House wrap and windows

The windows that we ordered in April have arrived.  They are mostly double hung wood windows with painted metal cladding.  A low E rating will cut down on the heating from the Colorado sun.  The windows are stacked and covered in the garage until they can be installed.

I wrap the house with Tyvek, which provides a Gortex-like raincoat for the walls.  Tyvek lets water vapor and air flow through, but stops liquid water from getting in.  It is very similar to those white mailing envelopes that have silk threads embedded which are really hard to tear.

The windows install from the outside of the building.  Each window opening is coated with silicone sealer, on the top and sides, before the window is set in the hole.  The bottom sill is leveled, the sides are plumbed, and the window is squared by measuring the diagonals.  A nailing fin on the outside is used to connect to the sheathing and framing.  The window is shimmed from the inside to eliminate any bowing of the rails.  Later, I will apply more sealer around the nailing fin and lap Tyvek or Tyvek tape over the top and sides of the nailing fins.

Raimund spends a day helping us with all the big windows and some of the smaller ones.  We were working so hard I forgot to snap his picture.  The 3 bay window in the upstairs bedroom is a real monster to move around.  We pop out the 6 sashes and install the frame without glass so we can handle the weight.  Then we reassemble the window.  The technique works and we use it for all the big multi-bay windows in the house.

The roofing is delivered to the top of the roof and most of it stays up there.  On Monday, the roofing sub should return to start laying shingles.

I'm talking with subs to do the siding, exterior trim and soffets, but most carpenters seem to be very busy in Colorado and I am not even getting many returns from my phone calls.  Know any good carpenters with scaffolding?