Here's where we begin: a large bay window set to follow a curve rather than the traditional flat design. It's a very nice design element, but this particular window is in dire need of replacement. Why? Take a look at the detail in the close up. The frame of this window is rotted out quite badly. There's no hope of repair here; therefore, a new window will have to be installed in its place. As we perform the installation, however, there are a few related concerns we must contend with. Starting out, why did this window rot in the first place?

Meet the "carpenter ant". Better yet, you'd probably prefer to avoid the acquaintance altogether. These little critters are a homeowner's nightmare. As the name implies, these ants just love wood. Specifically, they love to destroy it. Left unchecked, once these ants get into a tasty wooden component of your home (window frames and porches are both favorites), they will systematically gnaw through it until the wood crumbles from rot. A horde of these ants has decided to make the frame of this window into its smorgasbord. But the ants aren't the only source of rot. Above this window is a small, flat roof deck, which is having some moisture problems. In front of it is a planter box built in to the home's masonry with inadequate drainage and an open invitation for insects to approach. Both water and ants are doing their share of damage to this home. We'll have to attack each cause in order to make sure that a new window doesn't fall victim to the same ill circumstances.

Directly in front of the window is a planter box built right into the home's masonry. This is the sort of detail which looks very nice on paper as a design element, but which in the end can cause a lot of problems. In this case, the design of the planter box begs one simple question: where does the water go? With the design of this planter, some of it goes straight down into the ground, some of it is drawn into the interior walls of the house, and some of it seeps through the joints in the masonry. We can repair the damage now, but the only way to prevent it from happening again is to take away the built-in planter element altogether.

The plants are removed from their in-wall box; they will be transplanted elsewhere. The large cracks in the wall are tuck pointed (filled in with fresh masonry), and any damage to the interior of the former planter box is repaired/sealed as well. When those repairs are made, what had been an open planter is solidly capped with custom-poured concrete. When everything is properly set, it can be coated with a clear masonry sealer. The new cap still provides a ledge capable of supporting plants should the homeowner choose to place them there; they will simply have to be of the potted variety.

Above the curved window area is a metal-covered flat roof deck. Ideally speaking, flat roof decks and the Wisconsin climate do not mix well at all, and as so many of them are prone to do, this flat roof leaks. The most ideal solution would be to install a pitched roof in its place; however, in this case the homeowner has elected to retain the flat deck design. With this in mind, the leaky metal roof is sealed and repaired. The flat roof deck is then covered with a brand new rubber roof deck which should provide some better protection. With the new covering installed, it is sealed and properly flashed to the side of the home. Now we're ready to tackle the window itself.