After two winters with the horrible windows upstairs, we finally decided to replace the windows in ours and Ella’s bedrooms. We decided to use vinyl windows upstairs because they aren’t as visible from the street, because the one functioning window upstairs is already vinyl, because they were cheaper, and lastly, and possibly most importantly, we couldn’t get a wooden double-hung window big enough for our room nor an wooden arch top small enough for Ella’s. We bought our windows from Parr again (making it the 13th, 14th and 15th from them) but didn’t have quite the same service as usual. The big window was over 2 weeks late, and several times when it was supposed to be available or delivered, it wasn’t. Makes it difficult to shop local.
The window in her room was an old wood-frame, round-top, single-pane thing that was both drafty and let a generous amount of condensation form on the inside during the winter. The condensation also promoted mildew growth, so we had to clean her window and sill with some frequency. Replacing it was easy enough, though it exposed how poorly done the exterior trim around the windows was. None of the newer trim had been primed, so the latex paint was peeling like mad. The calking around the windows had failed as well because the paint it was adhered to lost it’s integrity. So half the time was spent installing the window, and half sanding, priming, sealing the old woodwork.
Yesterday afternoon the big window (a birthday present) finally arrived (and was delivered by the repentant sales guy, no less) and I tore out the old aluminum frame window. It looks like it was designed to be used in an RV. The quality was so poor and the window didn’t ever seat right, so during the winter, you could stand anywhere in our bedroom and feel a breeze. A cold breeze. So it was mildly satisfying to remove it and clean up the frame for the new window. I had to cut a small shim to put on one side because the opening turned out to be 1/4″ too large, but a really quick trip over to my dad’s shop solved that. Just putting the window up into the opening, even without being sealed was as good as the previous window as far as draft and noise. After installing it and caulking the outside, it was draftless, quiet, and really nice looking.
Immediately after installing it, the ambient outside noise was suddenly coming from the remaining front window. It’s next, and I may try to tackle it tonight after work since it’s a relatively simple install and will make the project be mostly over. Except for replacing the trim with matching wood rather than gauche fiberglass molding. And going back to paint the woodwork around the windows.
