New window today

Today the new contractor started. He was only delayed two days which is great! The crew was able to replace the office window already. They are really fast compared to our last contractor. We had very low expectations and assumed it would take weeks to get one window in like our last guy did, but low and behold it is in. Unfortunately, I didn't take any good after pictures, but I will once the windows are all done. The difference is dramatic! While I don't like how the process unfolded, I am happy with the new windows. They are much bigger and let in much more light to an otherwise dark and outdated house.

One thing that slowed the workers down was finding improper framing on the window. A window opening should be completely framed and self-supporting before the window assembly is put in. In other word, you could take out the glass and sills and have an empty opening without lowering the structural stability of the house. I was not happy to see this window improperly framed, and hope there are no other hidden framing problems. (Update: there was no problem with the other windows we replaced.)

Here is a picture of the bad framing. This is the top of the window. You can see the header at the top of the opening and then short studs up to the ceiling. Normally this header would be supported by studs called jack studs that go all the way to the floor. Thus, any weight borne by the header is transferred to the floor and ultmately to the foundation. In this case, you can see there are no jack studs, so any weight the header is bearing is being supported the horizontal nails used to attach the header to the studs. Yikes!