Window Installation 101- Step 3

It may not actually be the 3rd step, but it is the 3rd installment of the "how-to". So... here it goes:

We are ready for window installation. The hole is prepped & flashed, checked for level & square, & you should have verified that the window you are going to install fits in the opening with approximately 1/4" to spare all the way around. In new construction when dealing with vinyl windows the opening is called out on the plans as the size the opening is supposed to be framed at. The windows ordered should arrive 1/2" shorter in the height & length. So a 5/0X4/6 will actually be 59 1/2" wide & 53 1/2" tall. (Also, the opening is referred to in ways: casement= hinged from a side, awning= hinged at the top, single-hung= sliding up, double-hung= sliding up or down, & x/0= sliding from left to right if looking @ it from the outside... the 'x' represents the operable part & the '0' represents the fixed)

Place carpenter's pencils in the bottom corners & about every 2 or 3 feet on the sill. The window will rest on these during installation, ensuring a gap at the bottom of the window which helps with potential water having an escape route as well as ensuring the window room for movement as the house/addition settles over the first year.

Now, apply a continuous bead of caulk @ the sides & top of the opening. DO NOT APPLY TO THE BOTTOM! This again allows for an evacuation route for any potential water intrusion from above. We are directing it where we want it to go. Outside & down the wall, on-top of the vapor retarder.

We have a 1/6X2/0 single hung window. Remove the screen if there is one, & make sure the window is locked closed. Working from the outside, place the window into the opening on top of the pencils or shims (verify that the weep-holes are on the outside & at the bottom). If you are working alone, slide it to the right, make mark, then slide it to the left. Now, split the difference between the two spots & slide the window to roughly centered.

Take a 2" galvanized roofing nail & drive it into one of the bottom corner holes in the window fin. Don't drive it all the way, in-case adjustment is needed.

Check for level & adjust if needed. This will help to ensure proper function of the operable parts. Tack the window in place, unlock it, & check for proper function. If all is well, fill every other hole in the fin along the sides and bottom, leaving the top alone. At the top, install the nails above the fin about 1/2" and drive part-way, bending them over to hold the window in position while allowing for potential movement in the framing.

You are now ready for vapor retarder & more flashing.