I live in upstate New York where it gets cold and lots of snow. I am air sealing, adding insulation to the outside and turning the house into a super efficient home. I think the information provided in this article will help you reach your goal if you wish to turn your own house into a super efficient home.
How to do a door to window conversion in a cold climate. When you remove a door and install a window it is very important to air seal and insulate correctly to prevent heat loss and excessive heating bills in a cold
How to plan so you achieve your goal
The first thing we need to do is set a goal on what you want to accomplish. This is my own personal house so I want to make it as energy efficient as I know how.
This door to window conversion is on the north side, load-bearing wall of the house and in a bedroom. I am not going to make the opening larger and going to keep it as an egress point for an escape.
How to measure the opening for ordering the window
The easiest way to measure the opening is to take off the interior trim and measure in three spots.
- Measure the top of the opening
- Measure the center of the opening
- Measure the bottom of the opening where you want the window to end
Please don’t skip the 3 measurement process, I have made this mistake in my early years and it cost me in time and money.
Inspect the opening for water damage
With the interior trim off inspect the opening for any water damage and rot. This process is can save you time, and multiple trips to the supply store, when the day comes to remove the door and replace it with the window.
Order the window
Order a new construction window. The new construction windows have a nailing flange for installing. Replacement windows do not have this nailing flange and they are harder to air seal and keep the rain from getting into the wall. I said order your window because in a cold climate and on the north wall the window should be a lower U-value than a standard window if
This is what my window’s U-value is that is being installed
Pick up the materials you will need
With the trim off you can tell what type of framing you have. My house has a dimensional 2″ x 6″ stud. They are available from the local supply store. If your house is old and has non-dimensional (rough-cut) lumber you may need to pick up a board that you can cut down to size.
For example a rough-cut 2″ x 4″ is 4 ” wide and a dimensional 2″ x 4″ is only 3 1/2″ wide. you will need to pick up a dimensional 2″ x 6″ which is 5 1/2″ wide and cut it down to 4″
- Studs
- sheeting
- nails, screws, wood shims
- insulation
- rubber flashing tape (I use zip tape because it seems to work well)
- caulking and spray foam insulation made for windows and doors
- house wrap or felt roofing paper
- siding to cover under the window
- new window trim boards and drywall board for the interior
- joint finishing compound and drywall tape
And of course it is time to pick up those new tools you been looking at
- reciprocating saw
- hammer and level (24 inches)
- cordless drill
- saw horses
- drywall finishing knife, 6 inch and 10 inch, sanding block or sponge
The way I look at these projects you should have a good time doing it.
Prepare the work area and remove the door
If you have vinyl siding you may want to remove the siding around the work area. Here is a link explaning how to remove vinyl siding with a flat screwdriver https://howtosquirrel.com/8-easy-steps-to-unlock-and-remove-vinyl-siding-without-a-siding-removal-tool/
Remove the storm door if it has one and the exterior trim around the door that is to be removed. Now you have the side of the frame exposed I know it looks fun to take a big hammer to the door and frame but I can tell you from experience that you will make a huge mess to clean up.
Remove the door from its hinges on the frame and set to the side. This makes handleing the frame so much easier in the next step.
Take the reciprocating saw and run it around the frame to cut the nails and screws that are holding it in place. Don’t worry about the blade it will get dull from cutting the nails and blades are cheap compaired to your time.
Now you have the nails and screws cut the door frame should be loose and now you can remove it.
Repair any rot and add the framing lumber
Now is the time when the small easy job just went sideways and you really get into the framing. remove and repair any waterdamaged wood that is rotten. If the wood is just discolored you need not worry about replacing it, I am talking about the wood that is soft or even missing.
Install the rough sill at the bottom of the window opening about 1 inch wider than the window unit is. Make sure this is level, it will make life much easier when it comes to squaring and leveling up the window.
Install the bottom sole plate board along the floor area. If this board is on cement or concrete it will need to be pressure treated. A bead of caulk on the bottom and along the edge will reduce air infiltration.
Install a board from the bottom sole plate to the rough sill board. This is called a cripple stud. You will be installing insulation into the wall cavity created by the cripple stud. You may want to install a trimmer stud along each side of the bottom opening to attach your new sheeting to. They will be the same length as the cripple stud.
Install the new sheeting and house wrap
Now it is time to cut and install the plywood on the bottom of the openeing. If you have a thicker sheeting on the house (like 1 inch boards) you will need to shim out the new plywood to make it match the outside of the old sheeting. You will want this as close to smooth as you can get it so the new siding will match and look smooth.
Install the
Install the new window
Installing the new window is much easier with a second person helping to hold the window in place while you level and fasten the window to the opening.
Place 2 of the shims on the rough sill, this will keep the window up about 1/4 inch for air sealing with the spray foam.
Lift the window in place making sure you have the bottom on the bottom. the bottom of the window will have little holes on the face to let the water out of the frame.
Tack the window in place with a screw on one side and place the level on the bottom and move the shims to make the bottom level if it is required.
Place the level on the side and make the window plumb.
Now you can install screws in the rest of the holes to hold the window in place. If you are in a low wind zone every other hole will be fine. If you live in a high wind sone you should fill every hole.
Weatherproofing the window
I call it weatherproofing because what you are doing is keeping not only the rain water out of the house you are also helping to keep the cold air from blowing into the wall.
Take some of the rubber flashing tape, 6 inches wider than the window, and starting at the bottom place a strip over the nailing flange onto the house wrap extending out each side by 3 inches.
Take another strip of the flashing tape that is 6 inches longer than the window is high and cover the nailing flange and side wall along each side so that the tape overhangs the bottom strip (this makes the water run over the bottom strip) and exstends about 3 inches above the top of the window.
Take another strip of tape that is 6 inches wider than the window and cover the two side strips of tape and top nailing flange.
You now have a window that is sealed from the elements.
Install the siding to match the old siding
This is the part where you are going to need to use your artistic ability to make the new siding look nice. I hope to have some future article explaining
Interior insulation
The next step is to install the new insulation in the cavity under the window. To properly install fiberglass batt insulation it needs to be in contact with the top, bottom and both sides of the cavity. The secret is not to crush or compact the insulation to preserve the air pockets inside of the insulation. Remember to install the vapor barrier to the inside of the room If you install the insulation and you leave any gaps you will cut the effectiveness of the insulation. A 1/2 inch gap cuts the R-value by up to 50%. The reduction in R-value comes from a convection current that is formed from the gap in coverage.
Install the spray foam insulation aound the window in the gap. The gap should be 1/4 inch to 3/4 inch wide. Make sure the can is for windows and doors. If you use the regular expanding foam your window will become inoperable from the foam over expanding and warping the frame. Don’t worry if it expands into the room, you can trim it off after it sets up.
FYI if you get the foam on you when it is in its raw form it sticks real good and when you try pulling it off your arm hair comes with it leaving a bald spot..
Install the wall board
Cut the wall board to fit in the bottom hole and screw it into place. When you install the screws make sure they end up sunk into the wall board just enough so they are not sticking above the surface.
When it comes to joint compound less is better.
Cut a peice of drywall tape the lenght of the side joints and butter the back of the tape with the joint compound. Place the tape over the seam and using the 6 inch knife strike it flat against the wall board squeezing out most of the compound keeping the tape flat with no wrinkles. Do this to both joints.
After the compound is dry, this will take several hours or even a day, with the 6 inch knife feather the sides out of the installed tape. Do not put too much on or you will have a lot of sanding. Remember less is better.
After the compound has dried you will do the same thing but with the 10 inch knife. When you are finished the feathered joint compound may be as wide as 20 inches.
To finish the joint compound smooth you can use a wet sponge and wipe down the surface (this makes no dust) or use a sanding block (medium to fine) to finish the surface smooth.
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Window treatment time
This process is explained in the article at the following link
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I hope this article has helped you out with your project. Best of luck