How to Install Replacement Windows in Brick Veneer

If you've got a brick veneer home and it needs new windows, it's not any more complicated to replace them than it is on a frame home. That's because brick veneer is just that --- a veneer of brick on the outside of the home with wood around the window openings so you can install new window units. Nonetheless, the measurements do have to be exact when you order the window unit, as there will be no way to expand the opening if it's too big.

Tape measure
Pry bar
Hammer
Replacement window
Level
Shims
Screw gun
Mounting screws (with the window unit)
Foam insulation (spray can)
Finish nailer
Caulk

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the window opening along the width and length from inside the house, with the existing window in place. Move the sashes up and down as needed to get at the tracks within for the full measurement.
- 2
  Subtract ½ inch from the measurement you come up with in each direction. Order your windows based on that adjusted measurement.
- 3
  Remove the border of trim around the old windows (after the new unit arrives), using a hammer and pry bar. Be careful not to break the trim as you take it off. Pull the window sashes straight out.
- 4
  Stand the new window unit in the opening. Set a level to the side of it. Put shims around the sides and bottom until it's square.
- 5
  Secure the window unit by shooting screws through the pre-drilled holes in the unit and into the surrounding frame. (Note: Though the house is brick veneer, the border of the frame will be wood.)
- 6
  Fill the spaces between the window unit and the frame with spray-in foam insulation.
- 7
  Reinstall the trim around the outer border of the window, using a trim nailer and covering the spaces. Caulk around the trim.

How Can I Replace My Own Windows?

How to Refinish Window Trim

Windows