window Archives - WNY Handyman

How To Frame a New Window in an Old Wall

If you are a weekend warrior, you will inevitably need to install a window in an existing wall at some point. If you have a house that is vinyl siding on the outside, and you have a non-load bearing wall, the following is a step by step that you can follow to the letter. If you haven’t ever cut a new window opening, this article / guide will answer some questions even if your situation is a bit different.

Here are some of the questions that I had going into this project. Keep in mind, you could answer some of these with a little thought, but if you are like me, you will appreciate a little confirmation of your technique.

Should I cut open the interior wall or the exterior wall?
Do I need to frame in an header?
How much sheathing should I cut away?
What if there are power lines nearby?
When do I make my cuts on the interior / exterior side.

I am sure that many of you will find this helpful and you will be able to apply some of the basic techniques to your own project.

Good luck putting that new window in.

New Window in an Old Wall – Fine Homebuilding Article.

Direct link to PDF

Lake Wall Before and After

When you have a lakefront view, you should do the most to expose this view to the property. We have a small cottage that has an amazing view of the lake. and there are a couple of areas where the view is blocked and it reduces the natural light that comes into the cottage.

I know that we could have gone much more grand (and better integrated) than a simple 36″ window, but simply adding a window to bring light into the room is a relatively simple first step. The door and window in the picture exit to a sun room so it limited some of our possible options.

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The pictures above (click on the picture for the full-sized image) represent the before-during-after. It is difficult to call it an after since there is much work to do (trim, patching, and painting), but this is a start.

Future plans will likely involve a french door, or slider, that encompasses the width of the current divided light door and window. For now, this will due. In fact, the sun r00m is at grade, so it is about 30″ lower than the room where the pictures were taken. This will make for a perfect ice-cream/snow cone ordering window.

Next up: Removing the in-window air conditioner to expose the sunset.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]