need to know the procedure for removal of aluminum windows with brick trim
1st off let`s determine what kind of windows you have. Examine the inside of the jambs. Are there any screws going through the jamb into the rough opening? If so you have a masonary style window. Chances are they can be removed relatively easily. Most the time removal of fastners,scoring of drywall and caulk and they practically fall out (sometimes). You may find removal of the sash and remaining glass, then collasping the frame will work best. This technique is a must if you have the other breed of window, the flanged. You can ID this window by measuring the inside and out . If they`re the same, it`s flanged. I`ve found 99 time out of 100 these windows can be collasped. Once again remove sash and all glass. Here`s where the sawsall comes in. Remove the center bar. Drive a flat bar under the sill from the exterior. Pry it up as high as you can. Cut the sill. Now drive the flat bar between the side jambs and the brick and start prying. Most of the time these windows are only nailed on the corners, sometimes the fin will rip from the jamb. But in the end the removal will be accomplished. If you find you need to pry from the interior, don`t pry against drywall. Put a piece of wood under your bar to protect the drywall. NEVER! pry on tile or marble. I`ve removed literally thousands of these little buggers. Can`t only remember maybe a handful of times I had to cut a flange. GOOD LUCK!!!!!
We contemplated this issue ourselves... The best suggestion we got from a friend who was a window installer was to measure the existing window carefully and order a custom replacement Block frame window. To remove the existing window (once you have verified that the window you recieved is actually the size you ordered--don't skip this step!) Remove the vent and sash from the aluminum window -- this may mean some glass breakage so be careful and use gloves. Use a sawzall or reciprocating saw to cut along the outside edge of the window where the nailing fin should be attaching it to the framing beneath the block or brick. If you use the correct blade, you should have no trouble cutting through the aluminum. Make sure to wear saftey glasses as you DO NOT want aluminum shavings in your eyes! Once your opening is clear, level and plumb the new window using shims and screw directly through the inside of the window frame into the frame of the opening. You will need to get covers for the screw heads so that they don't show once your installation is complete. Good Luck!
Well, you have three options: 1. Do it right. Remove the brick trim, the paper flashing underneath. pry the nails in the nailing fin out, and remove the window. During install of the new windows, replace the flashings and caulk the gaps. Then replace the brick trim. 2. Retrofit it. There are window systems made now for this case. Essentially, you remove the glass and save the frame. The frame stays in the wall; the new system attaches to it, just inside the old frame. You can get low E glass or even double paned doing this. If energy is your concern, the old frames can be injected with urethane foam during the process. 3. Cut it out tight. Using a Sawzall, cut the frame tight to the brick. Order the new window for block set and caulk the bejeebies out of it. The problem with this approach is that you cannot replace or continue the flashing. You run some real risks of leakage.
I removed all of mine from the inside, not that this will work for you. I removed all of the inside wood pieces holding the window, there were no pieces on the bottom. If there is a nailing fin, you may now cut this from the inside. If these windows replaced other windows in the past, or are not original to the house, there may be no fin at all, there could be screws or they may just all be held in by the trim, you will find out. If the windows are operable, you may be able to at least get the operable piece out, making the whole thing lighter and less likely to break all over the place. If you do not mind broken glas, you can break the old one and the frame will sorta crumple for you, making it easier to pull out. When you slip the new ones in, the can go in tight to whatever was holding the other windows. If you have all of your interior trim pieces ready (they may need to be a different width than the original if the new windows are thicker) and make sure you caulk it to death first ( on the top and two sides of the building where it will squish up against it), then shove it in, use some shims to level it (oh, do NOT buy windows the EXACT size of the opening, I believe at least 1/4 to 1/2 shy is best ot allow for shimming, leveling, and squaring up - I bought one like that, WHAT A NIGHTMARE), caulk inside the top and two sides, push your trim into place and shoot a few finish nails in. Go around and wipe off all excess caulk with a damp cloth.
