Help installing a New window.

Hope this is the right place for this question.

I just bought a new house. In the back yard is a new barn/shed the previous owner had built. It's fairly large as far as backyard barns go.

20 x 20 feet and 25 feet high to the peak.
The previous owner put in a second floor with subflooring and dry walled the interior. Apparently he had plans on making it a home office but never finished.

That's something I plan on doing.

I lucked out and found a brand new Andersen picture/awning window on Craigslist Chicago (Retails for 800 -- I picked it up for 100 bucks).

My plan is to put this window on the upper level of the shed on the rear wall.

Here's where my question comes in.

The barn has vinyl siding over particle board.

I can handle the framing for the new opening for the window. I've done that before. But I've never installed a window on a structure with existing siding.

Do I need to take the siding off and put it back on after the window is in? Or can I cut the vynl back just far enough to slide my chaneling in and then caulk the gap?

 

Vinyl siding is super easy to unzip and remove. You'll want to remove the rows of siding where the window will be. Make your rough opening on the interior then cut the opening out by cutting the sheathing with a reciprocating saw and a long blade, running it around the rough opening from the inside. If there's no tyvek or tarpaper under the siding, I'd strongly suggest you install some- if nothing else- at least around and above your window. (if there's no tarpaper or tyvek on the rest, let the tarpaper on the bottom overlap the vinyl siding that is still on the shed, and cut it flush at the interlock so that water will be able to escape- not run behind the siding.) Then install the window. You'll need to purchase some vinyl j-channel, install it around the window, and then put the siding back up, cutting it to fit.

 

I just finished retro fitting a house with 12 new Pella's, with new construction flanging. Had to remove the siding. One trick is not to pull the nails when you remove the siding. Just start a row above where your window will land, and pull down slightly on the siding just enough to disengage the bottom of the slot from the nail and lift it over. The reason for this, is you will be putting the siding back up in the same position without having to guess at levelling the runs. Makes it super easy to reinstall. You may want to drive a couple of extra ones if you break the tab, but leave them loose as the siding must move.

 

Good point chandler, I often do that too. It ensures the siding goes back in exactly the same place. Nothing worse than putting the siding back on, getting to the last row and realizing that the original installers either pulled it too tight or not tight enough.