MAJOR window drama yesterday, shortly after I posted above.
The sewing room window and office window, which are slightly bigger than our windows in our master BR at home, and which Menards assured us were big enough for egress, turned out not to be. I had read Tuesday, skimming through the info that came with our permit, that the window glass can't be less than 5 sf for egress. It didn't click at that time, because I was focused on the plumbing code for toilets. But when we were enjoying the new view during lunch yesterday, the window didn't seem right. I measured, Husby calculated. 4.5 sf. Gaah! Did it again. Same. Asked B if he knew if our windows were big enough. He didn't, but he called his dad in FL. Yup, has to be 5 sf in one pane, not including framing, glass only. By this point I'm losing my mind. Dad decides to call his contractor guy at Menards in Duluth, so B starts reading all the labels on the window packaging. At the bottom of the finest of fine print, the stuff only lawyers read, it says "Not for egress." I'm still pissed off about that. That important fact should be stated clearly , not buried in print so small a hawk would have trouble reading it.
Dad calls B back, and his guy at Duluth Menards has not only confirmed the bad news about the windows we just got installed, but has also called the Menards where we shop to confirm they have the correct windows in stock there. Contractor Mafia comes through again. 😂😂 Okay, then, we can now assess the damage and decide what to do about it.
The sewing room has to have a legal egress window, or it can't be considered a bedroom when it's time to sell the house. BIG problem. HUGE, in fact. But we planned for 2 windows in there anyway, and had just changed plans on Tuesday to put one of them on the north wall instead of both on the east wall. I had talked B out of starting Tuesday on the north wall, which turned out to accidentally be a major cost savings, because if we had put in both windows, one would have had to come out, including the expensive new header and all the new framing, plus the window couldn't have been returned. As it is now, there will be no additional cost to put in the correct size north window. I actually had talked him out of putting the north window in yesterday morning, too, because of the frigid wind screaming out of the north. So we were lucky twice regarding that window.
We had planned for an egress window in the office AKA temporary kitchenette. That way, the house could sell as a 4 bedroom. Now it can't, but that's a minor detail. Husby thinks he wants a window on the south wall, but I think he'd regret it once he gets all his furniture in there and sees how little wall space there will be. We've agreed to table the discussion. He can always add a window later, and that could easily be done at the point we decide to add siding. If we can only sell the house as a 3 BR, that won't be a problem. It's not worth redoing the window just installed.
Luckily again, the guys hadn't gotten to installing the fourth incorrect window in Husby's room yet, so no decisions to make regarding that one.
We decided on keeping the two remaining windows purchased for the bedrooms and use them in the LR instead of the 3 we bought last week for the LR. The 2 we're keeping are bigger, so we will be saving some money by only using 2 instead of 3 and it will be a better fit for the LR space. We are also avoiding the 15% restocking charges since those windows were special order. Again, we should have been told those windows were not suitablefor egress.
So once again Husby has to make the 2 hr round trip to Menards. But there's more! All this window drama and confusion and upset would have resulted in an extra trip to Menards, except when we got home last night, we had a message that our long lost pantry window has finally arrived. Husby would have been going just to pick that up anyway, so no extra trips involved due to the egress window mixup. The whole thing could have been much, much worse, so today I mostly just feel relieved.
The guys got 6 windows put in yesterday, and removed and replaced some rotted siding. Due to us having to exchange windows, they went to another job for today but think they will be back tomorrow. The remaining windows are the bumped out kitchen sink window, double LR, bedroom, and sewing room which all need headers, and the pantry which doesn't. We're getting close to done. Then inspection and then, finally, Sheetrock.
Last night, I dreamed we had to rip out every new window and replace them all with big egress windows, even in the bathrooms. Sure am glad that was only a nightmare and not reality! 🤣🤣🤣
The ceiling paint is on sale today, so Husby's getting five gallons of that, too, plus some other odds and ends, bifold door hardware for my closet, a light for the sewing room closet, some curtain rod brackets, a dozen concrete blocks for miscellaneous use around both places, little weird stuff we keep forgetting to buy.
Having a day off from being at the house worked out nicely so I can be home to make dog food, so that's a plus, too.
