Window Replacement Checklist part 2

I left out a few things from last week. Remember, this is for putting a window in place of a door.

1. Crowbar! They aren’t joking when they say you can break your screwdriver if you keep using it to pry up wood. And yes, just assume you are going to have to remove every flipping piece of trim. Better to do it from the start rather than arguing over it and ended up removing things as you go.
2. Hammer, because nails don’t work well without one.
3. Wood screws for when the nails don’t work.
4. Screwdriver attachment for the drill.
5. Two extension cords. One for inside and one for outside because it’s such a pain dragging it through the house even if it is long enough to reach both places.
6. Insulation – enough to fill all the door outside of the window.
7. Drywall in a size to match up with the surrounding wall. Did I mention it doesn’t come in 1/4 inch? Save yourself the embarrassment and ask for 3/8″ and sweet talk them into cutting one board loose from a pair to get it for half the price.
8. Straps to hold down things like the plywood to the roof of a car or scaffolding to the back of a miniature truck. Besides, straps are totally cool. More about that on Monday.
9. Flashing. If they sell it in shot sections, I didn’t see it, but I ended up using it in three places instead of just the bottom of the window frame anyway so it was totally worth it. The aluminum stuff works great even if it will blind you with reflected sunlight.
10. Trim boards. Don’t expect to be able to reuse what you pull off the door frame. Even if it doesn’t get turned to splinters, there’s no guarantee it will fit right.
11. Level, because apparently it’s vital that windows are level. Use the kind with three little bubbles instead of the one with just one because there is more than one way to be level and the three bubbles will remind you of that fact a lot faster than if you forget to move the one bubble in multiple directions.
12. Paint brush because I forgot to mention it last week. Don’t assume a roller will handle everything no matter how good you think you are with one.
13. Primer. Lots of it, because raw wood tends to soak it up.

For more lists of thirteen, visit Thursday Thirteen