Replacing the old and drafty windows of my house seemed like a simple job that I could do by myself. So on a long, idle weekend, I enthusiastically took out the tape measure and rushed off to The Home Depot with my measurements in hand.
The window sizes I needed (or thought I needed) were in stock and I was driving home in under an hour with the new windows placed carefully in the trunk of my car. Before I started, I read an article online about pocket install vs full removal and watched a YouTube tutorial on how to remove window frames. It was going well until I tried to install the new windows I purchased at Home Depot. Two of the frames turned out to be too big for the opening and the rest left a wide gap. Even after filing and shimming, the fit wasn’t quite perfect. I thought maybe I would need a full removal at this point and decided to revisit the article I read online.
Eventually, I realized that my measurements had been wrong. I didn’t want to risk messing things up even more, so I called in a professional window installation company near me, HomeTowne Windows & Doors for a consultation on how to best solve the problem. The consultant inspected my slapdash work and pointed out that I had not removed the outer sash properly and had also accidently damaged the trim and outside stops.
Rather than making me feel embarrassed by my sloppy DIY handy work though, the guys at HomeTowne turned out to be very understanding and helpful. They were able to use two of the frames I purchased, and provided Pella replacement windows for the others. A few minor repairs were in order, but they completely turned my failed DIY project into a success!
HomeTowne Windows and Doors 