Replacing A Rotted Window
The above and below pictures were taken 6 weeks ago. The painters discovered a rotted window sill in this picture window. Unfortunately the rot was too deep and involved to repair and replacement was the only viable option.
Problem Solving To Prevent Recurrence
As is the case on any job I’m on I always try to figure out what caused the rot and try to address the cause. In this case I’m pretty sure the culprit was the window flower box and it’s drip irrigation system.
Drip Irrigation Caused Premature Rot
The drip irrigation’s system, shown below, was spraying the window sill everyday. the flowers helped keep the sill wet by shading it and not allowing the sill to dry.
The homeowner adjusted the drip heads to water only the flower roots and also adjusted the timer so the flower box would not spill over.
A new window was ordered.
This week we removed the old rotted window. We had to build temporary staging to straddle the hedgerow and to access the window.
The new window was heavy so having the staging in place was helpful.
Solution
We removed all of the glass to take the weight out of the old window frame.
Bill is working on removing the nails to the old windows trim. Once the nails and interior casing were removed the window pops out easily.
New window installed. Now we have to make the head trim and reinstall the lead window flashing.
Installation complete. Now on to the interior.
Finished!
~ concord carpenter