Fred Hagemeister

So this entire project was supposed to be completed by November 28.  We were emphatic when ordering the windows and siding that it needed to be completed before December.

Immediately, due to Lowe’s sales and Adams Home Exteriors, the windows are one-third completed in November with caulking that needs re-applying and the other two-thirds that won’t get to our house until mid-December.  Moreover, we were told the windows would take 2-3 days total.  It took 3 days, and we only have one-third the windows installed.

Now, I’m being forced by Lowes and Adams to have to pull back on my one other purchasing constraint which was for the windows to be done before the siding. Like our house in Iowa and every single home construction web site that addresses the timing of windows and siding state that if one could replace windows and siding at the same time, that should be done and windows should be installed before the siding (it has to do with better sizing, capping, and sealing).  Here are just a few references:

• http://articles.courant.com/2013-07-27/business/hc-ls-windows-siding-20130727_1_old-windows-new-windows-old-siding
• https://modernize.com/home-ideas/32317/replace-windows-siding-same-time
• https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/84/topics/93128-what-comes-first-windows-siding-roof

So, I’ve relented yet added the stipulation that the installation warranty is extended to 5 years.  Lowes said I would get it in writing.

Jack Adams (CFO – http://www.adamshomeexteriors.com/about-us.html ) came to the house to try to explain why it was “no big deal to install siding first.”  Yet, he could not describe any of the details.  His son and COO, Jack Adams, came to the house to explain to me, and I relented.

One of the most annoying things is that Shawn Adams said he would be stopping by the house a few times early on in the project, but he left the state for a hunting trip in the middle of this problem and had never come to the house until I had voiced my strong concerns with Jack.

I probably should have started this post at the beginning of the project, but I didn’t think there would be much to it.  We are now at the moment when the windows were to be done before siding for proper fit, capping, flashing, and sealing.  Unfortunately, that can’t happen.

There are several problems with the windows (Reliabilt windows fro Lowe’s).  Four of the windows were incorrectly ordered and will take another month (it’s late November now so even though this is Richmond VA, that means that the end-of-November deadline for preventing sealing issues will not be met).  Further, all of the wood grain vinyl windows have problems – a mix of bad seams that look like they were colored in by hand with a marker and scratches that gouged out the wood grain exposing the white vinyl underneath.  It would be one thing for the homeowners to do it as wear and tear, but this is right after installation and without even having touched the windows yet.  The wood grain sample lent to us did not have these problems.  I tried scratching the sample, both on the face and the edge, and the wood grain did not come off.  The video below was taken hours after installation, early the next morning.

Link to full resolution video

Then there is the quality of installation (Adams Exteriors).  I haven’t checked all over the windows, and I am not a professional, but I immediately noticed such a basic problem that I have little faith that more advanced techniques were employed.  Below is a video of the poor caulking job.  To be clear, the caulk bead looks pretty good (shape, fill, etc.) except for the lack of cleanup on the corners, but the thing to notice is that the caulk was done directly over debris so there is no way it will adhere to the trim – or at least for the average 5 years that is expected.  What does the window insulation matter if cracks in the seams allow infiltration?

Link to full resolution video

So the remedy from Lowe’s and the installer is to have the siding done before the windows.  They say it happens all the time.  However, when planning this project (both before Lowe’s and with Lowe’s), all reference information said that if both siding and windows can be done at the same time, the windows should be done first even if the windows do not have tabs.  This makes complete sense to me as you want the window in place for proper flashing, and then the siding would be properly wrapped around the flashing and up to the window.  This was a tenet of the project.