Replacing casement windows with double hung
Hi all,
After quite while in this forum perusing and learning, I thought it was my time to share some of the work that I did over Easter.
Our house is a typical rectangle on stilts that was one of many built in Brisbane in the 70's. For some reason when they built the house, the three front windows were aluminium and the sides and back were timber casement windows. Living close to the freeway, I was sick of the road noise and in winter, the cold drafts that we were getting with the casement windows. Eventually we decided on installing double hung aluminium windows with Crimsafe screens on the house.
Replacing the casement windows was easy, as there was already a window frame in place, all I did was remove the windows, bog the old holes, sand the frame and give it two coats of paint. Then all I had to do was fit the new window in the frame and secure it.
Replacing the aluminium windows was harder. As they were installed before the chamferboard was fitted, the old frames had to be demolished to remove. Once they were out of the way, the chamferboard had to be cut so it was flush with the internal stud work. I then created a casement window frame so all the windows would look the same. Finding some casement window sill was the hardest. Luckily I ended up sourcing it from my local hardware store at the nice sum of $42 a L/M...ouch. It was kwila, and such a shame to paint it. Once the frames was painted the windows were fitted.
Measuring the replacement window dimensions for the casements was easy as the frame was already there. To measure the replacments for the aluminium meant I had to rip off all the internal skirting boards so I could measure the internal stud work.
Ive sealed the external top and sides with sikaflex and left the bottom unsealed so any unwanted moisture can escape. The windows had a rubber flap fitted on the bottom to stop any water entering the house.
Changing the windows has changed the whole feel of the house. Being able to leave the windows open when going out is great as the house isnt so stuffy anymore. Having a window that closes in the main toilet is a bonus. It used to have fixed louvres, and it was bloody cold in winter. It took me 6 days over the Easter long weekend to do 12 out of the 13 windows. The dodgiest thing I found was in the bathroom wall cavity. I made the window in the bathroom longer. When I removed the old casement sill, I found a power point (still live) sitting in the wall. When the house was renovated 6 years ago, they must have changed the position of the bath and didnt want to move the power point, so they left it. What concerned me the most was that it was next to the bath plumbing. If there was a leak......zaaaaaaaap.
Sorry for the long winded post, hopefully someone will find it helpful and inspire someone.
Last but not least, I have a heap of casement windows that are in excellent condition. Is there a market for these??? Im keen to get rid of them particularly if they might pay for a slab or two :)
Cheers
Steve
