Now that we’ve gotten the dirty stuff out of the way and my Poison Ivy rash is under control (That Mean Green Hand Scrub really works!)
The two sub sills and the window buck are installed and plumbed and leveled. The bottom and top are screwed in with 4″ deck screws. The sides were foamed with large crack spray foam to fill the voids.
After the foam is cured it is cut flush to the wall with a hand saw.
An asphalt based foundation waterproofing material was troweled over the cleaned foundation. The white areas of block are visible because I had to grind down the surface to make the wall uniform and flat. The original mason wasn’t very good with a level apparently.
I decided to add a sump box for the well drain. This is typically used in landscape projects – debris will settle in the bottom of the sump and keep from clogging the drain system. I used a 9″ square sump and my first thought was to use all PVC pipe to fit the drain.
But after a little more thought I ditched that idea – but only after I glued several parts together. That was a waste of time and money – ouch!
Instead I went with a solid flexible drain so that in the winter time I would have less issues if ground freezing was a problem. I also added a fiberglass membrane over the waterproofing on the foundation and the window buck for a little extra protection.
The drain was placed in the ground in the approximate location.
The AZEK PVC frame was then installed flush to the buck with PL adhesive and cortex screws.
The window was then finally installed inside the PVC frame using elastomeric caulk and small head screws for treated lumber.
The inside showing the spray foam around the window buck and the window sitting within the AZEK frame.
An exterior frame was fabricated from 1X12″ AZEK and assembled with PVC glue and Kreg screws. The back side has a wide rabbet to make it flush with the window and accommodate the window’s nailing fin thickness.
Here’s the back side of the frame ready to be installed. The screw holes were filled with caulk (over kill) The sides measure 11 1/4″ top 3 1/2″ bottom 8″.
The frame is attached to the pressure treated window buck using Cortex Screws. This frame fits up underneath the water table trim and the bottom extends down below the drain surface. The wide sides cover the foundation allowing the side panels for the window well to attach through the frame into the foundation.
Confusing? It will be clearer in the next post.