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Builders’ Tip: Putting New Windows in an Old Brownstone
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Click for larger image. | In Brooklyn, N.Y. where turn-of-the-century brownstones and bricks are the norm, replacing a window often calls for some ingenuity.
I have used brick-to-brick replacement windows by two manufacturers in my renovation projects. Both units are custom-made to be 1/4-inch narrower than the brick opening, with a brick molding already attached.
In theory, they are installed by simply putting the new windows into the opening and then strapping them to the interior wall framing with vendor-supplied galvanized straps. After that, the brick moldings are caulked to the bricks and you’re done.
But because Brooklyn’s brownstones have solid-brick walls, there’s no interior wall framing to strap the replacement windows to once the old windows are removed. The area that hid the sash weights is just a large void.
Rather than build unstable framing to fill the void and support the windows, I improved the manufacturers’ strap idea.
- As shown in the accompanying drawing, I screw 2-inch-wide strips of 3/4-inch plywood to the sides, bottom and top of the window.
- Then I attach the plywood strips to the stud wall — shimming as necessary to square to the window.
- Then I cut the strips flush with the studs.
The strips also serve as support for jamb extensions or drywall, but before I install the drywall, I stuff the sash-weight voids with insulation.
— Matt Hausmann, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Tips & Techniques provided by Fine Homebuilding.
©2008 The Taunton Press
To contact Fine Homebuilding, e-mail Christina Glennon.
 Tax Credit Web Site Looks at Opportunity of a Lifetime
Builders and other industry professionals can help spur home sales by referring prospective first-time home buyers to www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com. The NAHB Web site provides detailed information on the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers included in the economic stimulus legislation signed into law by President Obama.
Consumers can use the Web site to find information on the tax credit — including a detailed question and answer section. It also includes information about other housing-related and small business measures in the legislation and a number of home-buying resources for consumers.
Spanish Version Also Available Online
A Spanish version of this increasingly popular Web site is also available to provide detailed information on the tax credit to Spanish-speaking first-time home buyers.
Industry professionals are encouraged to highlight either tax credit Web site when marketing to their potential first-time home buyer market.
 Set Yourself Apart With CGB Designation
Join the ranks of the nation’s top building industry professionals with the Certified Graduate Builder (CGB) designation. The “Builder Assessment Review” (BAR) is your first step towards obtaining the CGB.
This comprehensive assessment measures your expertise in the four key areas of the building industry: building technology, business and finance, project management and sales and marketing.
Your results will show the areas where your knowledge is strongest and weakest and will help determine the courses required for you to obtain your CGB.
To learn where the next BAR will be held, visit NAHB’s education listings, or call the Professional Designation Help Line at 800-368-5242 x8154.
 BuilderBooks.com Offers More Than 250 Books That Help You Build Your Business
BuilderBooks.com is your source for training and education products for the building industry. The official bookstore for NAHB, BuilderBooks.com offers award-winning publications, software, brochures and more available in both English and Spanish.
To view these publications online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.
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