Vinyl Replacement Window Help

Anyone have tips on replacing wood windows with vinyl?

I have 12 windows in a house from 1973. All the glazing is very bad so I figure I'll replace all the windows with vinyl. I ordered them, but what showed up was new construction windows. Come to find out that double hung 'sash kits' are even more expensive.

They are all standard size windows. Any way I can make these new construction windows work, or should I send them back and get the so called 'sash kits'?

Thanks

 

It depends what size your old frame is, and what size the new vinyl windows are. Go outside the house and take some measurements. Measure from the inside edge of the brickmould to the inside edge of the brickmould on the opposite side. (for example, if it is 28, the ideal replacement window size would be 27 3/4.) Measure the height the same way, but do it from the inside. Open up your windows and measure from the inside edge of your sloped sill to the top of the window frame. (for example, if it is 45 3/4, the ideal replacement window height would be 45 1/2.)

If your new construction vinyl windows are a little smaller, then you can cut off the nailing fins and install them inside your old wood frames. Keep in mind, though, that you will need to have access to a reciprocating saw, a table saw, and a metal break, because you will need to cut off the old blind stops, install the windows, make new stops, and then cover the mess you just made with trim coil you bend on the metal break. If this sounds too overwhelming, don't even attempt it.

If your new construction vinyl windows will fit inside the rough opening, provided you tear out the entire old wooden frame, then that is what you should do. But again, keep in mind that this means you will have to cut and wrap a new brickmould to cover the nailing fins... and you will need all new trim around the insides of your windows.

This is the reason why people order "replacement windows." (which are different from tilt-packs, or sash-kits, as some people call them.). A replacement window is custom made to fit inside your current window frame so that you can avoid a lot of extra work, such as retrimming inside and out. You simply take the old sashes out, remove any parting stops, old sideload tracks, and so on, slip the new replacement window into the opening, and caulk around it. [thats the short version. But you get the point.]

Usually, people in my area will opt to "wrap" their exposed wood at the same time, (metal break and coil) so that when we are done, their windows are "maintenence free". But this is something that can also be done after the windows are installed. Hope this helps.