who sold me the house boasting about the upgrade from an insulation standpoint when he resided. After a brief panic moment, I realized if I cut the foam a little farther out from the window, i could taper the siding just enough to fit the siding into the J channel. You can only really see it if your are far away and looking straight down the side of the house to see the siding slightly curve inward at the end. I'm not 100% sure how I'd avoid this, aside from installing a 1/4" piece of wood to build up the window surround before installing the window and flashing it, which I don't think I'd want to do.
 
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Old 10-05-20, 12:41 PM
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About the interior finishing, this project was partly about finishing out the window jamb since I had demo'd the drywall there and also about doing a window casing that is really an upgrade from teh existing drab plain drywall.

One of the worst moments was using the Great Stuff Windows and Doors foam around the window. I should have tested the expansion before using because it doesn't not clean up very easily. It was my fault - didn't read the instructions well enough that specify only filling to 50% of your cavity....even though its low expansion, it still expanded WAY beyond where I wanted it. I had to cut a lot of goopy half-dried foam away and wipe the new window down with a lot of gasoline to get rid of it. Total self-induced nightmare. Next time, I'd offer to fill that thing in layers......first layer shoot for only 25% filled and the straw all the way into the cavity.

One other consideration, and nearly last minute adjustment, was that I had to rip the side jamb pieces thinner so that our existing window blinds would fit back in. If I hadn't done that, the 3/4" boards would have made the final ID too narrow and we'd have needed new blinds. So I had to leave a little more space on each side near the window and fill those gaps with caulk. Not ideal, but the blinds are lowered 99% of the time and we just got those blinds a few years ago.

About the fireplace mantle and tile above, we have the complete removal of the tile on our list for the future.....and I notched the mantle so the side window trim fits completely behind it. When the tile and mantle are gone, that area will look like it was never there.











 
  #25  
Old 10-05-20, 12:51 PM
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Last post about the project. Thanks to everyone who offered guidance. I wanted to come back and pay things forward a little bit with a lot of pictures and thoughts about the process.....so hopefully this helps someone.

About the 1-window test, I know I can do the job, especially the ground floor windows. The mulled and brick surrounds would be a tougher thing. I suspect my wife's vote will be for professional installation, by far due to the time it will take to complete this project in months and how much of my time won't be spent with the family. She says yes to almost everything, but here I would probably agree it's just too much even if I can do it. This one probably took me 10-12 working hours, but a lot of that was going slow and really making sure I knew what was next. The next window I could probably cut it down to 5-6 hours, maybe less.

Comments, thoughts, questions.....I'll do my best to answer though I'm certainly no pro. Thanks again.
 
  #26  
Old 10-06-20, 07:36 AM
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Totally forgot to post information about costs!! Some of these are guestimates before sales tax.

Window $228 at Lowes
Vinyl siding removal tool, $8 Amazon
Small pry bar for siding, $8 Lowes
4" Flashing Tape $10, Amazon
Blue House Wrap tape, $7 Amazon
Box of roofing nails, $8, Lowes
Rental of Scaffold for 2 days, $18 Menards
OSI Max exterior caulk, $12 Amazon
Great Stuff Window foam low expanding, $8 Amazon
Pine 1x4s for interior jamb and window casing, $30 Lowes
Painters caulk for interior trim $5 Lowes
All other tools and even primer/paint I had leftover from other jobs.

GRAND TOTAL $342. Replacement window quotes averaged about $700 fully installed.






 
  #27  
Old 10-06-20, 08:38 AM
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Pete,

You might consider posting your completed results in the "my projects" section of the site.

Since the purpose of the forums is asking and answering questions and blogging is not allowed, I am closing the thread.
 
 

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