Is your window installer up to date with the latest flashing and window installation methods? Has he/she read the manufacturer’s instructions for your selected windows?
More often than not, I expect the answer is yes…. but don’t count on it. I’ve seen some poor installations during very recent green
certification rough-in inspections. For example, missing sill flashing, housewrap wrapped around the top of the window, top flap of the house wrap behind instead of overtop of the head flashing, or flashing installed in the wrong order. When brought to the attention of the installers, the usual response is a strong defense of their methods. They are simply unaware of the current best building practices for window installation. (For two short videos entitled “Installing Air Barriers” and “Flashing” showing best practices for housewrap installation and flashing of a common window, visit http://ht.ly/2slw0.)
All of these improper methods can come back to haunt you in the form of call backs from unhappy homeowners. Unfortunately, the window and housewrap manufacturers won’t be of any help. Their warranties are negated when their installation instructions aren’t followed to the letter.
To keep pace with the increasing advancements in this industry, many window and door manufacturers are fine-tuning the science of installation. But, what if the manufacturer’s instructions simply direct the installer to follow the local building code and the local code defers to the manufacturer’s instructions? Believe me, it happens. Some suggestions in the next post.
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