FINALLY, a video that doesn't require a garage filled with a million dollar's worth of expensive tools. The only change I would make is to put some kind of handles on so the window can be easily removed. But great video.
Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. Putting a handle on is a great idea. We recently moved so I am going to need to make new inserts for the new house and I really like that idea.
@@BuildItMakeIt I'm definitely going to do this. I hate the plastics on the trim every winter...never comes off easily and you have to buy it every year. Thanks and congrats on the new house.
I made mine with a heavier frame since I glazed them with either real glass or plexi set in rabbets. I placed handles both top & bottom for ease of handling. One thing I would highly recommend is to use kerf-in weatherstripping on the edges instead of peel-and-stick foam. It is far more durable and provides a very snug friction fit. After about 15 years I've had no replacement of the weatherstripping.
This video proves your phone i always listening. I described this process to someone about hour ago, before watching/knowing about this video, while eating breakfast @ Hardee's. Come home and guess what's in my feed? The ones i built didn't use pocket holes tho. L-brackets and found some cheap 90 * corner clamps for assembly. Only thing you didn't show is how difficult they are to get in the window without knocking the weatherstrip off. i use a large screwdriver and butterknife. Pry it over and stuff the foam in.
Using the l brackets is a great idea to get these put together even faster. I like it! That’s a great tip on getting the foam put back in place is it slides off out of place. Thanks!
Hi. Great video. Could you explain the math for the measurements in a little more detail. Say my window is 38w x 58L and I am using same materials in your video, how much do I need to subtract? Thanks!
So if your window is 38" wide and you are using 1/4 thick foam, then you would cut your width pieces to 37 and 3/4" wide to leave a little gap for the foam to squish into. For the length you would subtract the two widths of our frame, say they are 2" thick so 58"-2"-2" to be 54". Then subtract the 1/4" for the foam again, so your side pieces would be 53 and 3/4". It all depends on the thickness of your foam and the width of your frame pieces. I find the thicker the foam, the easier it is to get everything to fit tight so 1/2 thick foam I think is better than the 1/4 that I have used in the past. Hope that helps.
Thanks! It is the festool tape measure and I find the top window is consistent to the bottom measurement, but it isn’t the most accurate tape measure. I have it in my tape measure shootout video if your interested in some more info. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y7h3a6k66wk.html
When you re did these inserts with plastic on both sides, you have double sided tape visible from the front right? How noticeable is it? Or did you attach the plastic another way? Thanks.
Yes, you are right the double sided tape is visible on both sides. I didn't see it being very visible since it was white and the tape was white. I do think the plastic on top of the wood does not look the nicest. If looks were important I would just keep the one piece of plastic on the backside.
No but I am hoping to do one with acrylic this year. You are like a mind reader. I want to get a thermal camera so I can compare so I’ve got to save up a bit for one.
I added tape to the frame then laid it on the plastic, then trimmed it up. There was the paper lining that came with the plastic still underneath it and I cut the plastic while it was on a table. Hope that helps.
I think plexiglass would be better than plastic wrap and last a lot longer. You could insert it in a groove in the wood so it would look nicer as well. I chose plastic to keep the cost down, but in the more visible places I have seen bought about redoing it with plexiglass.
@@BuildItMakeIt Yes! I made a prototype two weeks ago using strips of 1 X 2 screwed around the border of a piece of plexiglass that I already had on hand (cuts okay with a skill saw but go slow or it chips), then stuck weather stripping on the edges and installed just like in this video. Works great, but I only had that one piece of plexiglass, and when I went to order enough to do the rest of my windows, I realized that the price was going to be ugly. Now looking at alternatives that use floppy material over rigid frames. I think I'll use a variation of this version, looks pretty good. Thank you, Bulid It!
@@mariagdesjardin1000 There's an organization near me that shows you how to make these (they call them "window dressers) at cost. You have to sign up to volunteer to help others how to build them. I may have to do this as our old (1827) windows are not exactly energy efficient. By the way, you can make cutting plexiglass easier by laying down some blue painter's tape and then drawing your line over the top of it. A nice tip that I picked up somewhere years ago.
I just finished a weeklong window dressers community build session in Bradford Vermont. It was fun working with all the volunteers and now I know how to build my own inserts which I intend to do. Trying to figure out where to source the heat shrink film and the other tapes.@@marksaleski9890
The plastic I used was this: amzn.to/3sgHsyM but it is pretty expensive. If I was doing it over I would use the lighter stuff: amzn.to/3sbUkGs since it is cheaper so you could do it on both side of the window and it is clearer. Also I moved so I didn't get lots of years of reusability.
@@BuildItMakeIt thank you so much for your feedback. The next question I would have is that foam tape. Do you have a link for that as well? From what I've noticed the phone tape is super expensive and makes this very difficult
I haven't but maybe someone else on here could chime in if they have had that issue. For me it actually helped with condensation as there is less of a temperature gradient right at the plastic vs at the glass of a window.
@@danetted-r1525 i used some 4 mil plastic when I did the windows, but now I recommend using the thinner window plastic and doing it on both sides for an air gap. It is cheaper, clearer, and warmer.
I used amzn.to/3PYl9cG when I did the video, but since then I have been using thinner plastic and doing it on both sides for a nice air barrier. It seems to work better and is cheaper. Something like this: amzn.to/3VrXa6L. Hope that helps.
Make a pull tab from clear packing tape stuck to the frame at a bottom corner. A tug on the tape pull tab pulls that corner out and the rest of the insert comes out easily.@@dheerajpalur6000
I do have a dowel jig but I think the pocket hole is easier since I don’t need to glue or leave clamps. Dowels are nice in that you don’t see them. I think they all have their place.