Replacement Windows

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Old-style double-hung sash can be removed from the frame by prying the thin wood stops out of their channels in the jamb. Old-timers sometimes nailed the top sash in place, so you may find nails to remove in the corners or sides of the sashes. If you can pry all the fasteners out, you should be able to remove the window frame as a unit. Otherwise, you'll have to dismantle it in pieces. Many old window frames must be wrecked to remove them.

Will the new window fit in the rough opening? Either measure to check or lift it up into place to measure in place. Before lifting, tack a thin board diagonally between opposite corners of the inside frame to lock it into square if the manufacturer didn't ship it braced. Ideally you should have 3/4" of space between the top and side jambs and house framing.

A rough opening that's much larger should be lined with 1' x 3" furring strips as needed to close the gap and provide trim milers. See "Adjusting Rough Opening:"

Widening a too-small rough opening is a harder job. It is best to increase the length of a rough opening by lowering the bottom sill. Windows and doors in a room look best if the tops of all trim boards are even. To increase width, replace the jamb studs that hold up the header with narrower boards. Brace the header with 2 x 4s in the middle and cut out and replace one jamb stud at a time.

Windows in many old post-&-beamstyle houses were nailed between heavy-stud framing without use of headers. You can widen the opening by notching out a stud beam (if it is three or more inches wide) for up to an inch—gaining two inches of width if you notch both sides. Consult a knowledgeable builder to assure you are maintaining code-acceptable structural requirements if you're enlarging window openings beyond these leeway adjustments. I could tell a few stories of ambitious remodelers who took off a bit too much.

Rot, Trim, and Flashing

Rot in an old window sill often extends into the wall framing. Some rot below the window can be tolerated if structural members are still sound; dig out small amounts of spongy wood, let it dry and soak with preservative or epoxy restorative. Sheathing boards beneath a window that has leaked for years often need to be replaced, which means you'll probably have to patch rotted siding as well. Rot may extend into the floor-to ceiling wall studs. These are bearing members and must be patched or replaced to meet building code. If the job is more than you feel confident undertaking, call in a pro.

You may have to cut out a few inches of lapped clapboards or other siding to accommodate the prefastened exterior trim on a larger-than-original replacement window. Don't butcher it. Hold the window in place and mark around it to determine the area of siding to be removed. Tack a straight board to the siding to serve as a cutting guide for a circular saw. Lest you dull your blade, remove any nails that lie in the line of cut, and be sure to set blade depth to just cut through the siding and not into underlying sheathing boards. Use a chisel to cut out corners where the saw blade can't reach.

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