Robert from Oakville, Ontario wrote: I live in a town house and only have two basement windows. Last year I cut out the wall on one of the windows and took out the 32" X 15" window and replaced it with a 32" X 24" window. It worked great. So this year I decided to enlarge the back window before f...
When hiring a contractor to replace your windows, DO NOT MEASURE THEM YOURSELF. You can give him measurements to the nearest inch with the very clear indications that these are "approximate measurements only and not to be used for ordering the window".
WHY HAVE A CONTRACTOR TAKE HIS OWN ...
Shimming windows into a wall is not done just any which way. The better of the window manufacturers will provide a shimming schedule with every window, specifying exactly where the shims should go.
The general principles are:
Bottom shims
On the bottom the shims should go under vertical struct...
I remember years ago, touring Quebec delivering CMHC builder and renovator courses in an effort to get contractors into trouble free window installations. Aside from the fact that they all had the funny habit of installing their windows in French, I was really intrigued to discover that each regi...
When condensation shows up inside a thermal pane double window (between the two pieces of glass), you know that the seals around the edge have been compromised, allowing moisture to get inside. These cannot really be re-sealed so the standard response to this problem is to replace the gla...
When condensation shows up inside a thermal pane double window (between the two pieces of glass), you know that the seals around the edge have been compromised, allowing moisture to get inside. These cannot really be re-sealed so the standard response to this problem is to replace the glass ...
When it comes to installing screens into a screen door I have always had problems keeping the mesh straight and avoiding wrinkles in the corners when I followed the standard instructions of starting at one corner and working my way around, unless I was working with someone else to help hold it al...
Victor from Stoney Creek, Ontario writes: "My house is a 3 level back split and is 3 years old. The furnace is natural gas. I am having problems with condensation and mould on my thermal windows! The window manufacturer said that there is too much humidity and that thermal windows always get cond...
Shawn asked why he always has condensation on his windows. Check "condensation" in the database and you will see a lot about high humidity in the house and the need for one sort of ventilation or another. Here I wanted to look closely at another cause of condensation -- extra cold spots on the wi...
Can I cut in a door where the basement window is presently?
Ed and Shirley from Dundas, Ontario want to put a door into the basement right where there is presently a window. Can they do it?
If the door is the same width as the window, there will be no structural problems above. If you make the ...
