How To Install a Window | Top 10 Things You Should Do!

okay it's time we're gonna do a video about putting windows in we're installing these windows they're Andersen fiber X 100 series they're our new construction windows that means they have a flange that mounts on the outside of the wall sheeting instead of screwing through the sides of your studs like a remodel window does ok this window is some kind of weird material called fiber X it's not vinyl it's not wood this stuff is made out of the same stuff is trex decking and it's extruded it sounds like a combination of wood and plastic then it's extruded that's all it is fiber X I think they're a good product for the price they're not super expensive but they seem to perform pretty well all right let's look at this window here it's got a flange that mounts on the outside of the wall sheeting that's the wall sheeting and it's got nail holes in it we put a nail in every single hole and that will hold it tight to the house keep it from coming out so I'm gonna tell you a few things that I think every window manufacturer will tell you for every single kind of window if you're gonna put in some windows to read the specific manual for that window because things do vary a little we're gonna go over some things that pretty much any window new construction you're gonna want to do to get it done right [Music] my first thing is I always check the width of the window the height of the window and then I checked the width of the window opening and the height of the window opening and make sure it's gonna fit before I put the caulk on the house and that way I don't make a big mess if I have to change something and what you'll notice if you could see really good is that the window opening is actually a half inch bigger in each direction than the window which is what is supposed to be that way the window fits in there and has like a quarter inch gap all the way around including the bottom so this is a great tip here don't set the window all the way down on the sill shim it up and actually use construction pencils don't have a single one on me they're probably stuck in a window out there that's a great quarter-inch shim to set underneath the window to jack it up to keep the window from sitting on the actual sill and most manufacturers recommend doing that all right number two check that the sides of your opening or plumb and at the top and the bottom are level now this levels a little too long for this opening but I can kind of angle it and make it work and we look good there again next step okay number three is check the window opening diagonals to make sure that the opening is square now if all the sides are plumb and level it shouldn't be skewed but it's always a good idea to just check this anyway so what I'm gonna do is check both diagonals and just make sure that they're the same number it doesn't really matter what the number is as long as they're the same the window opening is square putting windows in a wall alright number four most window manufactures are gonna recommend that you seal the window sill with something pan flashing or a sill flashing whatever you want to call it on this house we view zip tape which is a flashing tape and we've basically made a solid layer of this stuff over top of the sill that wraps around and makes a solid corner right here there's the little pinhole in the corner because this tape is stretchy you can kind of stretch it out around the corner you usually want to come up about six inches from the bottom of the sill and we'll go ahead and wrap this all the way in before we're finished we can get to that from the inside actually so that's called your sill flashing or your pan flashing that way if water somehow it does get in here which it won't if you do everything else right it won't rot the window sill that's a good thing to do and almost every window manufacturer is gonna say definitely do that putting windows in the wall okay number five most houses buy code nowadays have to have a house wrap or tie vac or builders wrap whatever you want to call it it's a layer of this semi permeable plastic that goes over your house moisture barrier maybe you'd call it and so this flange is gonna attach to the outside of that moisture barrier here but on the top of the window we want the connection to actually be to the sheathing underneath so that water gets on this it will run on top of the flange on top so what we do is cut a 45-degree angle on both sides flip that up tack it with some tape while we install the window and then we flip it back down over top of the flange on the top of the window almost every window manufacturer is gonna recommend that you do that all right number six I think we're gonna use caulk behind the flanges on this window and we're going to put this one in using the drainage method and that means that we're gonna call these sides the top but not the bottom in case water were to somehow get in there on the sill it would have a place to run out which would be the bottom now you can caulk all the way around and then flash tape all the way around and that's another method to do it but I like the drainage method it seems like it makes sense to give a place for the water to go besides in your house so this will let it get out or dry I'm gonna do like a quarter-inch thick bead of caulk around here is what most window manufacturers gonna recommend behind the flange if you put much more than that it's gonna squeeze out and get everywhere so that's about quarter a half inch in from the rough opening that's a good spot to put that hey we need some pencils to put in here the flanges will break if you set them just on the flange on this particular type of Windows we leave them in this packaging material until we're ready to install them that way doesn't get cracked or broken lock the window before you install it so take out the packing materials these Andersen windows have crazy packing materials we almost couldn't get it unpacked on the first one so in order to make sure your window they squared up while you're installing it lock it and these lock automatically and then after you install your window check that it operates if it doesn't operate you did something wrong okay I think we're on number seven now already I think that's the point where we actually install the window okay on a small window I'll usually lift it myself and then I'll have another man AJ on the inside and what he's going to do is make sure the window is centered in the opening from side to side and then on the outside I'm gonna check it with a level again to make sure it's plumb and it's level and it's centered in the opening and it's shimmed off the bottom of the opening with those pencils and then I'm gonna start nailing it okay here we go all right usually set the bottom of the window into the opening first got an angle right he'll guide me in okay now that it's resting on the pencils we'll tip it in and he's gonna move it side to side till it's centered how are you looking you can't hear me okay now that he's holding it we will check the window plumb and we're also checking that this edge is straight some windows the flange actually bows and you have to pull it out straight and then tack it so that's good we'll check this side we're like a straight edge now we already know that it's plumb and we'll just for fun we'll check the bottom and that's running good as well we'll start tacking it off alright let's talk about these nails number eight what I'm attaching with is a two inch electro galvanized roofing nail and why I like these nails is cuz they have a super thin head whatever you nail with is gonna be underneath of your window trim so if you use a fat thick head on your nail it's gonna make your window trim tip more than it already is going to and we actually shim behind the window trims out here to make up for a little bit of difference of this flange so I like using thin nails they need to be two-inch so they get into the wood framing an inch and a half and if you're not comfortable swinging a hammer I wouldn't recommend doing this but we're gonna have nail really close to this window so I choke way up on the hammer I'm gonna look like a total right here but that's what I do as I choke up so that I don't smack this window and put a hole in it alright here's a great tip for nailing these if you're gonna be in close to a window like this is the swing with your wrist not your whole arm that'll keep the fulcrum of the swing in the same spot putting the head of your hammer in the same spot every time if you move your whole arm you're more likely to get off skew and smack right there attack all four corners okay I've got all four corners attack now I'm gonna go around the whole perimeter nail in every single nails it's gonna take a few minutes maybe you can video it and we'll do it fast motion everyone okay I've seen people do this with coil nailers before that's like a roofing nailer that shoots the same type of nail only problem is if it's cold like it is right now this frame is a little brittle when you shoot up in that flange the flange alike crack and explode break all the pieces if you have the pressure set too high if the pressure set too low it won't shoot all the way in then you gotta smack it with a hammer anyway so I don't mind to just hey nail them takes a little longer but you know they're not gonna blow the flange all to pieces and it'll stay in the window opening so that's good okay number eight or nine Darrell says it's nine so let's do that we're gonna flash tape the side flanges first then the top that's the way shingles would lap and that's how we're gonna do the flashing so we'll start with the sides we'll start with them do them on top of the house wrap let it stick up about three inches and then down about three inches and I'm just really making sure that it's sealed really well got a nice pocket knife out of thin air all right there's one side it's good if it's smooth no wrinkles you get a little wrinkled can be okay but it's better if it hasn't no all right now we're gonna do the top okay we're gonna attach this right to the wall sheeting behind the builders wrap oh let's get it right side up let's get this right yeah there you go good okay number ten so there's ten steps that's how many there is number ten we're gonna flip down this flap and then we're gonna attack it with some tape over top of this piece of window flashing oh that's good tape man that stuff is so sticky let me get that piece okay now that that's flipped down the water will stay on the outside of the flashing and house wrap is it goes around the window even if it gets behind the siding which we're gonna put the siding on ourselves I'm pretty confident that when we install it no water is gonna get behind the siding but if it did it would protect the house and the wood layers of the house get the water all the way to the ground without rotting the house so ten steps putting in a window typically now like I said read your instructions because there may be many more steps if you're installing like wood windows or super super expensive windows with super good warranties and if you skip those steps you could void your warranties where do the wise read all the fine print on your paperwork with your windows all right a couple final notes here we leave this plastic film on the windows until the house is done so that stuff doesn't get on the windows like paint or dust or get scratched number two is after the windows are installed this company recommends shimming permanent shims around the inside of the frame to the framing and number three is you want to seal the entire perimeter around the inside with expanding foam low expansion foam or you can use backer rod and caulk so that the entire perimeter is sealed for insulation and air movement and thanks for watching our video today I hope it was helpful to you and I hope you enjoyed it remember to subscribe to our Channel and click the bell you'll get our future videos where to put more windows in the wall see you you

Channel: Perkins Builder Brothers

Views: 233,992

Rating: 4.9313412 out of 5

Keywords: how to, install, window, frame, flash, caulk, seal

Id: cCjGTNCuFOg

Length: 13min 54sec (834 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 12 2020