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Removing awning windows

tkiel | Posted in General Discussion on July 25, 2007 06:51am

I got some awning windows that I want to replace. They were new construction in the late 60’s and are Anderson. There is brick mold on the exterior, which I’ve removed. There is no exterior flange and I can find no fasteners through the jambs into the framing on either the sides or the top. When I looked in the space between the jambs and the framing, I can see a metal surface which I guess is the backside of a flange on the interior. There is no interior casing, only drywall, with some kind of metal cap on the ends, covering the face of the jambs.

I’ve browsed through the forum but found nothing that addressed this problem specifically. I had hoped to remove the entire window and install a new one, without messing with the interior, but that doesn’t seem possible given the way the window is attached. All the stops appear to be integral with the jambs, so using replacement windows also doesn’t seem like an option.

I guess I’m wondering a couple of things. Is it possible the window is attached in a way other than a flange on the interior? If it is an interior flange, is the metal cap covering the ends of the drywall a part of that flange? What would be the least messiest way to remove the window (I’m thinking of the interior of the house)?

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Replies

  1. User avater
    Sphere | Jul 25, 2007 08:50pm | #1

    That is drywall corner bead,a nd I'd bet the drywall nauils are holding in the window, now that the brick mold is off.

    Tear off the dw and the window will fall out.

     

  2. Geoffrey | Jul 25, 2007 09:43pm | #2

    What's the exterior finish?

    1. tkiel | Jul 25, 2007 09:50pm | #3

      T-111, I think it's called. Plywood with grooves cut in to resemble T&G paneling. Not planning on removing any more than necessary and shouldn't be necessary to remove any."Tear off the dw and the window will fall out." I was sort of hoping to avoid both of these.

      Edited 7/25/2007 2:55 pm ET by tkiel

      1. Geoffrey | Jul 25, 2007 10:02pm | #4

        Are you sure the flange is not behind the T-1-11? You say you can see metal when you look between the window frame and the stud of the RO, if so the flange may beunder the exterior sheathing.

                                                           Geoff

      2. User avater
        Sphere | Jul 25, 2007 10:13pm | #5

        Run a long sawzall blade between the windo and the stud , and all around.

        You can't expect to R and R a window with out a little mess.

        As noted the flange is probably behind the T1-11.  EDIT: Strike that, you said it was brickmoulding, unless it was added afterthe fact, you have no flange.

        Give a good yank from outside, something will reveal itself.

         

        Edited 7/25/2007 3:16 pm ET by Sphere

        1. tkiel | Jul 25, 2007 11:43pm | #6

          Geoffrey wrote:"Are you sure the flange is not behind the T-1-11?" Positive. When I removed the brick mold (and a little bit of fiberglass insulation), I could see into the cavity between the window frame and the stud of the RO. The window is sitting on the bottom 2x of the RO framing and there are no shims anywhere.Sphere wrote:"...unless it was added after the fact, you have no flange." It may not be a flange, but it sure looks like one. Is it possible the metal is merely drywall corner bead? If that's the case, then the only place where the window could be attached is through the sill. Would that be a possibility? I guess at this point I realize there is going to be more of a mess than what I had originally hoped, but, at least as importantly, I was hoping to get some idea of what to expect when I did remove the window.

          1. User avater
            Sphere | Jul 26, 2007 12:00am | #7

            Very common to only attach thru the Brickmould, I've seen it plenty. Shoddy? Maybe, but if the RO is good, and the window works as designed, whos to complain?

            That IS corner bead you are seeing.  Now think if it was nailed on or screwed, and not "clinched" where would those nails be?  In the jack stud and if the rocked OVER the jamb, ( Ive seen that too) there are nails there as well. 

          2. tkiel | Jul 26, 2007 01:14am | #8

            Sphere wrote: "Very common to only attach thru the Brickmould, I've seen it plenty. Shoddy?..." And to think that the previous owners actually mentioned the name of the builder in their listing! Now that you mention it, there were spiral galvanized nails through the brick mold into the jamb and about 3 1/2-4" finish nails through the brick mold into the framing. The brick mold was mitered on the corners with a spiral galvanized nail through the top into the side and through the side into the top. Is it possible that the brick mold served as a flange and there is nothing else holding the window in right now but inertia (or the lack thereof)?

          3. User avater
            Sphere | Jul 26, 2007 01:21am | #9

            Now ya gotit figgured out. Those are Galv.16 D Finish nails in the BM..yup, all that was holding in the window.

            A good yank oughtta do it. 

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