Should I Choose Retrofit or Full Frame Replacement on a Stucco House

Add the stucco patch and the repaint to the window price, and a full frame job stops being the cheap line item in San Bernardino, CA, as the notes at window replacement san bernardino civil war web describe. The install method sets that bill, so the method gets chosen first.

What stays in the wall

A retrofit, also called an insert, leaves the old frame where it is and fits the new unit inside or over it. Nothing is cut out of the stucco. The old frame becomes the new subframe, so it has to be straight, dry and solid. A vinyl window set into a sound aluminum window frame can hold up for decades. The same vinyl set into a frame that flexes under a thumb is a mistake.

The flush flange

Many retrofit units made for stucco carry a flush flange. It lies over the edge of the old frame and hides the gap, so the stucco stays whole. This is a real advantage on a wall with good paint and tight texture. The tradeoff is glass size. The new frame sits inside the old opening, so the visible glass shrinks a little. On a picture window the loss is easy to see. On a double hung or slider it is usually a matter of an inch or so per side.

Down to the rough opening

Full frame replacement strips the old window to the rough opening. That exposes the framing, and the installer can probe the sill and jambs for rot. Older homes in Muscoy and Loma Linda, where a leaking sill may have gone unnoticed for years, are where this inspection earns its cost. Full frame is not always required. It is required when the framing underneath is unknown or already damaged.

Fins and flashing

New construction style windows have a nailing fin. To use one in a stucco wall, a band of stucco around the opening has to come off, so the fin can lap properly with the weather barrier and the flashing. Flashing directs any water that gets behind the stucco outward instead of letting it reach the framing. Caulk alone does not replace flashing. Caulk is a surface seal that cracks, and flashing is the path the water follows once it is behind it.

Patch, paint and the frame decision

Stucco patched after full frame work rarely matches the old texture and color. Expect to repaint the whole wall, not just the patch. That is the cost that moves a quote. In Redlands and across San Bernardino County, a wall that is already due for paint absorbs the patch easily. A freshly painted wall does not.

Budget should not be the only deciding factor. The condition of the existing frame decides whether a retrofit is sound. Check for soft wood, bent aluminum, stains below the sill and daylight at the corners. A clean frame with a failed double pane or fogged insulated glass is a good retrofit candidate. A frame with damage behind it calls for full removal, whatever the price.