LEVEL TIP: when using a level by yourself, especially the longer ones….add a ‘rubber band’ (preferably a fatter one if you have it) on each end of the level. It grips the surface and stops it from sliding and moving around when trying to hold and mark with one hand.
I also suggest cursing loudly at yourself, the world, and finally the level in that order. That seems to keep it in line long enough to get the job done before it ultimately falls again.
The whole idea of finishing everything, and then install a window. Just to show us how its done. 100% thoughtfull exactly what I was look i ng for. Thank you🙏🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🤝🏾👊🏾
I'm an HVAC Refrigeration Mechanic by trade but still must spend countless hours planning my DIY jobs even before I make the first cut. Helps me make sure everything turns out perfect. These videos are usually the first thing I watch before I get started. Maybe I'll bump into you one day at Home Depot Carleton Place/Kanata Jeff.
Ashish Joshi I’m glad you left the undercut in the video. It’s not easy working and explaining everything as you go. That itself is a talent. You still made this look easy. Great video. Thanks. I’m soaking up all this great information. 💯
Really like your DIY videos and like that you welcome tips from your viewers. I grew up learning a lot of renovating methods from my father but as they say you never stop learning One thing I can suggest for installing windows is to work from sawhorses and a plank which gives you better control of the window and a clear view of how it is fitting in the space. It also gives you a place closer to set it down and re lift if you need to remove it. Keep up the good work 👍🏻
Jeff seems like the best person to work with. He has the personality I look for when working with someone. Calm, easy going, and a sense of humor(no matter how dad it may be 😆). Thanks for all your help Jeff.
“Somebody doesn’t know how to measure”.............what a confessed humbling statement. Thanks for the purposefully screwing up. Most of us might do that. Great video once again.
Always take the vinyl siding off. It is easy to put back on with coated screws and washers. Then , always buy a window with a built in 'J' channel. Flash the bottom to lay over a siding course. ( water out and down ). flash the sides. Install the window. flash the top and put the siding back on.
I love your “get er done” attitude! I’ve been in the building trades my whole life and contractors are still scared of what you’re doing lol. 15 years ago I cut out a 32” back door to my house and ripped out the drywall and cut all the studs out and installed double studs and installed a big sliding glass door and it’s still good to this day. It’s a rental home I still own. Now I’m in another home that I want to add windows to and I have more work than I can handle and the window companies I’ve called say they only replace existing windows not new ones. My wife with no experience could replace existing windows. I guess I have to do it myself which brought me to your video.
I've been watching for a long time but only realized I could subscribe today... DONE. Also donated $20 to No Kid Hungry. Your videos helped me remodel our last house that was built in 1967. Other than new windows and vinyl siding, it was pretty much all original, with avocado green appliances, a dropped kitchen ceiling, and original carpet upstairs (it was GROSS, lol). There were also SO much terrible attempts at DIY work on the house. Hot wires tied into grounds and stapled across ceilings to name a couple. Anyway, I bought the house for 175k and by doing all the work myself and a 50k investment I was able to sell it for 400k!. Did the whole house, kitchen, bathrooms, floors, plumbing, electrical, drywall, you name it and you helped me! Seriously, you are the best man! Makes me wish I had gone into construction so it wasn't so stressful every time I run into something I'm not expecting, but I'm learning! and I love building stuff! In relation to this video though, I need to replace aluminum framed windows in our newer house built in 1992 that has wood siding. Is the process much different? and do you recommend measuring and buying custom windows or is the stuff from Home Depot okay, or maybe something else? Thanks in advance! Respectfully, ~Ace
Very nice. I like how even the pros make mistakes. It took me hours of footage on RU-vid to watch and then about 2 days to install my window. But It is installed and looks great!
Thank God you're still there during this COVID-19 crisis! Thanks, Jeff! Could you do a video on things people could do, renovation-wise, for a bit of money and time? I mean, people are stuck home anyways, might as well make the best of the situation! Cheers!
Thank you very much for the time you spend for us. I am a foreigner and have worked in Europe all my life - we have other technologies and materials and your videos help me a lot! Thanks again! I wish you many rich and non-greedy customers !!!
Using a grinder without glasses is ballzy lol. Once a journeymen told me he had tiny piece of sheet metal go into his eye and had to have it drilled out. I was like NAH ima wear my glasses this time lol
This was EXACTLY the video I needed, thank you so much. There are NO other videos I’ve been able to find in how to deal with how to handle vinyl siding installed before a window. In my case, need to replace rotted window, 35 ft above grade
Damn, Jeff, I have been spending hours on RU-vid and other places trying to learn how to do this and you go ahead and make a video about it. Moving this up the list a bit
Thanks Jeff. Always good to get your pointers. I’ll be installing new windows next year; was going to do them this year, but the big blanket of snow changed my mind. I will be adding foam insulation though, so I don’t get big air drafts during the Winter.
Great video as always, learning to do so much myself! I'd like to recommend a future topic I've seen other's cover poorly which is moving plumbing, maybe you want to move your kitchen sink from an outside wall to an inside wall, or an island How would you move the supply and drain? This seems like a great topic for a future vid! Thanks for your hard work so far.
The original builder had his reasons; old school summer ventilation to cool the home. Times change and so do building techniques. All serve their own purpose. Do love this channel and all the useful information you demonstrate, thank you.
Awesome job. I install a lot of windows and I always drill a 3/8 hole in the outside vinyl and then screw through the second layer. As not to pinch the frame and cause the IGU to crack, in weather where the tempature can fluctuate and the vinyl will expand and contract. The windows will usually come with 3/8” hole cover as well
A lot easier to use the zip tape type stuff around the window before the siding but you did it after,and it’s still great looking.I really love your color choices for that siding to!
Love that you made the measuring mistake. I've done that too many times to remember. I liked seeing your recovery from the mistake. It will help me when I inevitably do it again.
Hey! Huge fan of the channel, but as someone who used to install windows and siding professionally I have to be “that guy” for a minute. Tearing down the vinyl on that size of wall and re-installing it later could have been relatively quick. Doing so would have made the window and J-channel installation MUCH easier. Also, the siding directly beneath the bottom piece of J-channel should really have a piece of matching under-sill attached. This will keep the comparatively loose piece of Dutchlap vinyl inside the J-trim from deflecting during expansion and contraction. When this occurs it looks identical to aluminum coil stock “oil-canning” in the heat. I’m assuming this opening already has a header above it since there was previously a door in its place, otherwise you could see issues with settling later on. However, if it didn’t have a “proper” load path before and was fine for years regardless, was it ever really a problem? Lastly, caulking the J-channel to the window WILL NOT make the window weatherproof. I have personally witnessed severe interior water damage as a direct result of this particular scenario, the moisture can hide successfully for years until it’s a big problem. To avoid this, always caulk the brick mould trim to the flashing tape or housewrap. By the way, I’m so happy to see a contractor who understands the importance of sill-seal flashing tape! That being said, it’s YOUR home and I’m just some guy on the internet, everyone’s mileage may vary. I’ve seen some shockingly janky things inside of old farmhouses that remained perfectly stable for decades, despite being inherently flawed in their execution. I really love what you do and the videos you make, be well!
I made this video more for fun than a guide to being perfect. Having said that a true fan of the channel should also be a subscriber. but no pressure. Cheers!
Agreed. If this was my house, I would have definitely taken down siding, and used new construction windows. I can't imagine doing this to either my house or a client's house.
You can add a pvc trim board like a versatec instead of using a j channel. It looks nicer and you would be cutting back an additional 3 inches on each side for the board allowing you plenty of room to flash properly.
Wouldn’t you have to use the j channel at the edge of the PVC trim board to close off the edge of the cut siding as well? Or how would you otherwise cap the cut siding? Legitimately would like to know. Thanks 👍
I wanted to know what song said ‘from the windows to the wall..’ and here I am, looking at this very informative video. Thanks Lil Jon for directing me towards this channel 😂
As always, a fantastic film. I really like the notion of finishing things off before installing a window. We appreciate you taking the time to show us how to do things around the house and providing all the information.
Thumbs up on your work!! Had a piece of grinder shrapnel fly into my cornea and it was a horrible next few weeks and the only reason my hearing is still good is because the last 15 years or more I've always worn hearing protection. Got all kinds of crap in my eyes over the years before using safety gear.
Gotta love the title for this video..not sure about you guys in Canada, but here in Texas, the only place we put windows is in a wall! Anyway...I always learn something when watching your vids. I find myself sitting and watching...even ones that I have no plans for the project. Entertaining as well as educational. As always, thanks for these.
Manufacturers recommendation on Henry blue skin, or any peal and stick should always be installed with primer, following after caulking your seams. Also need to pre cut your all for corners waterproofing.
Very reassuring to see a legend like you also makes mistakes. Blood circulation musn't have been great that day😅 We all have these with notable exception. Things always seem to go so smooth it had to happen at some point. I'm sure not everything makes the cut. Thanks for this great entertainment and education.
6:45 My parents added on to our house before I was born. They added a Kitchen, Living room and basement. The former Living room became the parents bedroom and the Kitchen became the "Old Kitchen"; now housing the washer/dryer etc. I grew up calling this room the "Old Kitchen" and when ever I toured child hood friends houses I always asked "why don't you have an "Old Kitchen"?
In situations like this if im not taking off the siding or its a brick house with tar paper behind the stud framing liquid flashing is the best bet. Get a sausage of prosoco fast flash. You can even apply it in the rain moisture helps the curing.
Cuts window hole wrong size, leaves it in the video. There is reason I've been here for over 2 years now and I'm not subbed to any other DIY channels. Hope you're staying safe on your trip, or safe back home by now Jeff.
@Leopold You must be newer here. Jeff doesn't act like he's the perfect contractor and he never makes mistakes. He generally leaves most of his mistakes on camera to help folks realize that even the pros make some of the same silly mistakes as us homeowners do. Many a channel would have edited that out to make themselves look better. That's never been Jeff's style and IMO one of the reasons he is so popular.
This was a very serious mistake, imagine he cut the hole larger, not smaller. There was 50:50 chance for this to happen. In cases like this, when you are going to cut a hole to a visible part of your house, you really need to measure 3, 4, 5 times. It happens to me also that I get the measurement exact in the milimeters, but confuse decimeters (54.8 cm instead of 44.8 cm), but I always catch this mistake before I cut. I often even stop during cutting and go measure it again :) I sometimes feel like Jeff is going a bit too fast and not paying attention to details. Like for example the invisible screw, that was almost fully visible.
Thanks for the video. I was wondering how to retrofit and secure the J channel under the siding. Leaving the bloopers in lets me know I'm not alone. Thanks again.
Awesome vid! I wish I would've had it about 2 years ago haha! Now having done a few old work windows in various siding materials I've learned most of this on my own. But this is the best vid I've ever seen covering all the little details. It still is very hard to find any old work install vids to this day. I think guys are scared to post vids because of the ridicule that will come with it. But there is the real world handymen situatiins, and then there are the keyboard warrior guys who've only done new construction. Sorry, we can't all have a freshly sheathed and wrapped opening with no siding to properly flash and nail our j-channel and windows to. And I'm pretty sure the homeowner doesn't want to pay us 2-3 days of labor to remove all the siding then put it back up. Keep the awesome vids coming!
I like your RenoVision more than the Reality Renovision. Both are great, but there are lots of shows that show the before and after of project. On your Renovision you educate me to what's involved. Like what is involved in replacing a tub and the tile surrounding. So stuff I have don't but you let me know that little thing that makes the difference. Thanks.
Good job, they are times when adding a screw makes an install so much easier. To minimize the vinyl distorting in the heat, predrill the vinyl about 1/16" and that should let the siding float if it isn't over tightened.
Really, I like trimmed windows. Ya know, like wrapped with at least two inches of LP trim. I do window repair and replacement. Having that trim wrap makes replacing a unit so much easier, and often cheaper. Not having to mess with the siding is great.
Higher, higher higher, right there. Ha ha, I'm loving it. It doesn't get any sexier than that. Stay right there, don't move, I'll be right back.. Only Jeff can make putting in a window this sexy!!
I'd rather cut the siding back farther to allow for easier installation of the flashing, and then use vinyl trim around the window. Also, shims should be used between the window and the rough frame for a true structural installation. He's relying on the screws putting the window in tension to hold it in place. Over time the plastic of the window will crack and the window will shift. Also it's not clear in this video, but did he install a header? He did say there was a door there so perhaps it already has a header. Regardless, seems like an awful lot of corners cut in this installation, but to each their own.
Jeff, my fiance would poke fun at me when I studied your videos, but she's been amazed when I put one of your lessons to practice. Haha, shoe's on the other foot now! Thanks for all the work you and the boys put into these videos. They are so educational, and I think a lot of us have a low tolerance for all the clickbait out there these days. (You had me laughing when you went down that rabbit-hole of name brands for a minute. lol) Keep at it!
