Monday, 1 July 2013

Fitting the First Window

So we had possession of our first window. It was decided by all that it would be best if we got one window, a smaller one, all finished and fitted so that everyone was happy with the process before the rest were all made. This obviously made things slower, but seemed worth it.

Job 1: Taking out the old window.
Seems like the easy bit surely. Apparently not.
Each window was made up of parts that were hinged so they could be opened, but also parts that were non-moving and totally sealed in by window putty and paint. The hinged parts weren't too bad, rusted screws more often than not, but if in doubt a crow-bar solved the issue.
The old window (and some damp wall mess).
The top part is hinged and the lower part
 sealed in place.
The rest of the windows were less than co-operative. While I found the idea of gluing pieces of cardboard to either side of the glass and smashing it very appealing. I wasn't entirely convinced about the practicalities. Smashed glass and dogs feet don't mix well. The best tactic we found was to chisel away the putty on the outside, also uncovering any nails holding the glass in place in the process. Then, cut through the adjoining bar to the gap where hinged part had been. As carefully as possible knock the bar away from the glass so that it lifts from each end and remove. Then, with a lot of slow and careful wiggling, try to slid the glass from.
More often than not, the glass would break at some point. But hopefully in large relatively controlled chunks.
Once all the glass is removed, cut angles into each of the sides so they can be levered away from the walls.



Job 2: Preparing the gap.

Cleaning up the area is essential, including removing any loose mortar and debris.
We were advised to make certain we used damp proof membrane. So we bought a roll of the thick plastic membrane. A staple gun was by far the easiest way to keep it in place and lay it around the sides of the window gap like in all the youtube videos I watched.

Later we discovered that actually just laying the plastic membrane along the bottom and a few inches up the sides, and then painting the outside of the window frame with liquid damp proof membrane was far more practical. Also make sure all sides are well covered in a good undercoat - again, to avoid damp rotting the wooden frames.

Job 3: Get the window to fit.
Offering the window up to the gap to check how it fits is fairly self explanatory. If there's a big gap, it will need centralising with some kind of frame. If its only a small gap, wedge it so that it is level in all directions with a spirit level.


Once in place, we used expanding foam. Doesn't seem like the most environmentally friendly choice, or the most Victorian house sympathetic. In fact the foam degrades pretty quickly when exposed to UV and its strong enough to hold the windows without having to drill new holes in the old walls to hold the windows in place. Its got brilliant insulation properties, is so easy to use and relatively cheap.
Using a gun with screw-on cans, instead of the cans with plastic nozels is much easier, especially when doing lots of windows. Put enough foam into the gaps to fill the area but not overflowing. Its touch dry within about half an hour, and hardens properly overnight. 

Lovely dear!
Sealing from the outside.
The next day, you can use a stanley knife to cut any excess foam and damp proof membrane back to about a cm beyond the level of the window. 

This gives enough room to add some frame sealant (again to stop water and also protect the foam from UV), and either fill with wooden dowel, or build some sort of frame/architrave on top. Basically, to hide all the ugly parts of the window fitting.




And hey presto the room suddenly felt so much warmer and brighter!