Best Replacement Windows

Know how to properly measure for your replacement windows

The windows of your home are possible the most visible and costly asset of your home. By replacing your old wood windows with energy efficient vinyl replacement windows, you will be enhancing the appearance of your home, reducing your energy bill, and eliminating the need to paint, caulk, and time consuming maintenance. However, once the contractors you have contacted have given you their estimates you wonder why the windows can cost so much. There are several reasons why replacement windows are so expensive. First, you have to pay the salary of the individual who comes out to your home to give you an estimate. Secondly, you have to pay the installers. Next comes the salary of the broker, who you may or may not have had any contact, and finally, you are paying the manufacturer as well as the window company. You can cut out all these middlemen if you know how to shop, measure, and install your new windows. By installing the windows yourself, you eliminated everyone except the manufacturer and dealer, saving you a sizeable sum of money.

It is important to know how to properly measure for your replacement windows to avoid ordering windows, which are too small, or too large. In many cases, you will have to re-measure and reorder your windows. When replacing old double hung wood windows, if the windows are wood sash windows, you need to measure the width first, then the height. Window dimensions are always given as width x height. Measuring the width, pull a metal tape measure from the top right corner to the top left corner. Place the tape measure in that 1 1/2″ pocket where the window frame slides and measure to the nearest 1/16 of an inch. You also want to measure the width of the window at the midway point, and then raising the bottom sash, measure the bottom portion of the window. If for some reason you cannot lift the bottom window, then measure the window from outside. However, you will have to remove the screen though. It is important to note also that you have to measure every window you are planning to replace. All three measurements should be the same. If they are not, then use the smallest measurement. Once you have your measurement, subtract 1/4″ from it. This is the correct width for your new window. Measuring the height of your windows can be a little awkward. If your outside windowsill slopes downward and away from your widow for water drainage, then you must make sure to measure at the highest point of the windowsill.

When measuring the height you have to measure from the top right corner to the bottom right corner. Again, using a metal tape measurer, place the tape at the top where the upper sash closes and measure down to the highest point of the sloped sill. However, if the bottom portion of your windowsill has a 5/8″ high piece of wood inside the windowsill to prevent water from seeping inside, you will have to raise the bottom sash and measure below the 5/8″ sill to the high point of the sloped sill. Again, you want to measure the center of the window and the left side of the window, taking the smallest measurement of the three. Once you have your measurement, you want to deduct 3/16″ to obtain the correct the height for your new windows. By submitting these dimensions when you order your windows, they will fit right perfectly, leaving enough room for adjustments.

Your final step is to measure the depth of the pocket where both sashes slide. The depth of the sash is the point from outside where the top sash rests against the outside wood stop to the inside of the window where the inside bottom sash rests against the inside stop. This measurement of the pocket should be between 3 1/4″- 3 1/2″. The importance of this measurement is that not all replacement windows have a 3 1/4″ depth frame. If you purchase windows that have a 2 5/8″ frame depth, you will have to fill in approximately 3/4″, meaning that you will are to purchase new wood stops that are 3/4″ wider than the existing stops inside the house. However, if you’re on a tight budget, lower grade windows generally have 2 5/8″ frames, and you will have to purchase wider trim. You will have to weigh, whether saving money on lesser grade window is worth the extra expense you will have in the time of installing the new stops inside all of your windows.