A modest home by Lake Oswego standards

Original wood window assembly was afforded little protection from the elements.

Note the lack of roof-eve overhang for these master bedroom windows. No wonder the original wood windows were rotten.

These clients elected to go with Jeld-Wen Non-Clad wood windows, which with the advent of their pressure treated pine wood products…

…are now offered with a 20-year warranty, even if the wood windows aren’t aluminum clad, and even if they have an extreme exposure to the elements.

A modest little Spanish Villa sitting on a hill in West Linn.

Due to circumstances I will not bore you with, these three openings were originally outfitted with custom wood-framed screens and wooden framed storm windows on the exterior.

Epiphanies related to the hassle of having to unscrew the wood storm windows when ventilation was desired led to research regarding available alternatives.

Medallion industries, who brought our firm into this project, worked with Marvin to come up with arched wood-clad casement windows that apparently were not available when this house was built.

Due to constraints related to hardware and or physics, the casements had need to be opened manually, as opposed to the crank-out type of casement windows. This necessitated in-swing wood-framed screens which were really rather slick.

Due to the skillful measurements of Medallions Mark Mansfield, and our installation acumen, we were able to reuse the original trim materials that were embedded into the stone walls.

Due to Balzer Paintings skillful finishing expertise, the new Marvin wood windows were made to look as though they had always been there.

As you can see, only the two flanking openings were designated for operable sash. The center opening became a picture window. If you click on the photo, you may be able to see the wood screens opened to the interior.

This enables one to then open the casement windows which swing out to the exterior.

This is actually an enclosed porch with a barbeque built into it, so you might understand the emphasis placed upon adequate ventilation.

Perhaps the most notable element of this project in N.E. Portland near the Alameda district…

…was the fact that reaching the window opening from the exterior was almost as difficult as photographing the opening from the exterior.

This was due to a number of factors such as the terrain, the foliage and a lower patio covering consisting primarily of lattice, which provides…

…a modicum of shade perhaps, but is not structurally sound enough for use as a support for any of our planks while we worked on the window opening above.

So we employed the use of a pump-jack AND an extension ladder after a portion of the lattice structure was disassembled. If you enlarge the photo, you may be able to make out Tim, our technician working to remove the original window assembly.

This of course translates into considerably more time to perform what would have otherwise been a relatively straightforward procedure. Can you make out the pump-jack-vertical post and its attachment to the house through all the foliage?

This shot shows some of the lattice structure disassembly that was necessary to facilitate our extension ladder being threaded up through the substructure.

Here we see Tim, Bruce & Phil preparing the sill-pan and overhead flashing. This shot also shows some of the aforementioned terrain and foliage directly below this opening.

The new XOX Kolbe & Kolbe wood-clad Casement Window Assembly sans the sash, is hoisted into position with the experienced care and skill of our three technicians. Whoever took this photo must have scaled the lattice structure.

Better than new. Literally.

Time for the older Pozzi Non-Clad Wood Windows to be replaced with Marvin Wood-Clad Windows.

Why replace Pozzi with Marvin… It was the contractors call as worked out with the home-owner.

We were employed due to our reputation for being thoroughly trained on the latest flashing…

…and installation techniques. The sill pans are installed…

…and the self-adhesive flashing membrane materials applied and tied into the moisture barrier.

Jesse is saying; “Does this look like a Kodak moment to you… Put the camera down and give me a hand here, would ya…”

I say, “if you don’t put your safety harness on, getting help with the window may become the least of your problems.”

More sill pans down on the ground floor windows.

Shimming techniques to provide room for any errant moisture to find its way back out to the exterior.

Tim Afonin puts on the finishing touches.

Just off Mount Scott Blvd. in Happy Valley.

A modest, but somewhat stately 3,468 square-foot 1968 Cape Cod Home.

Time for an upgrade to a considerably more energy efficient window.

Our client had his eye set on Andersen windows and we are more than willing to accommodate his preferences. Fortunately, we have access to almost every brand of window manufactured.

Brandon shown here setting up the ladder-jacks, planks & fall protection ropes.

The original single-pane windows are carefully removed.

And Brandon goes about trimming back the siding to accommodate the exterior trim on the new Andersen Windows.

As always, measures are taken to minimize the dust and debris from soiling the interior any more than absolutely necessary.

Once the new Andersen Windows are installed, the trim is carefully caulked and the shutters are reinstalled.

To read more about Andersen Windows, go to; www.andersenwindows.com

Up in the N.W. hills above Portland.

A very impressive abode.

We’ve been fortunate to have been asked to do several projects on this home…

…and this time we’ve been asked to install a new kitchen window.

Something to do with wanting to clean-up the view from the kitchen sink.

The new window was ordered & purchased by our client from the same folks as manufactured the original window assembly.

It might have been Quantum Windows & Doors, Inc. (http://www.quantumwindows.com/) in Everett, Washington.

Considerable care is employed by technicians Tim Afonin & Sean Miller to apply a protective layer of self-adhesive flashing membrane.

The view with less obstructions.

And as viewed from the exterior.

A North East Portland stucco home with cedar lap siding around the 2nd story.

Time to recycle the aluminum storm windows, and upgrade the original single-pane sash with the latest retro-fit windows.

Which will also allow openings that were painted shut long ago to be returned to their former operable glory.

As you can see, these wood clad Marvin products come with the factory painted aluminum cladding on the exterior.

The cladding protects the new wood windows & the windows have a vastly improved weatherstripping around their perimeter.

Many are those who will point out the number of years it will take to offset the cost of the…

…windows with any energy savings, using only the math related to the single-pane to double-pane comparisons.

However, they almost always overlook the added, much less measurable energy saving benefits of the latest perimeter weatherstripping.

And then there’s the value of someday being able to market your house with the latest and greatest window technology available.

Another oft overlooked benefit is the “sound abatement” that insulated glass affords, as compared to single pane.

One of the many West Hills homes on stilts.

Another upgrade from the original aluminum windows to wood-clad windows.

Loewen brand wood-clad windows are another of a number of top-shelf wood window companies from which you may choose.

They are based out of Canada and offer the distinction of offering FIR wood species as their standard product. To learn more about Loewen Windows, go to www.loewen.com

Our client wanted a back-splash under the new window, so we ordered a shorter window and modified the rough-opening.

Looks like it’s always been that way.

The original aluminum windows are removed.

The new wood-clad Loewen windows and doors are installed.

We’ve been doing this well on into our third decade now, so at the risk of sounding immodest…

…we’ve gotten fairly good at it.

As you can see, it was a foggy day when we initially went to inspect this project up on a hill in Wilsonville. Clicking on the photo to enlarge it will allow a slightly better view.

A 16′ wide Marvin sliding door and transom assembly.

This was one of those situations where the client already knew that the transom picture windows above the door assembly needed to be replaced. In fact, our client ordered the new window assemblies himself.

Apparently having retained an ongoing relationship with the building material supplier who provided the original windows when the house was built, we weren’t even asked to measure them.

Having previously worked for this client, we were simply asked to provide the skill and expertise to complete the project correctly the first time.

The disassembly is well on its way, and for the uninitiated, we’d like to point out the blue covering shown in the above photo beneath the horizontal mull-post covers we’re removing. This was among the first self-adhesive flashing membrane materials that emerged upon the market place,…

…maybe 20 or so years ago, and frequently called “blue-skin.” Please note above…as Steve Hilt is pointing out, that the structural components of these openings still sustained water damage, which further points out the critical nature of proper flashing technique.

As happens fairly often in our microclimate known as the Willamette Valley, the weather turned wet and so the tarps are brought out to facilitate the continuance of our project. Above, Phil & Eric ready one of the new window assemblies for installation.

All the new windows are installed, properly flashed and ready for the mull-covers and fascia boards to be re-installed.

Eric is shown here putting the finishing touches to the windows by cleaning the glass.

Skyline area just east of the Forest Heights area.

Our client had already had some of his windows replaced, and so he knew already that he wanted Eagle Wood-Clad Windows to match the others he had previously replaced. Go to: http://www.eaglewindow.com/Home.aspx if you’d like to read more on this product.

Eagle Windows, which has been acquired by Andersen Windows, is a Canadian company that has historically offered “Fir” as their entry level wood species, as opposed to pine like so many other wood window companies. Eagle Windows are among the number of top-shelf wood windows available today.

As it would happen, our client already knew he had damage issues beneath his siding and wanted it all repaired and his cedar siding replaced. He was what we might call a “dream-client.”

In our experience, less than 1 percent of home-owners possess a reasonable sense of the condition of their home’s exterior envelope. Although, in defense of the 99+ percent, this gentleman’s insight was likely due to his previous remodeling experiences on this property.

In any event, his number one priority seemed to be that it would be done correctly. As you can see from the photos, much of the wall had need to be opened up and some structural wall components were replaced due to water damage.

This was a particularly satisfying project because our client seemed to have complete confidence in our work. We don’t know for certain, but we suspect that his confidence in our company may have stemmed from our reputation for extensive…

…water remediation and exterior envelope flashing work. Many contractors know what we’re talking about when say that there is nothing like work that comes by means of referral.

So many hurdles are usually cleared before you even begin the job. There is nothing like having a client who is on your side rooting for you.

Someone who has a reasonable basis for believing his expenditure will result in what he wants it to result in. In this case…a finished product that is among the best that money can buy.