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Preparing the Exterior Wall and Installing Energy Efficient Windows

Homeowner and contractor Nick Beasley walks Bob through the progress to date in the master and kids bath, including leveling the floors, building partition walls, and installing cementitious board for the wall and floor tiles. Beasley explains how they discovered inadequate framing for the windows when they removed the wallboard on the exterior wall. They reframed the wall with a header, making it structurally sound, and prepared to install matching windows. Beasley shows how to open up the building wrap and prepare a watertight window installation. He begins by cutting the building wrap down the middle, to the two bottom corners, then across the top. He staples the paper back and trims the excess away. He then uses Pella's waterproof self-adhesive tape along the bottom sill and up six inches on each side. He doubles up the bottom pieces and lets the exterior section extend 1/2 inch so that water will flow to the exterior and away from the house. He explains that it's important to work from the bottom up when waterproofing a window so that any water that gets in will run down and away, not getting caught behind any flap as it runs. Beasley opens up the nailing flange and roughs in the window before checking it for level and plumb. They shim the window at the bottom, middle, and top before checking again for level and plumb, and nailing it into place. They finish the installation with low-expansion insulation foam to fill the voids around the window. Beasley stresses that it's important to use low-expansion foam so that it won't expand too much and push te window out of plumb or cause difficulty for window operation. Cordell Burton is then back with Bob to review the Pella Architect Series windows the Beasleys selected for their 1895 home. These two-over-one wood interior and aluminum-clad exterior windows are Energy Star rated for high efficiency and feature replica-style hardware. They are constructed of double-pane low-e glass and are argon-filled for maximum energy efficiency.
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Preparing the Exterior Wall and Installing Energy Efficient Windows

  computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" Downstairs our homeowner nick has dealt with a different kind of installation. So we finished our -- which then allowed us to move onto our framing we reframed the floor leveling it and taking -- some of the structural damage that the previous. Plumbers had done. We were able then you are -- our framing in the bathroom to define the new master bath which is off the bedroom and on the other side of this wall -- the powder room. On this while we were able to installers imitation board to accept tile we got our television in our new tub deck. We got our cement board down a floor too for tile and then we took the plaster down. On the exterior wall we realized that we didn't have. It's it was under frame for what it should have been there are no headers or anything so and the windows which were mismatched as they were originally. In two different bathrooms. This is a good time to just redo the whole thing. Make it structurally sound and also put in some mass matching windows that would be more centered on the space. So everything in the wall for the new windows we want to space between the windows to match -- although this looks like a big structural support it's actually really just acting as a big space. And above we had to put in the new header which he meant to two by -- and in between the two ways to put it. Piece of half inch plywood which just again acts of the spacers not really structural that way. Our dimension of the 22 by eights and the happened just three and a half inches which is the same dimension as a two by four. So now already installed the windows so make sure the installation is watertight -- father recommendations of the window manufacturer which were using Pella windows. In this case. So we start with a cut down the middle. Stopping. Close to the bottom."

" Boy angle cuts down the corners."

" Can we cut straight across the top. And this allows us to fold everything back. Chris emerged from. Waterproofing. The who needs this. Stable wood -- keep them away. They would trim the excess off. Nice and clean makes -- your work was. Next the manufacturer recommends that we put. This really -- water pan out of the waterproof tape self adhesive some product. Convinced that there -- six inches up on inside. An -- this can tape the show is really important that you get the corners nice and tight because you can end up with a fair amount of buildup which. Can create problems later on. And try to fit your window."

" So we double it up so we make sure that we get the complete windowsill covered. Let it overhang about an inch. -- cover the there always be on the opening that way if there is any water does manage to get in -- in the condensation built up around the window. You'll get little float to the outside and not affect our. Framing."

" So it's important whenever you're doing."

" Waterproof projects like this that you work from the bottom up because if you think I could drop water. The water going to run down the sides and then into the bottom so you want to make sure that river runs down overlaps the bottom piece. Instead of running behind the bottom pieces."

" Before in a window out there. Opening. For the yet all said -- many back. -- nailing flange. -- At the bottom. Which can ever go. You're okay. When with a when erupt in place to make sure is nice and level and plumb. Knowing. Passed through them manufacturer's recommendation we shim it in three spots. On the bottom in the middle of the top -- do that before we nail off the flange to make sure that it's. It won't move once we start nailing."

" More."

" Now I checked -- wartime. Still looks good. All right John nail it. And ordered. Make an airtight seal -- provide us with some spray foam. Insulation. British run around and fill all the voids around the window. This is low expansion window and door foam it's important that you use low expansion foam when you're doing windows and doors because. If -- hit this foam expands too -- can push your jams out of plumb thorough level and then your door or window won't operate correctly."

" All right we'll Nick's done a great job of installing these windows. Tell us about the features yeah this is actually the architect series window is right made more like build traditional. Window that's generous in the home. The appearance is of an 1892. Over one window to over one pattern with the wider lower rail then check -- And you can see here is a nice spoon hardware just like in the -- okay and it's wood on the inside wood on the inside. And aluminum clad on the outside to get it that low maintenance. Exactly and then what about the glass itself will kind of glass isn't this -- is a double pane insulated glass so it's actually get two things. Glass with low heat to low. Well it's beautiful window thank you thanks a lot."

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