Having storm windows allowed me to remove the windows and still have protection from the weather. In Iowa, this is a must. I'm not living in the house so I only work on this project on weekends and sometimes after work. This means the windows will be out of the wall for a long time. The storm window in the center window was missing the lower sash for some unknown reason. To cover the hole, I cut a piece of thick cardboard and wrapped it with a plastic garbage bag. I taped the cardboard to the aluminum frame of the storm window with packing tape. I left it this way all winter last year. That room is unused, so with the register and the door to the hallway closed, it didn't affect the heating bill too much.
I started by removing the outer sash stops with a small trim prybar, then the lower sash can be removed. Next, the upper sashes were painted shut, so they had to be broken free. Then the parting members were removed from one side only to allow the upper sash to be removed. The parting member taken out would have to be replaced anyway, so I wasn't worried about destroying them. Good thing because they wouldn't come out without breaking.
After the sashes were removed, the weight boxes had to be opened to replace the broken and old ropes. The boxes don't have access panels, so the whole vertical trim boards had to be removed. The weights were removed and the old ropes thrown away. All of the sashes and removed trim pieces were taken to a shop area in the basement to be restored and painted.
Weather and the need to isolate the work areas from the rest of the house limit what you can do and when. For these reasons, the spring and fall are the most productive seasons for window work.
Some parts of this project can't be done during the very cold winter due to the need for ventellation while using a heat gun, and warmer temps for some chemicals like adhesives and epoxy. When the weather gets really hot, it also makes it difficult to work on the items that can't be done in the basement because the room is upstairs, we don't have central air conditioning, and the door must be kept closed due to the fumes and sanding dust.
I'll just write this part as if the weather wasn't a factor, but keep in mind that some tasks can't be done at certain times which messes up the task order that is sometimes required. At times the cart just can't go before the horse, so to keep working, choose jobs on items that don't depend on each other.
The jobs now are divided into 2 main work areas, upstairs in the bedroom, and in the basement shop. Most of my Youtube videos are of work done in the basement. For each major job I'll talk about the tools, materials, and protective safety items before going over the work. I'll present the work techniques and any special tips and tricks I've discovered along the way.
Prepare the area for some messy work. Equipment for this step include: Plastic sheets, bed sheets, a big box fan, a vaccume with a good filter bag and a hose (canister type works best), and paper towels.
I put the plastic sheet over the carpet and some plastic on any surface I intend to lay down tools. I put bed sheets over all the other furnature. Make sure to cover anything cloth too because burning paint fumes will stay in cloth items that can't be washed like couches and soft chairs.
I started by removing the outer sash stops with a small trim prybar, then the lower sash can be removed. Next, the upper sashes were painted shut, so they had to be broken free. Then the parting members were removed from one side only to allow the upper sash to be removed. The parting member taken out would have to be replaced anyway, so I wasn't worried about destroying them. Good thing because they wouldn't come out without breaking.
After the sashes were removed, the weight boxes had to be opened to replace the broken and old ropes. The boxes don't have access panels, so the whole vertical trim boards had to be removed. The weights were removed and the old ropes thrown away. All of the sashes and removed trim pieces were taken to a shop area in the basement to be restored and painted.
Weather and the need to isolate the work areas from the rest of the house limit what you can do and when. For these reasons, the spring and fall are the most productive seasons for window work.
Some parts of this project can't be done during the very cold winter due to the need for ventellation while using a heat gun, and warmer temps for some chemicals like adhesives and epoxy. When the weather gets really hot, it also makes it difficult to work on the items that can't be done in the basement because the room is upstairs, we don't have central air conditioning, and the door must be kept closed due to the fumes and sanding dust.
I'll just write this part as if the weather wasn't a factor, but keep in mind that some tasks can't be done at certain times which messes up the task order that is sometimes required. At times the cart just can't go before the horse, so to keep working, choose jobs on items that don't depend on each other.
The jobs now are divided into 2 main work areas, upstairs in the bedroom, and in the basement shop. Most of my Youtube videos are of work done in the basement. For each major job I'll talk about the tools, materials, and protective safety items before going over the work. I'll present the work techniques and any special tips and tricks I've discovered along the way.
Prepare the area for some messy work. Equipment for this step include: Plastic sheets, bed sheets, a big box fan, a vaccume with a good filter bag and a hose (canister type works best), and paper towels.
I put the plastic sheet over the carpet and some plastic on any surface I intend to lay down tools. I put bed sheets over all the other furnature. Make sure to cover anything cloth too because burning paint fumes will stay in cloth items that can't be washed like couches and soft chairs.
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