The window and siding company came in today and installed the 6'8" bow window on the side of the living room.
Before (click on the image for a larger version).
The brace in the corner was in the way. That was needed because the "georgia board" that wraps this house has zero structural value. Since they had to cut into that, the siding part of their company is going to put a 4x8 sheet of plywood on the outside at that corner. Either way, it will be built better than the osb-clad houses built these days.
Mud Dauber Nest (click on the image for a larger version).
I'm not surprised that a big mud dauber nest fell out of the wall when they pulled the insulation out. I'm sure they'll find all sorts of nasty stuff once the siding comes off. When I first moved into this house and put the structured wiring in place, I found a huge (but old, luckily!) yellow jacket nest in the insulation in the drop ceiling in the basement.
After (click on the images for larger versions).
(the inside image is darker because there is much more light coming in through that small area, and the camera adjusted to it)
The window still needs an outside roof and bottom (it has a bit of siding over it temporarily). That is going to be built on-site, although I'm not sure if it is these two guys or the siding guys who will build it. I suspect that they haven't yet hooked up the cable support either. I'll need to check with them on that.
The header wasn't strictly necessary, but they put it in anyway to help reinforce the wall. Also, you can see that I'll have the electricians back this week to reroute that wire, and also to install the outlet in my hallway.
Overall, I'm very happy with this window. It looks much better than I thought it would. I've spent a lot of time looking at casement bow windows at other houses around here, and I can tell you that this Alside window looks much nicer than the ones built 20 years ago. Many folks dislike Vinyl windows, but here in the woods in the humid mid-Atlantic, they are all you want. Anything else, especially wood, just corrodes or rots.
Plans
The ultimate plan for that wall is to have the window surrounded on two sides by built-ins, with a bench seat below it. That will come after the kitchen cabinets are completed, however, so it may be a while.
