House is a mid 80's "oil was cheap" build, with single pane windows and storms. The windows are in very bad shape. My plan is to do the upstairs this year, and then downstairs the next year. 21 windows total. About 7 years ago (first year we were in the house) Pella came out and quoted us $18k for the job Replacement windows would be the easiest, I am afraid of messing with the exterior vinyl and would prefer to avoid if I have to. However, we have several rotted sills. Some just have a thumb sized area, one is really bad, most are good. Anyone have advice here? Can I just replace those bad sills and go ahead with the replacements? If not, how hard is vinyl work and what specialty tools (cost) am I looking at? I don't like the idea of installing new windows since it means trim work, ladder time, and just a whole lot more time, time, and time. Thanks.
We had all windows replacements done in our old farm with many old sills replaced too as they went along. The vinyl siding had just been done a year earlier and outside trim had been wrapped. Really didn't want to touch that either. Windows went in fast and easy.
epoxy will work if the rotten areas are truly small ( some have better luck with bigger repairs but not me ) I've replaced sills for wood double hungs. I replaced a couple kitchen windows with replacements for my sister when she was broke in the middle of a divorce and one window fell out rotten and another was ready to. In January. I really didn't care for the glass area being a tiny bit smaller and would have preferred new wood windows over plastic but I didn't have to look at them every day.
The first one is the hardest one. After that you get faster and faster. At the end you will say, "that wasn't too bad" Buy the best you can afford. And get them the color you like . Don't just settle for white because its the cheapest color. Recently I discovered that I HATE white windows and trim. At the time it was ok. Now twenty years later I am going to put new windows in AGAIN. I'm changing all the colors to the newer earth tone clay that is popular now
Yeah, I don't "love" the looks of the vinyl replacements either... but I sure did like the view of the curtains not moving when the wind howled...
I'm looking at Anderson's and they have a series that can be stained (wood) interior with white exterior which is a good fit for what I have now (if I can match the stain )
Like mentioned by Stinny, wrapping the outside trim would be a good way to go if you are going to use the existing window frames. A good window and siding contractor can bend aluminum to cover the sills and surrounding trim. It is a clean finish, and when caulked, it is very weather tight. You can cut out the rot and scab in a piece of wood to make it solid. Many would go right over a small area with metal, or epoxy the area to prevent further rot.
Aluminum is cut off a roll, cut to shape and bent on a brake. It it then nailed with small trim nails over the outside trim. It is tucked behind the vinyl trim along the top and sides.
Ok yeah, our windows are trimmed out with vinyl, they have a sort of exterior sill and fancier trim work than a slam banger install. I apologize for my exotic wording, I don't know the proper terms.
If you have face nailed frames, changing the whole window could potentially be easier. I resided during my replacement so I didn't have to worry about exterior - interior was fairly easy sheetrock backer strips and recut the existing trim to fit a slightly smaller window. The face nailed frames with the nailer strip on newer windows can be covered with a piece of vinyl brick mold and will probably mate right up to your existing vinyl siding trim. New window will allow you to great stuff the casing and actually seal things up a bit better
As As far as trim goes i hated it to until i did our custom trim check out my other post if it pulls it up. http://firewoodhoardersclub.com/for...k-custom-pictures-included.11279/#post-287872
