Before you decide to replace a window in your home, decide what style you want -- wood, vinyl, aluminum -- and settle on other details. Upper floors should have double-hung sashes that fold into the house so you can clean the exteriors. Windows with countertops or other obstructions below them should be crank-casement windows, for easier opening. Most modern windows today install as one unit that simply pops into the opening, but double-check all installation directions before you buy. Does this Spark an idea?
Measure and Order
The most important step starts before you raise the hammer: Measure the opening and order your new window. It has to be measured with the old window still in place, and it has to be right. Take three width measurements from the inside of the tracks where the window sashes sit--one from each end and one from the middle. Take the smallest measurement you get, and subtract 1/4 inch from it. Do the same for the length--three measurements, take the smallest, and subtract 1/4 inch. Use that adjusted height-by-width measurement to order your window. When it arrives, measure it to make sure it's right before you rip out the old window.
The Rip-Out
With a hammer and flatbar, carefully remove the thin piece of trim that's holding in the front sash at the sides and top. Don't break the trim, because you'll be putting it back on. With the trim gone, the front sash should come right out. Remove the thin vertical spacer that's sitting in front of the back (upper) sash, and pull that sash out as well. You should now have an open window hole, with a border of thin trim around it at the exterior. Leave that trim, as it will hold in your new window from the outside.
Installation
Lift you new window unit up and set the bottom of it on the bottom plate of the window (just behind the sill). Push the top in. Level the unit by holding a short level across the middle and sides and tapping in wood shims as needed. Spray foam insulation into the space between the casing and the wall all around. Secure the window as instructed, with long wood screws driven through the sides of the casing and into the jamb. Get the screws snug but don't over-tighten them or you'll pull the window out of square. Put your interior trim back on around the border of the unit, trapping it in place. Caulk all around between the unit and the trim. Caulk around the outside as well.
Tags: your window, Caulk around, front sash, order your, order your window