New Construction Windows Or Replacement Windows? Which Is Right For You?

Hello, my name is John Rocco.I grew up around the window and door business. My father owned a glass shop that dealt in every aspect of residential and commercial glass.Naturally, when it came time to choose a profession, i wound up in the window and door business.I have been in the business for about 27 years, and i have been self employed for 20.

One of the things that separated my company from my competitors was my willingness to show my customers how to replace their windows themselves. Whenever i would encounter a customer with a curiosity or willingness to learn how to install their own windows,i would offer to sell them the labor on one window,using them as my helper.Then,they would install the rest of the windows using the knowledge gained from helping me install one.Most window companies would never do this because there is so much money made on the labor.But i was always so busy,i never felt like it was costing me money.

Eventually, i made an installation video for those homeowners who wanted to do their own windows.While the video is for sale on my website, i decided to take excerpts from the video and write an article once a week covering some part of the window replacement project.This article is going to cover the difference between window frames used in new construction homes, and the window frames that are used to replace existing aluminum or wood windows.

When a new home is being built,the windows are nailed to the wood studs that make up the house frame.In order to accomplish this, new construction windows have a fin around all four sides of the frame that rests against the outside of the stud and nails are driven into the studs through the nailing fin. After that,flashing paper is applied to prevent water leaks,then the exterior material is applied. That material can be stucco, brick, siding, etc.

Now,imagine 10 or 20 years later when you want to replace those windows. If you were going to install your replacement windows the same way the original windows were installed, you would have to remove the exterior material around each window in order to get to those nails holding the frame in there. You can see how this procedure could cause many problems, not to mention all the labor involved. I have seen homes in california with stucco exteriors where the homeowner had the stucco cut out in order to remove the old windows.The problem was they were unable to match the stucco colors after patching. Its just not a very efficient way to replace windows. So the replacement frame was designed.

In most parts of the country it's simply a new construction window frame with the nail fin removed. In the west, where stucco is a common home exterior,a retrofit frame was designed. If you're going to be replacing the exterior material on your home, then you might want to consider going with the new construction window since the nailing fins will be exposed anyway. Also, chances are that a contractor will be doing your exterior replacement,and it would be wise to let the contractor install the windows as well.Since my installation videos deal with window replacement only, these articles will focus on replacement frames and retrofit frames. Using these two frame styles,a do it yourselfer can replace their old windows without any damage to existing interior and exterior surfaces. And the job can be done using common tools such as a drill,tape measure, and caulking gun.

In next weeks article,we will discuss the replacement of wood sash windows.

John Rocco has been installing replacement windows since 1978

To learn more, visit http://www.vinylwindowsforless.com

Saving Pots Pave the Way for Home Improvements
PR Newswire UK (press release), UK - 11 hours ago
HALIFAX, England, August 29 /PRNewswire/ -- This research is part of the annual Halifax Home Improvement Survey, a series of research pieces that are ...
Halifax: People using savings to fund home repairs Money News
Saving pots pave the way for home improvements Easier (press release)
all 3 news articles

Boston Globe
Lowe’s opening new home improvement store at Alamo Ranch
Bizjournals.com, NC - Aug 21, 2008
Inc. is set to open the home improvement retailer’s newest store in San Antonio. Mooresville, NC-based Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW) will open its new store at Alamo ...
Rebuilding at Home Improvement Stores? Motley Fool
Home improvement won't improve quickly MarketWatch
Home improvement retailers fall with Home Depot Forbes
Xinhua - CNNMoney.comall 707 news articles

Calgary Herald
Storm-inspired shoppers already stocking up at local home stores
Pensacola News Journal, FL - Aug 28, 2008
Sales are increasing at local home improvement stores as Tropical Storm Gustav’s threat moves closer to warm Gulf waters. At the Lowe’s Home Improvement ...
Video: Gulf Coast Begins Evacuations Ahead of Gustav AssociatedPress
Mississippi Coast Not Taking Chances WKRG-TV
The pride of New Orleans Boston Globe
NECN - PC Worldall 5,966 news articles

Most Gulf Coast Structures Not Safer Today Than They Were Three ...
MarketWatch - 4 hours ago
Most coastal-area home improvement stores now carry shutter kits and, even more importantly, they carry permanent anchors that can be pre-installed to ...

TV DIY Programmes Inspire 8 Million Brits, Says Confused.com*
PR Web (press release), WA - 18 hours ago
Nearly eight million (7776000) Brits claim that they have undertaken home improvement work after watching DIY programmes, according to research from ...

No Improvement for Home Depot, Lowe's
Minyanville.com, New York - Aug 26, 2008
The slumping housing market continues to take a bite out of home improvement - and there’s no immediate relief in sight. Consumers are pressed by high ...

Los Angeles Times
LA ordinance would require new home improvement stores to set ...
USA Today - Aug 15, 2008
New home improvement stores would be required to provide amenities to day laborers under a bill that the Los Angeles City Council approved this week. ...
LA adopts day laborer rules for home improvement stores Los Angeles Times
Should big home-improvement stores be required to provide shelter ... NBC Sandiego.com
City ordinance seeks to encourage laborer shelters in Los Angeles Xinhua
New York Times - Los Angeles Timesall 55 news articles

Cenla residents prepare for Gustav
Alexandria Town Talk, LA - 17 hours ago
She already had been waiting two hours in the Alexandria Lowe's home improvement store for a generator, and store employees said customers could be waiting ...

US Home Improvement Announces New Line of Replacement Windows
FOXBusiness - Aug 20, 2008
PEABODY, MA, Aug 19, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) ----US Home Improvement is happy to announce a new line of replacement windows has been added to its line ...

Independent.co.uk Web
Independent, UK - Aug 26, 2008
Roman Russocki, the executive director of the National Home Improvement Council, says: "Over four million new UK households are expected to be created ...

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

Kitchen Remodeling Costs