Choosing the Right Window Frames for Your Window Installations

Hey guys, Sean of American Window Concepts. In this video today, I want to talk to you a little bit about options when it comes to retro fins and nail flanges or new construction and block frames. Let's go. So retro fin is a style of install. It's the kind of window that you're going to use if you're leaving behind the main frames of your windows. And I've done videos where I show you how we install those types of products. You don't want to do any stucco damage. You don't want to do any drywall replacement or damage, so you opt to go with a retro style of window. That's the majority of what we do here in California. So you would option to go with a flush fin, which is like this, a very contemporary look. It's very thin and this is the majority of what we do. Most customers like this look. It's thin and it doesn't really create a lot of dirt on the outside. The other option is going to be a brick mold style. This style is really ornate, you know, from this. So this is going to have, as you can see, different bevels. Here's a bevel here. This actually sticks off the stucco or your siding, whatever the case is, three quarters of an inch. It gives you a very, very cool look. And most times we'll use something like this if the stucco or the siding has no perimeters around the windows. It's just kind of like a boring look on the outside. So instead of doing something like this, we would opt to do something like this. It gives the window a nice border, right? And it gives the front of the house more, I don't know, curb appeal, if you will. And it looks really, really nice installed. If what you want to do is a complete replacement of the windows, means pulling your main frames, you're going to reflash the openings and you're going back to the original two by fours or two by sixes of the construction of the house, then what you're going to want to use is a nail flange window, just like this, okay? So the nail flange here is where the screws go and apply this window to the two by fours or the two by sixes on top of the flashing. This is what you're going to, you know, see when the guys are coming up and they're going to put these windows in, is this style. So when you're doing a retro, you're not doing this. You're using a retro style of frame. You're leaving the main frame in. This is going to be a complete replacement. So you're going back to the two by fours, nail flange. The other that you're going to see us do a lot of is a block style of frame, where basically assume this window is missing this nail flange. This nail flange is gone. And what's left is just this block frame all the way around. Now, when we use that style of frame, it's because you have originally wood windows and it's a pocket style of install. So we take out the wood sashes, we take out the stops and we insert a block frame. Then we would seal that in. So you can't use a block frame if you have an aluminum existing window, single pane aluminum window, because there's no flanges to cover the original aluminum frames. That would be out. You would use a block frame. So if you have from the 20s and 30s, 40s, 50s, original wood windows, usually they're double hung windows. Sometimes you get some sliders in there. More times than not, you're going to see, or you should see, if you're doing a retro style, a block frame. So nail fin, gone. Just your block frame. And that's going to be a pocket install. That is technically a retro style of installation because you're still leaving the wood main frame in. I've done videos on how to do that as well. So if you want to see how that looks, just go to that video on how we install in a wood opening. I just wanted to cover kind of a few things of what you might see or what your options would be for the outside of your windows. If you're going to do a full replacement with the nail flange, or if you're going to need just a block frame. Hopefully this helps out. Any questions? Let us know. Americanwindowconcepts.com. Thank you so much. Hey guys. If you live in the Ventura or Santa Barbara area and you are interested in getting replacement windows or doors, don't hesitate to reach out to us. You can go to our website, Americanwindowconcepts.com. You can click on the get a free quote and fill out that information. I'll reach out to you within 24 hours. Thank you so much. Hey guys. Thanks again for watching this video. If you want to be kept updated on new videos that are coming out, just hit that like button and subscribe to the channel. Thank you so much.