4 ms·

Replacing windows is actually one of the easier DIY home jobs you can do. Hell of a lot easier than building a deck that a lot of people do. They are installe

Replacing windows is actually one of the easier DIY home jobs you can do. Hell of a lot easier than building a deck that a lot of people do. They are installed after framing and meant to be removed if they break. Removing the trim inside and outside will give you access to the fasteners holding the frame in. Usually, the hardest part is finding windows that fit and match your taste.

kirtakat 2y ago
That's true for relatively new construction, but for instance, I have a 100 year old house with stucco. Replacing my windows is a nightmare job. Whereas my back deck was a far simpler project
- kylehotchkiss 2y ago
  I have a stucco home, I've been doing replacement windows (I like milgard) and my stucco hasn't been touched. I have other people install them though.
- gazook89 2y ago
  Same here. We removed trim inside the house and it wasnt that bad, but I was just replacing the trim— not the windows. I could see that removing the windows would be a pain the ass very quickly. And it has already been done once.
- mrj 2y ago
  Yeah, for me my windows weren't standard sizes so had to be custom built, anyhow. At that point, you might as well get installation as well. Some stucco had to be chipped back to insert the new window but it's covered by the vinyl frame. Low-e windows are amazing though.
- blodorn 2y ago
  100 year old windows were designed for easy maintenance and repair. Are the double hung windows? If they are, you can make sure to have storm windows on which effectively work as a double pane window. If this new glass were available, you could replace every pane in your window without removing a nail.
  - drjasonharrison 2y ago
    I seriously doubt they would provide the glass without frames, which requires removing the moulding around the existing window.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - pests 2y ago
      Selling panes of window glass that you then frame in is a common method for larger windows or odd shapes. Here is a random product on Amazon, custom cut Low E insulated window panes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHD4F3HY https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHD4F3HY I see no reason why the company in this post wouldnt.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
  - drewcoo 2y ago
    > window without removing a nail There'd be brads to pull at least part-way out to release sashes, though. And the damned cords and all that. Much easier to re-glaze a removed sash!
- bloomingeek 2y ago
  My home is 58 years old. last summer I had the original aluminum single-pane windows replaced with vinyl double-pane ones. I 'assisted' the installer and knew he would prob run into some settling of the window opening. I was right, there's no way I could done the replacements on my own, owing to proper tools alone. My power company sent me an email the following December telling me my energy savings from the previous October, 2023 (that month only), for the same month in 2024, was 31%! When I called the installer and told him, he said a large part of that was prob from leakage around the old windows and the now double panes.
  - theoreticalmal 2y ago
    Where did you purchase your replacement windows from? Custom size? May I ask how much you paid for them?
    - bloomingeek 2y ago
      The windows brand is "Ply Gem Windows". They were ordered from a local lumber yard, not a national chain like Lowe's. (Prices can vary wildly depending where you live. When the same installer put in my new patio door, he steered me to Lowe's as the best price, I went in and ordered that myself.) Since my house was built in 1967, they were for that era a standard size. The installer measured all 17 windows for Ply Gem to go by. For the windows and installation, not to mention my assistance (I mostly picked up trash!) the total cost was just under $8K.
fellowniusmonk 2y ago
Finding the right size windows without having to go custom has proven to be nearly impossible. It's not a hard project but unless you are fortunate with window dimensions it is far more expensive than building a deck.
- nemomarx 2y ago
  naive question- couldn't you resize the hole in the wall to use a larger window pane?
  - tastyfreeze 2y ago
    It depends on how the home was constructed. With stick frames the window frame is built to take the load from the studs above it and direct it around the window and to the studs below. It can be done but it is not an easy job. Going smaller is easy though. Just build a smaller frame inside the existing one.
  - arwineap 2y ago
    Generally, if you don't want to pull a permit, you can change a windows height but not its width This is because of how the wood around it is framed to provide support to the wall above
  - quickthrowman 2y ago
    You can, but you’d need to remove the siding and drywall and reframe the window opening, see a window framing diagram here, can’t cut the king studs or you lose structural integrity: https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/how-to-frame-a-new-window https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/how-to-frame-a-new-windo...
- Freak_NL 2y ago
  What's wrong with a custom size? I replaced two small windows with triple glass ones, and just ordered the right size online. I don't think it's even possible to buy windows in a standard size (whichever that may be) here in the Netherlands. A professional glazier would order the windows from the factory just as the shop with a fancy website with a configurator did for my order.
KerrAvon 2y ago
> Replacing windows is actually one of the easier DIY home jobs you can do I think you're assuming a baseline level of competence that many don't have. I'm comfortable with electrical work and some plumbing but I wouldn't do my own window installation.

kirtakat 2y ago

That's true for relatively new construction, but for instance, I have a 100 year old house with stucco. Replacing my windows is a nightmare job. Whereas my back deck was a far simpler project

kylehotchkiss 2y ago
I have a stucco home, I've been doing replacement windows (I like milgard) and my stucco hasn't been touched. I have other people install them though.
gazook89 2y ago
Same here. We removed trim inside the house and it wasnt that bad, but I was just replacing the trim— not the windows. I could see that removing the windows would be a pain the ass very quickly. And it has already been done once.
mrj 2y ago
Yeah, for me my windows weren't standard sizes so had to be custom built, anyhow. At that point, you might as well get installation as well. Some stucco had to be chipped back to insert the new window but it's covered by the vinyl frame. Low-e windows are amazing though.
blodorn 2y ago
100 year old windows were designed for easy maintenance and repair. Are the double hung windows? If they are, you can make sure to have storm windows on which effectively work as a double pane window. If this new glass were available, you could replace every pane in your window without removing a nail.
- drjasonharrison 2y ago
  I seriously doubt they would provide the glass without frames, which requires removing the moulding around the existing window.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - pests 2y ago
    Selling panes of window glass that you then frame in is a common method for larger windows or odd shapes. Here is a random product on Amazon, custom cut Low E insulated window panes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHD4F3HY https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHD4F3HY I see no reason why the company in this post wouldnt.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
- drewcoo 2y ago
  > window without removing a nail There'd be brads to pull at least part-way out to release sashes, though. And the damned cords and all that. Much easier to re-glaze a removed sash!
bloomingeek 2y ago
My home is 58 years old. last summer I had the original aluminum single-pane windows replaced with vinyl double-pane ones. I 'assisted' the installer and knew he would prob run into some settling of the window opening. I was right, there's no way I could done the replacements on my own, owing to proper tools alone. My power company sent me an email the following December telling me my energy savings from the previous October, 2023 (that month only), for the same month in 2024, was 31%! When I called the installer and told him, he said a large part of that was prob from leakage around the old windows and the now double panes.
- theoreticalmal 2y ago
  Where did you purchase your replacement windows from? Custom size? May I ask how much you paid for them?
  - bloomingeek 2y ago
    The windows brand is "Ply Gem Windows". They were ordered from a local lumber yard, not a national chain like Lowe's. (Prices can vary wildly depending where you live. When the same installer put in my new patio door, he steered me to Lowe's as the best price, I went in and ordered that myself.) Since my house was built in 1967, they were for that era a standard size. The installer measured all 17 windows for Ply Gem to go by. For the windows and installation, not to mention my assistance (I mostly picked up trash!) the total cost was just under $8K.

fellowniusmonk 2y ago

Finding the right size windows without having to go custom has proven to be nearly impossible. It's not a hard project but unless you are fortunate with window dimensions it is far more expensive than building a deck.

nemomarx 2y ago
naive question- couldn't you resize the hole in the wall to use a larger window pane?
- tastyfreeze 2y ago
  It depends on how the home was constructed. With stick frames the window frame is built to take the load from the studs above it and direct it around the window and to the studs below. It can be done but it is not an easy job. Going smaller is easy though. Just build a smaller frame inside the existing one.
- arwineap 2y ago
  Generally, if you don't want to pull a permit, you can change a windows height but not its width This is because of how the wood around it is framed to provide support to the wall above
- quickthrowman 2y ago
  You can, but you’d need to remove the siding and drywall and reframe the window opening, see a window framing diagram here, can’t cut the king studs or you lose structural integrity: https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/how-to-frame-a-new-window https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/how-to-frame-a-new-windo...
Freak_NL 2y ago
What's wrong with a custom size? I replaced two small windows with triple glass ones, and just ordered the right size online. I don't think it's even possible to buy windows in a standard size (whichever that may be) here in the Netherlands. A professional glazier would order the windows from the factory just as the shop with a fancy website with a configurator did for my order.

KerrAvon 2y ago

> Replacing windows is actually one of the easier DIY home jobs you can do I think you're assuming a baseline level of competence that many don't have. I'm comfortable with electrical work and some plumbing but I wouldn't do my own window installation.