Why Dormer Window And Bay Window Installation Require Extra Support

So, you are having some new windows installed. That is great, but did you know that your bay windows and your dormer windows on your Cape Cod home will require extra support and extra labor costs? It is true, and here is why.

Bay Windows Are Heavy

As beautiful as bay windows are, they are also very heavy. When they jut outward from the front or side of the home, their weight pulls on the structure of the house at that point. This is why your new window installation expert may have to replace the supports built onto the house and under the window area.

He or she needs to be sure that the supports are strong and fresh, and not rotten or weakening in spots. This will require an extra few hours to repair and replace before the new bay windows can be installed. Then the supports will do their job and prevent the weight of the bay windows from pulling at the wall structure.

Dormer Windows Are up High

Have you ever tried to install a window on the first level of your home by yourself? Perhaps you lifted a new window and tried to help put it in place. If you have, then you know that the weight of new windows is a two-person job.

However, it is quite a different beast when you have to lift windows to the roof of your home and try to position them into dormer gables. You need two people on the roof, two people on ladders lifting the new window carefully up to the roof, and then the two people on the roof have to hold the window in place while the first and second installers on the ladders secure these windows in place. It is very dangerous and very difficult.

Additionally, dormer windows have to be supported from underneath and to both sides of the window. If your dormer gables are missing that much needed support for these windows, the job instantly becomes more difficult, more dangerous, and more time-consuming. The installers have to rebuild parts of these windows to make sure the windows are properly supported until they can be secured in place.

Plan Ahead

Clear the areas around your bay windows so that nobody trips and falls trying to get these windows installed. With the dormer windows, the roof and the ground below have to be completely clear of debris and landscaping that could cause a falling accident. Also, plan ahead for the time commitment and cost for these specialty windows to be installed.

Contact a company, like Fischer Window and Door Store, for more help.

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