I want to enlarge my existing window by 2 ft. the issue is the existing lentil -to remove and replace or add an additional support. Did you remove the existing lentil? did you have any structural issues? any help or advice would be great.
paulene christie-smith there were no existing lentils, just wooden frames attached to the cutouts in the cinder block walls. The blocks above and below the window were filled with concrete and rebar though so I don't think lentils were necessary. The house was 1945 construction so may not have been up to today's standards, however. Since I was raising the opening up, enlarging it, and moving it over, I had a unique challenge in that I needed to cover some of the existing window cutout, and raise the bottom to accommodate a new countertop height on the inside. I added a vertical support on the left side right in the middle of the old window opening. Then, because I was widening the open span in the block wall, I decided it was safer to add an angle iron lentil, so I made a piece that was longer than the open span by about 4-6" on each side of the opening, cut slots in the block for it to slide into tightly, and tapped it into place with a hammer. I could've retained with Tapcon concrete bolts, but it fit so well I opted not to. Didn't want any bolt heads sticking through the final layer of stucco. I painted the lentil with several layers of rustoleum primer and paint before installing to prevent rust from expanding the metal and cracking the block. I'm in Southern California so there's little risk of rust, but I wanted to be safe. When I got the big hole cut out , and before I installed the lentil, the header didn't sag at all, but again, better safe than sorry on a long span like that. I also coated the entire opening with liquid flashing once I installed the wooden frame that was sized for the window. The wooden frame was attached to the opening with tapcon concrete bolts and countersunk heads. I was able to level and plumb the wooden frame in the opening, then fine tune with shims when I installed the nail fin window into the wooden frame. Finally I used expanding window foam to fill any voids between the concrete opening and the wooden frame, and between the wooden frame and the window itself. You want your wooden frame to be slightly larger than the window to allow for shimming/leveling. Pella has pretty good instructions for this type of window installation.
I suppose I could’ve spanned the opening of the old and the new window, hole, but it has 4” of bearing on each side as required with the vertical post I installed.
You should have played the King of the Hill theme song
I want to enlarge my existing window by 2 ft. the issue is the existing lentil -to remove and replace or add an additional support. Did you remove the existing lentil? did you have any structural issues? any help or advice would be great.
paulene christie-smith there were no existing lentils, just wooden frames attached to the cutouts in the cinder block walls. The blocks above and below the window were filled with concrete and rebar though so I don't think lentils were necessary. The house was 1945 construction so may not have been up to today's standards, however. Since I was raising the opening up, enlarging it, and moving it over, I had a unique challenge in that I needed to cover some of the existing window cutout, and raise the bottom to accommodate a new countertop height on the inside. I added a vertical support on the left side right in the middle of the old window opening. Then, because I was widening the open span in the block wall, I decided it was safer to add an angle iron lentil, so I made a piece that was longer than the open span by about 4-6" on each side of the opening, cut slots in the block for it to slide into tightly, and tapped it into place with a hammer. I could've retained with Tapcon concrete bolts, but it fit so well I opted not to. Didn't want any bolt heads sticking through the final layer of stucco. I painted the lentil with several layers of rustoleum primer and paint before installing to prevent rust from expanding the metal and cracking the block. I'm in Southern California so there's little risk of rust, but I wanted to be safe. When I got the big hole cut out , and before I installed the lentil, the header didn't sag at all, but again, better safe than sorry on a long span like that. I also coated the entire opening with liquid flashing once I installed the wooden frame that was sized for the window. The wooden frame was attached to the opening with tapcon concrete bolts and countersunk heads. I was able to level and plumb the wooden frame in the opening, then fine tune with shims when I installed the nail fin window into the wooden frame. Finally I used expanding window foam to fill any voids between the concrete opening and the wooden frame, and between the wooden frame and the window itself. You want your wooden frame to be slightly larger than the window to allow for shimming/leveling. Pella has pretty good instructions for this type of window installation.
That lintel looks too short.
I suppose I could’ve spanned the opening of the old and the new window, hole, but it has 4” of bearing on each side as required with the vertical post I installed.
I couldn’t hear or see anything on the bideo
This video reminds me Charlie Chaplin comedies