Windows first or siding?

drhowarddrfine

We've bought an old home that needs the wood windows replaced and new siding. Which is better to do first? install the vinyl windows or the siding? Right now, the siding is some cheap stuff that was laid over the original wood siding.

oh'mike

Windows first--much easier to install without having to worry about cutting existing siding--

__________________
New members: Adding your location to your profile helps in many ways.--M--

Just Bill

If new construction windows, what he said, if replacement windows, does not matter, since replacement windows do not disturb the siding.

bubbler

We faced a similar predicament when we bought our house. I decided to go with new windows first for a few reasons--
- Old windows had no locks
- Old windows wouldn't stay open (or in some cases closed if the top sash would slip down)
- Old windows were single pane, some cracked... very drafty
- Many of the sills in the old windows were rotted

I figured that the siding, for the most part, is just for appearance sake (with the exception of if it's failed and leaking or something)...

The replacement window people wrapped each new window with aluminum, so that will potentially be double work when I do eventually replace the siding... but I think that a proper siding replacement (as opposed to just siding over) is a huge job anyway...

I have vinyl siding over original wooden siding... the house is also not insulated beyond a very thin (~R5) stapled batt... so my plan is when the time comes I'd like to strip the house back to sheathing and have dense cellulose blown in, then house wrap applied, then whatever siding we decide to go with, probably something like a cedar or hardiplank at this point... The Vinyl Is Final saying is such nonsense, the vinyl on our house is less than 20 years old and looks like garbage, I suppose it could be worse, it could be aluminium or asbestos...

AGWhitehouse

I would recommend doing both at the same time. New construction windows can be sealed, flashed, and insulated much better than replacement windows, but to install them you must remove the siding around them.

If you are going with vinyl windows and vinyl siding you can get new windows with the j-channel integral with the frame. This makes for a seamless perimeter, less material and handling time, and a cleaner look.

Integral J: http://www.inspectapedia.com/BestPra...Figure1-26.jpg

Non-Integral J: http://www.hometime.com/Hometime_4.0...R_OVERLAP3.jpg

__________________