Doors and Windows - Brick exterior and Aluminum windows - replacement

I have a brick home built in the early 70's. Its got Aluminum windows on it. I was wanting to replace the windows in it starting with the window in my bathroom. I just started out remodeling the bathroom with a leaky shower pan. The old window is aluminum frame with a single pain of glass. The window that I was thinking of putting in it is a vinyl replacement window. The opening was sheet rocked up to the window. I have that torn out as I am resheetrocking the bathroom.

I talked to the "window guy" at HD and he suggested that I leave the window frame in place and put this American Carftsman vinyl jobber in there (I did not mention they were aluminum and I think he was thinking they were a wooden frame window). Plus the aluminum window is not double hung the top part is molded into the frame. It would look horrible from the out side to have the window sitting behind the exiting frame. The flange for the original window is bricked over. If I do decide to replace the window do I cut the old window out with a swaz all leveing just the flange in the wall and slide the new one inside and cauld if up to the edge of the brick?

Thanks for any suggestions that you may have.

Yep...you're on the right track...the whole old window needs to come out.

The way I do it is take any sash out that will come out by whatever means necessary.....and if the top glass is fixed, take out the rubber or whatever strip that holds the glass in and get the glass out....with all the glass removed, I take a crowbar against the brick ( with a scrap of plywood on the brick to keep from chipping it ), and pry under the edge of the window where it joins the brick, and just wreck the heck out of it to get it out.

What's holding it is the nailing flange back on the sheathing under the brick. If you pull the sheetrock off, you might see enough of it to get a sawsall at it, but it's not hard to use the crowbar method....it will shear off the nails in the flange without too much trouble....as long as you don't care what the old window looks like :)

Since you're removing the sheetrock anyway, measure the brick opening and the wood rough opening where the sheetrock was, and order the window for whichever opening is smallest....cut the size about 1/8 on side and top, and order EXACT SIZE....be SURE you tell them that or they will automatically cut it about 3/4" more.

If you can get the window to fit your brick opening tight enough to just caulk, you're in good shape....if not you'll have to make a bit of trim to take up the space......I use aluminum trim coil to match the window color because I'm usually ordering a window that fits on top of the sheetrock and leaves a 1/2-3/4" gap on the brick.

The new window installs with screw in the side jambs in holes that are predrilled and the window comes with the screws.

And measure the opening every way you can. The brick portion particulrly may have bulges, nubs, and generally be out of square by enough to cause problems with a window. A good clue is how much shimming was on the old window.

Thanks for the Tips

Judging buy the fact that most stuff is not prefectly plumb, my guess is the brick opening is not exactly square. There does not seem to be a whole lot of shimming on the window, but the wood frame and brick facia are seperate. Still not sure what I want to do.

The window is over a toliet. The guy said that I have to use tempered glass. Is this true? I know that the current one is not.

There won't be any shimming most likely....it wasn't needed....the rough opening was framed, the window was installed in it by nailing thru the nailing flange.....on a small window there is nothing to shim. And the opening should be fairly square as they were bricking to the edge of the aluminum window ( what would be wood brick moulding on a wood window), all though the whole window could have been installed "cocked" a bit to the opening if they didn't level or plumb it on install.

Not quite sure what you mean by "the wood frame and brick facia are seperate" ....

Most codes don't require tempered glass unless the window is within 2' of the floor or lower.

By that I mean that the wood frame is put up first sheathed and then insulated. Then the brick is up around the house meaning that brick is not attached to the wood frame. ITs more or less a "fake front".

I have decided to replace the window, but I have dark brown aluminum windows. I bought the right size new construction window. I'm going to remove the nailing flange and then drill the holes out and screw it into the frame, since all they offer in the replacement style is the vinal which only comes in white. Is this a good idea?