New Windows

A look at the new windows I've been working on installing (although a buddy of mine who knows what he's doing did the majority of the installation). Before they were aluminum and sound really carried through them when cars would drive by. There was also plastic shutters flanking them, which I had to take off in order to rip out the old windows and install the new.

I had to pull the trim off to get the windows in (all screwed in from the outside). I luckily found the house paint in the garage, and was able to touch up the paint on the trim and voids that were left behind when removing the shutters. The original color of the house was apparently dark brown with bright green trim. Lovely?

I upgraded the standard vinyl windows a little bit, and got ones with an STC rating of 30. Standard windows have a STC (Sound Transmission Class) of around 25, and an increase of 10 in the rating apparently cuts the sound in half, so I've noticed a pretty good decrease in sound with the new windows. Having windows with and STC of around 35-40 would have been really nice, but they would cost a fortune, as the exterior walls of the house have that same rating. I'll share some pics of the inside work once I start tackling that. I'll be installing wood casing around the windows, as before they were trimmed by just drywall and a tile window sill.