Building Gypsy Rose

To install a window, you begin with a big hole in the wall. The window "package" is fastened into the hole and the gaps are sealed. The challenge is this. Most of the problems with window installations come from water infiltration if the window is improperly sealed.

Never having installed a window before, I decided to read up on the topic. I found a wide variety of "installation guidelines" and a bewildering array of products to do the job. It was driving me nuts. I ended up creating my own blend of "best practices" from what I'd read.

Marion and I picked up the windows today, along with the flashing materials, sealants, and gap-filling low-expansion foam. Then, we spent a glorious afternoon installing the JELD-WEN double-hung windows - our way.

When all was said and done, Gypsy Rose was one more step toward looking like (and becoming) a home.

After darkness fell, we retired to the lving room of Marion's home to watch Al Gore's film, "An Inconvenient Truth". The well-presented evidence on global warming gave further confirmation to the value of living small and reducing our individual contributions. Did you know that a typical home causes more greenhouse gas emissions than a typical car?