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The great window debate: install before or after the framing inspection? | Custom Home Builds - SMM Buzz

The great window debate: install before or after the framing inspection?

I'm building my own place out in Bumfuck, Oregon and I hit a brick wall on window timing. My GC buddy swears you should set the windows after the framing passes inspection so the inspector can see everything open. But my neighbor who built his own cabin says that's dumb and you rough them in right away to lock in the weather seal. I tried it his way and it took 4 extra weeks of taping and retaping because the inspector flagged the frames. Now I'm stuck with half the windows in and the other half sitting in the garage. Has anyone else had to deal with this timing mess? What did you do?

3 comments

3 Comments

miam753mo ago

Oh man, that timing mess sounds brutal. I once spent a whole weekend caulking the same window three times because the weather kept shifting on me, so I feel your pain.

kelly3853mo ago

I put mine in after the framing inspection and it saved my ass... the inspector walked right in and didn't flag a thing. A little risky with weather but a tarp over the openings worked fine for the couple weeks it took.

seanlee3mo ago

Saved my ass" is exactly the phrase that got me thinking. I've done similar stuff but here's something nobody mentioned - what about your warranty? Most window manufacturers have fine print saying installation needs to be done before certain stages or they can void it. I've seen guys get burned hard on that years later when a seal fails and the company pulls up the inspection photos showing windows put in after framing. That saved you now but could cost you down the road. Not saying don't do it, just saying keep those install receipts and maybe snap some time-stamped photos of your own. YMMV obviously but I've watched too many warranty claims get denied over stuff like this.