Previous conversations with framers regarding setting windows seem to have gotten me absolutely nowhere. And while the builder and I (on the same page) have agreed to change things in the future, in the immediate there are a couple of houses out there where the framers set the windows. The issue – after the insulation and DW is in, these things are too far out. I’ve tried lots of stuff before, but you know, I don’t like any of them. The worst ones, there’s probably a 3/8 difference between the face of the DW and the face of the jamb.
I’m not going to pull and reset every window. I have virtually no room without dismantling the DW to put prybars in there and pull. Screws have a way of periodically splitting the jamb. Honest, I don’t care what this takes. There’s enough good heads here for more options than have been obvious to me thus far.
“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.” – Mark Twain
Replies
RW,
If you are dealing with windows with nailing fins then it is relatively easy to deal with them. Here is what I do. When I am casing the windows I keep two or three quick clamps available ( the type with soft jaws) . I open the window and use the clamps to suck the window and casing tight together and then nail it.
This usually eliminates the need to cut the dry wall with a razor knife. Might still be necessary in extreme cases. I have seen no framers yet who take the time to shim and nail their windows so this usually works quite well. Sometimes it is possible to bring the windows in as much as the 3/8" you are talking about. For picture windows with fixed glass this approach won't work but there aren't a lot of them thankfully. Most windows open.
another thing that I do routinely as long as the trim will permit it is to screw my casings together on the bench. This helps to keep the miters together over the long haul and it also makes installation a lot easier, especially in cases with faulty installations.
Hope this helps
Mark
Hopefully they are not nailed through the jambs, but fin nailed. Clamps with protected jaws, or screws into the jambs. I really haven't had a problem with jamb splits.
However, the number 1 remedy "back charge". Either the sub corrects the condition himself or someone else does with a significant back charge. Most experienced framers have already experienced this fate and don't want to have it happen again. New or experienced the "back charge tuneup" re-confirms to the framers, "as the framing quality goes, so goes the rest of the house".