Repairing Windows Is the LAST Thing I Want to Do in My Home
Repairing windows in your home is a time sucker. We’ve all have heard the old saying that time is a valuable commodity. Many of us don’t enough have time to clean our homes, let alone perform any minor or major repairs to them. I have many contractor friends who have windows in desperate need of repair in their own homes. If you can believe it, they tell me they could fix their windows however their time is better spent at work earning money. So for all of you do-it-yourself home improvement experts or do-it-for me homeowners, I wanted to weigh in on some alternatives to help you fix your windows.
First, and most obvious, you need to inspect the window problems yourself. For example, one of my potential customers asked how they could fix a leaking window in their house. My initial response was “very carefully”. I wasn’t trying to be smart, and meant it with passion. I explained that finding a leak in a home is no easy task. Water is a tricky element because it can travel from anywhere. However, here’s what I recommended:
1. Look around the exterior of the window. Carefully inspect the siding surrounding the window, window trim and any brick molding. See if you notice any apparent blemishes around the window that would need to be repaired. Most window repairs can be solved with waterproof caulking or industrial sealant depending on where the leak originated.
2. I recently helped an employee fix one of her leaky windows. It was leaking due to the header brick mold pulling away from the exterior of the house. Inspecting the brick mold and exterior trim above the window for potential problems would be a good place to focus your investigation. If you can’t see any visible damage, then you’ll have to remove the brick mold and/or trim to see if there is water damage to the underlayment.
3. Another phase of your inspection would be to remove some siding around the window where you think the leak occurred. Check to see if a proper vapor barrier is installed (which is commonly known as a house wrap) and if the material beneath the siding is saturated.
4. Finally if you’re nervous about removing siding, trim or investigating the problem further, locate a window repair expert company to diagnose the problem.
Even though this example is centering on a leaking window, my point is you need to be careful when choosing the best solution to repair your windows. In order to choose the best alternative for you and your budget, find out if the time, effort and money of inspecting and solving the window problems will outweigh the cost of having a professional window repair company get the job done.