Your windows must fit perfectly inside their frames. A proper window fit prevents leaks and saves hundreds of dollars in heating and cooling costs. Measuring the rough opening or the window clearance is of utmost importance.
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How To Install a Window?
Whether your window is a rough opening or a replacement window, you will stop mistakes before they can happen with careful measurements. It’s all in the preparation with windows. Read on to learn how to get the perfect window fit!
For Replacement Windows
In the case of replacement windows, you are in luck. The only thing you need to measure for is the window itself! The best way is to measure both ends and the center of the window and then use the shortest height.
It’s always good to leave some wiggle room in case you need to use shims to square the window in its opening. Usually, you’ll want to subtract a one-quarter inch from the width and the height to get the right size for your replacement windows. It’s also a good idea to keep your original measurements in case it needs a larger clearance.
After you’ve replaced your windows, you’ll want a guide to window maintenance. Keeping your windows in good shape helps extend their life and saves you money on heating and cooling costs. A strong set of windows will also increase the value of your home!
For Brand New Windows
Installing a new window where there wasn’t one before is a bit more daunting than replacing an existing one. The area between the innermost studs where your window will go is called the rough opening. Your window is usually two-and-a-half inches shorter and narrower than the rough opening.
With that marked out, you still have the half-inch clearance for squaring the window as with replacements, adding room for one-inch-thick jambs around the opening. When installing the brand new windows, you also have to build the window jamb along with it.
Replacement Windows Have The Existing Jamb To Use.
You can run into more complications with a new installation just as with replacement windows. With careful measurements, you can be prepared in either instance. Make sure the sides of your rough opening are level or the wall you are using is deformed.
Shoring up the walls around your new window, especially with older homes, is a good way to strengthen your windows before you install them. Bowed walls or loose studs are all the enemies of secure windows. Measure everything twice and make sure they are all level, and you should be fine.
Perfect Window Fit
When you put in a window, whether new or replacement, you need to make sure you are measuring correctly, and more than once! Be sure of your measurements and you will have an easier time putting your windows in. Make sure your window clearance or your rough opening is level, as well.
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