Newkirk Wallcovering and Painting

Convert your garage into a home office - window installation

Adding new windows to the garage/home office In the previous photos, you got a good idea of the original windows in the garage. More than likely, they were scrap windows taken from some other building and added to the garage. The original windows were approximately 2 feet by 2 feet, had no screens, and were added simply just to have windows. I went with Pella Thermastar 36x36 Sliding Vinyl Replacement Windows. They ran me $83 each after a 10% discount from Lowes. I went with the bigger windows to add more natural lighting to the home office as well as to let in a nice cross-breeze (I have one window in the southwest corner and the other in the north east corner of the garage). The only disadvantage to sliding windows is the also let in more rain. If you add them, take care to shut them when you are gone to avoid coming back to a flood. In this particular photo, you will notice the newly installed window from the interior of the garage.

Framing the windows All windows and doors need ample support to hold the surrounding structure in place and not put any additional weight or strain on the particular units being installed. I used a typical framing structure for this vinyl window, consisting of a top and bottom plate, two full studs for the sides and smaller boards under the bottom plate known as jacks. Notice the two different sized levels being used, the smaller is for the horizontal boards and the larger for the verticals. Placing small blocks (like the one shown to the left of the replacement window) between the old and new studs allows for even more support from the sides.

Framing the windows Notice how the framing is set up so the weight of the existing structure is transfered through a small block on the top of the replacement window to the left side of the frame and then it goes through the bottom plate and then carries through the jack and finally rests on the bottom plate of the existing wall. All of this may seem like a lot but it is necessary when installing window and door framing.

Finished rough framing work Here's a shot of the finished rough framing work used to frame up this vinyl replacement window. *** Also remember when you are nailing or attaching new framing lumber to old existing wood like we are here, you may need to drill pilot holes and then screw the two pieces together. Sometimes that old wood can be as hard as iron and it makes nailing difficult.

Setting the new window in place Once the new frame for our window was checked over making sure everything was plumb and level, it was time to set the new window in place. This was a two person job, one inside checking level and making sure the window is centered. Outside, one person should hold the window in place and then attach the nailing flange using regular roofing nails.

Window in place OK!, the window is in place and starting to look like it should. Notice in this photo on the left and bottom sides of window you can see where the old window was. This window is much bigger and will let in a lot more natural light.

Trimming out the windows Trimming out the windows was fairly simple. I used stock 1x4 white pine, ran a bead of caulking in the joints, and primed and painted the boards in place with a good quality exterior paint. The 1x4's also over lapped the existing vinyl siding giving the window a nice practical finished look.

Finished product continue on with the magical mystery tour

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