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Posted by John‰] on August 3, 2005, 1:10 am
> Hello,
>
> I want to replace my 30+ year old aluminum widows. I pulled the inside
> molding off, and then pryed the inside stops off, thus revealing the
> rough frame opening (37x60).
>
> But I notice that the aluminum window has a "fin" that almost looks
> like it slides between the wood frame and the outside sheathing.
>
> Do I cut the fin, or do I have to take the siding off? Please don't
> tell me I have to take the siding off, there has got to me a way of
> doing this without a bunch of siding working!
>
> Thanks for any and all help!
> Keith
It depends...
If you want to leave the siding strictly alone you can remove the
sashes or the glass or both and then collapse the window frame with a
big pry bar tearing the nails out of the fin. The fin will come out
with the window and the nails will remain in place. You can use a wood
block as a fulcrum to protect the siding. It might be helpful to
hacksaw the frame at the top or bottom to help it collapse. You then
replace it with a "box window" that screws into the framing from the
sides. Many replacement windows use a frangible fin so that you can
use it or snap it off.
The alternative is to locate the edge of the fin and then zip an inch
or so of siding off with a circular saw set to cut shallow. You can
then remove the old window by pulling the nails, nail the new window in
with the fin and add wood trim to make up the difference.
I just did a house with aluminum siding and 1X4 trim around the windows
and the alternative system worked great. A lot depends on the design
of your house. Don't forget to plan for insulation and a watertight
seal around your new windows. It ain't rocket science but it requires
a little thought to do it right.
Good luck.
John
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