Planning the new window opening

Wednesday, May 11:

Using simple addition, I calculated the position of the new window sill by working my way down from the ceiling:

• Space above the new window header:  5   3/4"
• Height of new window header:              7  1/4"   (the thickness of a 2x8 triple-beam)
• Height of window opening:                  48  3/4"  (allowing some wiggle room at the top and bottom)
• Thickness of window sill plate:              1  1/2"   (the thickness of a 2x6)

          Total:                                                          63  1/4" 

Why 5 3/4" above the window header?  Because I am going to install the new header slightly below the temporary beam that is currently supporting the ceiling/roof.  That beam (see previous post) is made of 2x6's – which are 5 1/2" tall.   The new window header will be 1/4" lower – that way I can easily pull the temporary beam out of there once the permanent header is holding everything up.

I measured the 63 1/4" down from the undersurface of the top wall plate and placed a mark on the wall. The old, existing undersill stud on the right end was all ragged and split up with nails, so I pried it out and installed a new 2x6 stud that came up to the mark for the right-end of the window sill.  (For the left-end of the sill, I simply sawed off the top of the existing old stud at the correct level.)

Above and below:  Making sure the two ends of the sill are level. Prior to actually nailing the sill and installing the studs below it, I need to drag the new window from the upstairs office through this huge opening – out onto the scaffold.  (Windows are always installed from the outside of the house)

The window was a custom-order from Lowe's. It is a "Milgard," with double-pane low-E glass in a strong vinyl frame – excellent quality and value (probably 1/3 the cost of an Andersen window). To make it lighter, I removed the sliding portion and then muscled it out onto the scaffold.

Now that the window is on the outside, I can frame the wall.  (The white plastic bundle on the outside scaffold contains all the broken glass from the old plate-glass window. The black bag is full of stucco debris. Once the trash is collected Thursday, I plan to push these heavy bundles off the end of the scaffold – bombing them directly into the trash cart.  Managing the waste on a construction job sometimes entails as much planning as the actual construction!)