Tackling The Job Of Basement Window Replacement
For all homeowners there will come a time, for various reasons that they want to replace their basement windows and since most of them are encased in a cement block wall, there is a lot of concern about the difficulty of a basement window replacement. For the uninitiated, just looking at the window, with is typical metal frame set into the cement blocks that make up the basement, window replacement may seem like a daunting task. However, with the right tools and some muscle it can be done without a lot of fuss.
The thing to remember is that a metal-framed basement window has a flange around the entire outside of the frame. Usually referred to as a casement window, the frames are set into the block during construction with a flange anywhere from one to three inches set into the block wall. When starting the basement window replacement process, the first thing you will have to do is remove the glass and frame in the middle, that is the part that you open on those hot summer nights allowing air into the basement.
Once the inner glass and frame is removed you can begin the really hard part. Before starting to remove the frame from the block, double check that you have a replacement window, or whatever materials you are going to use in your basement window replacement on hand. Once you start to remove the frame you will not be able to put it back and start over later.
Brute Strength Is Usually Required
Using a pry bar, find the longest arm of the window's case, usually the top and bottom and position the business end of the bar into the small crack between the frame and the block and begin to pry the frame out of the crick in which it sit. This will probably not be the easiest part of the basement window replacement, but with the right pry bar and some brute force, it can be done. Once the center of that section of the frame has been freed from the wall, using metal shears, cut through the frame and the flange that you just pulled from the wall.
Then, move to one of the corners of the freed section and pry the frame out of the blocks, working from the cut end to the corner. Continue prying the frame from the wall until the entire frame has been removed. Fill the crack from which the frame has been removed with insulating material and you are ready to install the basement window replacement lite, insuring you stuff insulation around the entire frame and the basement wall.
