Exterior/Window on brick house question
Have some pieces of wood that need to get replaced on my house. They are panels under windows. They appear to be some sort of plywood and are weathered. What is the best thing to replace it with? Marine plywood? Azek or similar? Pics attached. Thanks!
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I would attempt to fabricate them from PVC stock.
I'm curious how you got along with this. I have a similar project to do and I have having difficulty finding any youtube videos or how to blogs on how to do it properly! I am not even sure what these exterior wooden panels under the window are called. Any advise greatly appreciated. Also, I know wood rots, but the panels on our house have likely been there since the mid 1960's so that's a pretty good life. I am happy to use wood. I'm wondering why no-one is suggesting wood.
Well, panels are a good word for them. In the picture above, likely the brick veneer ends in that area and you have a framed opening. Instead of a door, a window and panel installed.
Wood from the 60’s could have been milled from older growth trees and better yet, proper care prior to and including building the panels account for its long life. Bare wood and end grain can absorb moisture. Take care of that during a build and with proper maintenance it can last a long time.
Aboslutely the best product hands down - Extira (its an exterior rated MDF panel) If you can find a cabinet shop with a CNC machine they can make the raised panel or pretty much any design for you
Well, after several hours and some bloody knuckles I have hit a bit of a dead end on trying to get my one of these out. It appears to have been caulked in, glued in, and nailed in. How did you get yours out?
Well. They used to trap the 30’s metal windows in when the veneered with brick. So it’s not far fetched to think those were fin mounted and that’s tucked in behind the brick.
Could also have a screw or two through the jamb. What’s the inside look like? Jamb ext and wood trim or drywall returns sans trim?
Plaster and baseboard heater :/
I can get to the edges of the panel on the outside and have removed all the caulk and located the nails. I am having a hard time getting through what I presume is glue. The panel is wedged in pretty tight to the brick but isn't behind it. If I do succeed in getting it off, what should be behind it? I want to add a bunch of insulation and ensure air sealing. Our plaster over drywall walls have very little insulation, and almost none behind the baseboard water heaters.
Behind the panel you could find felt (tar paper) , sheeting (insulated fiber board, or foil faced foam sheeting or plywood sheeting. Then wood wall framing.
I’ve been in the trade since the early 70’s and can honestly say that I have not seen it all.
But boy have I seen a lot.
If I was trying to save something I’d use a sawzall surgically. If not, hack and whack. If the panel and window were shot I’d work on this job. If to only “insulate” the panel area, not worth the effort.
Oh no. Not worth the effort is concerning. Now I've started I'm starting to wonder what I've got myself into :/
I have attached some pictures. So, if these will not come out I need to find an alternative solution. I am wondering about removing the molding from the front, drilling a large hole in the middle to pump in installation behind it, sealing that hole, placing a thin piece of insulation board over the top of the current board, then putting a new board over the top of that that would become flush with the current windowsill. Does this sound like a reasonable solution? Are there reasons why blowing in insulation through that panel might be a silly idea? I would really like to get some insulation behind that water baseboard heater on the other side of the wall. This is one of two windows in the living room with this same setup. Both are directly in front of a section of the water baseboard heater. That room is very cold in the winter, and because the wall is plaster, there isn't an easy way to insulate it from the inside.
Well, that panel is a couple square ft.
There should already be probably fiberglass insulation in that wall. If not and depending on the age of the dwelling there might have been that deteriorating spray foam the experimented with in the late 70’s (?) , which powdered out eventually.
So, for a couple square ft and not living there……
Edit: looking closer, are there glass blocks below that area?
Is there a basement or crawl ?
Yes, there are glass blocks in a window immediately below in the finished basement. I believe the house was built in the mid-1960s.