Windows 2: Fitting (but not quite fitting)

Ten days after the first attempt at installation, the window company returned to fit the missing windows. Unfortunately the dual colour we'd chosen (grey outside, ivory inside) meant that re-making the dining room windows would take several more weeks. Still, we were relieved to finally have the large apex window fitted as our temporary plastic defenses were particularly vulnerable to the wind and rain. 

The apex window couldn't be fitted previously because they had forgotten to bring the cill. This time they did bring the cill...but it was the wrong size. Gaaaaaaahhhhhh! With the factory 3 hours drive away our best option was to fit the cill temporarily under the apex window as we did not want to nail up all the plastic and battens yet again.

The aluminium frame sections were all joined together and the whole assembly was fitted within the steel frame.

Extra battens were screwed in to help support the cill.




Hoorah! The frame is finally in place.




While they were installing the window Alan was up on the scaffolding, busy cutting battens that would act as cavity closers for the apex window. The freak hailstorms were a great help.




Alan fitted the cavity closers around the rest of the frame whilst the installers started adding the glass panels.






Phew! No more draughty, leaky plastic.




The lounge door and side windows were next.




The new side windows fitted perfectly this time. The only problem was once it was fitted one of the frames was slightly wonky. The installers suggested filling the gaps with silicone as otherwise the only way it could be rectified was to dismantle the whole thing and re-fit it. Much to their horror, Alan politely insisted they re-fit it.




Re-fitted.

Roof: Part 5 - Trim and guttering

Hindsight can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse. The amount of visible pins in the box ends always bothered Alan (though I don't think many people would even notice these details). So just before the roof was finished Alan took it upon himself to re-do them, this time using carefully concealed fixings.






Ta-da! Pin-free.




A view of the east side of the house. The new house seems to dwarf our old house behind it.




We originally wanted to use a dry verge to seal the gap between the bottom of the slates and the top of the bargeboard, however none of the products we looked at were really suitable so we decided to make up our own trim panels.

Alan fixed the trim at the top of the gable end...




...while I fixed it at the bottom.




It was really tricky to attach and of course the cold winds didn't help.




Ta-da! Trim panels all done (though I give it a month before Alan wants to re-do them).




With the roof completed we needed to get the guttering up quickly to stop rainwater pouring off all the new slates onto the timber frame below.

With our relatively tight budget we thought our only option was to use plastic gutters and downpipes, however after lots of research (and a bit of bartering) we found that galvanised steel wasn't that much more expensive so we chose that instead.

Alan had never fitted gutters before but as usual spent hours researching how to do it on the internet - at least that's what he said he was doing :) The first job was to set out the gutter brackets allowing for a slight fall to help send the flow of rainwater to the downpipes.




Having set the height for both the highest and lowest brackets, the string line was stretched between them and used to mark the angle of the fall.




The remaining brackets were then attached following the level of the string line. Lots of brackets...




Once the brackets were up the Lindab steel guttering was quite straightforward to assemble with most parts simply clipping together.




The only fiddly bit was cutting the holes for the downpipes. Apparently the heat from power tools can damage the galvanised coating (internet research strikes again) so Alan used tinsnips and a hacksaw.






The gutters for the front of the house completed.




Same again for the back of the house - the brackets were set out using a string line.




Alan remarked that his school metalwork teacher wouldn't believe his eyes if he saw this.




It is important to cut the gutter straight to avoid leaks forming where they join.




As it was the highest point of the gutter run, the corner section below the valley was a bit of a tight fit.






The back of the house completed.

The east side only needed a short section of guttering.

Ta-da! The guttering is all complete.

Windows: Part 1 - Delivery, fitting (and not fitting)

After such a windy, rainy winter it was a relief to see the arrival of the windows. We could take down our makeshift plastic sheeting and finally allow the inside of the house to dry out.




The aluminium frames did not have any glass fitted so were easy to lift. Alan helped the fitters to unload the van and the frames were stacked neatly in our 'kitchen'. Note the small lake that has formed on the floor from all the winter rain.




The glass was then brought inside and carefully stacked in our 'living room'. Note the small ocean that has formed on the floor. The water level was so high the glass had to be stacked on a wooden platform to keep it above 'sea level'.




Metal lugs were riveted to all the frames and sills.




The window frames were sorted and laid out ready to be fitted.






The installers James and Mark began fitting the frames by first applying silicone to the wooden batten (cavity barrier) that would support the sill.




The sill was then secured in place using the metal lugs...




... and carefully adjusted to ensure that it was level.






More silicone was added to the top of the sill...




...to make sure the frame sitting upon it was absolutely watertight.

Once the frame's position was correct it was screwed into the timber frame using the metal lugs.

Goodbye plastic...

...hello windows.

Once the sills and frames had been installed it was time to fit the glass.






Fitting the glass is pretty straightforward with modern windows; the metal beading comes out, the double glazed unit is put in and the metal beading clips back in along with a rubber strip that tightly seals the glass in place. No putty required here.




Expanding foam was then used to seal up gaps around the frame.

It took a few hours for Alan to take down all our heavy-duty weatherproofing.

The windows were going in quickly, they all fitted beautifully, surely it was all going too smoothly...

James and Mark installed the sill for the living room door only to find that the adjoining side windows had been made too wide so could not be fitted. Setback number one. Gaaaaaaahhhhhh! 

Oh well, these things happen. 

They moved on to the dining room patio doors instead.




Hoorah! A perfect fit.

It is hard to see the true colour of the frames at the moment because they are mostly covered with protective tape (which we won't be taking off until all the external works are complete).

The triumph of the patio doors was short-lived; we discovered that both the large dining room side windows had been made the wrong way round, with the widths and heights muddled up so they wouldn't fit either. Setback number two. Gaaaaaaahhhhhh! (reprise)

We had no choice but to fix all the battens and plastic back on again. Still, at least we could look forward to finally getting the large feature window fitted in the master bedroom...




We were always a bit nervous about getting the feature window to fit. It was made up of several different panels, complicated angles and was to be fitted within a rigid steel frame that had no room for errors. But we were pleasantly surprised - James and Mark carefully assembled the whole thing, slid it into place and found it was a perfect fit. The only problem was someone back at the factory had forgotten to load the sill onto the van, therefore it could not be fitted. Setback number three. Gaaaaaaahhhhhh! 

Back goes the plastic and battens in the master bedroom.






James and Mark were just as frustrated as us. They made several calls to the factory (some 3 hours drive away) but nobody could find the missing sill - so that was that.

The frames that wouldn't fit were stacked up ready to be taken back and remade. And because they were dual colour (ivory on the inside, stone grey on the outside) it was going to take the factory several weeks to re-manufacture and respray.




As a safety precaution, Alan knocked together a temporary guard rail over the stair landing. As I have a strange tendency to walk backwards whilst talking, I think this was just to prevent me from falling comically into the void below. 




The site foreman arrived to inspect the new windows...




...and was clearly disappointed to see the polythene sheeting back again.




After sulking in the corner...




...he turned his attention to other matters...




...and inspected the rafters instead.