DIYbanter - View Single Post

wrote:
My house in El Paso, TExas is a brick veneer with casement windows,
built in 1959. I'd love to replace those drafty single-pane windows
with good energy-efficient double panes. I could probably do the job
myself "IF" I knew how the present windows were installed. And "IF" I
don't have to take bricks loose on the outside of the house

In that era, were the windows usually installed from the inside, with
large screws going through the sides and into the framing of the window
opening, which was then hidden by the drywall in the window opening?
Or were they installed from the outside and secured with a nailing
flange on the outside of the framing, which was then covered with one
row of bricks?

They probably have a nailing fin, but with a pry bar and some elbow
grease you can remove them without taking out bricks. First remove the
slider and tape the glass in the fixed side. Take out the fixed panes if
you can by removing any glazing of flanges. Remove all of the inside
moldings and brickmould. Working from the middle, collapse the aluminum
frame inward and just pull the flanges loose. It will be messy and there
will be sharp metal and broken glass so wear gloves, goggles and a heavy
shirt.

The openings need to be framed (sill, drip edge, etc.) and flashed
properly, so if you've never done this, hire a carpenter to install the
bigger ones and do the rest yourself after you see what's involved.