This was a big one on my hit list. I have wanted to replace the windows in our master bedroom ever since the first winter night I lay awake and listened to the wind blowing right through them. There was this little piece of plastic that was supposed to be some sort of weather stripping but what it really did was vibrate like a reed in a saxophone every time the wind got up above 20 MPH or so.

Two weekends ago I drove up to Lowes and special ordered four Pella Thermastar windows. They had to be special ordered because the window frames were too large for the stock window sizes. If this were say a two hundred year old farm house or something like that, I would have done something different. Since this is a 1965 ranch with all of the other windows already replaced with vinyl windows, I figured I would stay with that theme. The Pella windows are Energy Star qualified, and come with low E glass.

I downloaded the installation pdf from the pella web site and read up on the procedure. It was helpful and saved me at least one trip to the hardware store to buy supplies. The installation instructions stated that I would need several shims, a few tubes of exterior grade polyurethane or silicone sealant, a couple cans of Great Stuff Window and Door insulating foam and some misc hardware.

The old windows were really cheap, basically they were held together by two pieces of quarter round and four staples. They came apart very easily. I threw them out. The old window frame was in better shape than I though.

That left the opening with the exterior blind stops and the the window sill. The first replacement window went kind of slowly. I wanted to be sure that everything was done right so I kept going back and reading the instructions.

First I dry fitted the window to make sure they were the right size. That all looked good. I used the pella foil back butyl flashing tape on the bottom of the old window opening. Then I placed a 3/8 bead of polyurethane sealant around the blind stops and the window sill.
Then I installed the window in the opening. Using a level, I shimed the window until it was level on the bottom and side of the frame, then screwed the window into the old window frame with the long screws provided.

Once the window was shimed and screwed, I rechecked the window with a level and measured from corner to corner to make sure the window was square. Then I used the Great Stuff window and door insulating foam to fill in the area between the new window and the old window frame. That insulating foam really is great stuff, however, I srongly recommend that you wear a hat so that it does not get in your hair. That can be a painful experience.

I waited a while for the foam to dry, then I trimmed of the excess with a knife. I installed quarter round on the sides and a piece of rectangular stock across the top of the window. Outside, there is a snap in plastic piece that seals up the bottom of the window against the old window from.

Repeat times three. Actually, the first one was the easiest, the other three required more work to shim and get level.

They look pretty good. It will be nice this winter to sit in the living room and not feel a draft coming from the master bedroom.

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