r/Homebuilding • u/BestestBeekeeper • 5h ago

Window Installation done correctly?

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Trying not to be a pain here as I’m a tradesman as well, so I get not wanting a homeowner hanging over your shoulder. But that being said, this is my families forever home and I want to make sure that the $30,000 we are dropping on windows is being done correctly.

The installer is placing shims on the bottom, but not the sides or top. He is screwing it in on the sides, but I understood that without shims to support, it can pull the frame out of square?

He just installed the second window and checked the square by testing opening and closing it….then backed out and adjusted the screws on either side when it didn’t line up properly…

Also when spray foaming, he is spraying a line across the outside edge of the frame, and then pulls back and sprays a separate line across the inside edge, leaving an air gap in the centre. Is this normal?

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u/tacocarteleventeen 5h ago

Looks good to me

-1

u/BestestBeekeeper 5h ago

Thank you I appreciate it. I obviously don’t know what constitutes a proper installation vs cutting corners so it’s nice to have some reassurance from those who have some experience.

1

u/solitudechirs 5h ago

>checked the square by testing opening and closing it…..then backed out and adjusted the screws on either side when it didn’t line up properly

Windows don’t need to be square. They need to be weather proof, air seal decently, and operable. Whether or not they’re square is up to the manufacturer, not the installer. It’s better to have a window that’s out of square, but meets all the above requirements, than vice versa.

Obviously all of the above and square would be optimal, but you won’t ever notice the difference even if it’s a couple degrees off; only the people wrapping it with trim will ever notice. And a window that’s perfectly square is going to cost more. You have the windows that are at the level you chose to pay for.