I need to get a double hung window rotted sill replaced. In the past this is something I would tackle myself but these days I hand stuff off to others. I’m getting repair quotes and want to verify what is needed to replace this sill.
The corner of the sill is rotted deep enough so that I can’t just cut, remove and replace the front. The entire sill needs to be repaired.
If I was to do this I would take off the storm window, grab the Sawzall and oscillating saw to cut the nails holding the sill pull the whole thing out, cut a replacement sill and install it along with new trim.
I just had one contractor look at it who said the sill could not be replaced, the whole window would have to be pulled out and replaced. My BS alarm went off so I want to see what you guys think.
Replies
I would need to be a heck of a lot closer to this job to give a worthwhile opinion.
I might want to step inside and look as well.
Right now, all I’d advise is probe the areas with a thin ice pic or chuck up a 1/8 inch drill bit. If the funk goes way back, then all new sill probably.
While there, find out what caused the failure.
You’ve got another post here with rot. Same side of house? Best take a good look at all the other areas as well.
Add on aluminum storm frames should have weep holes (clean) along the bottom to let out water. Gunk along the bottom can in time, soften the wood. Add a long time to that and what do you get?
Any repair to this should be sealing all cuts, joints and assemblies before putting it together. Unsealed brickmold on the right of the second picture caused that failure. Caulking the joint after assembly often just traps the water.
As to whether or not the whole thing needs junked?
If it costs more to repair than replace, he might be right.
I’ve done repairs to sills and they can be time consuming. This looks like it might be beyond epoxy.
The casings, no big deal.
As always on this forum, you’re there and we’re not.
You need to determine just how far the rot goes. Many times the bottom of the side jamb is rotted as well as the sill and needs to be replaced. Replacing the sill is also best done with the window removed from the building. You may also have damage to the rough sill below the window.
I've worked on doors where at first, I thought I'd dig out the rot, treat it, Bondo, and go. But the rot went all the way to the sill plate and 2 studs!
So you're gonna have to dig it all out to get to good wood, and see how deep it goes.
Rather than trying all this exploratory surgery, it might be faster and cheaper to pull out the window, frame and all, repair any rotted framing, and install a new window. If you're adventurous l, you could try to rebuild the window after you pull it out. But paying someone else to do that probably won't be cost effective.
But a new window suggestion by the contractor isn't necessarily a red flag, IMO.
It’s a can of worms. Good contractors know that jobs like this quickly turn into more work than anticipated and that once you touch it you own the trouble you have gotten into. Bad contractors tell you what you want to hear that it’s no problem and some bondo will do the trick. When that fails in six months you wasted money on a bs repair and then you have to do the real job.
Speaking of bs repairs I’ve encountered this situation where I just wanted to waterproof the sill for a replacement in the future so I just went over the sill with a piece of flashing. Make sure to slide the metal under the window and viola it’s a new waterproof sill at little to no cost.
[email protected]. sorry man but you spent a good amount of time talking about bs repairs and doing it the correct way. But then at the very end you recommended a real BS repair. Covering it with coil stock or flashing to make it appear like a perfectly good sill is not what you want to do. Especially leaving anything rotten in place which attracts bugs and mold etc etc. This repair can absolutely be done but it needs to be done with removing the cell nose and then on the inside removing the stool and apron you can cut the sill down the center. pry it out of the dado slot on each side of the jam leg . take a nail set and set your Staples back out of the way and then you can install your new sill from inside sliding it back in the dadoed area of each jam leg. If your jam is rotted you can al so replace it you just have to know what your doing.
If the rot is confined to the sill and the rest of the window is in good condition, a targeted repair may be feasible. However, if the window itself is compromised, a full replacement might be necessary.