North Hills Windows & Doors and What the Walls Hide
Before new windows go into an older North Hills house, the casing comes off to find knob-and-tube wiring, empty weight pockets and thin headers.
Knob-and-tube wiring can run through the wall beside a window in an older North Hills house, its porcelain tubes passing through studs right where a new frame gets fastened. Pulling the casing shows whether it is there. If the circuit is live, an electrician replaces it with modern cable before any foam or insulation goes in, and that work is priced as a separate item in the written scope.
When old wiring turns up
Wiring run on porcelain knobs was designed to shed heat into open air, and the electrical code limits packing foam or batts around them. When a run turns up at an opening, that opening pauses while the circuit is traced back to the panel. A short run may be replaced just near the window. If the same circuit feeds several rooms, rewiring it while the walls are already open is often the cleaner plan. Either way, the new cable is routed well clear of the rough opening, so a screw driven through the new frame cannot reach it.
Sash pockets and the header above
Beside a double-hung, hollow pockets hold the sash weights, and once the cords break those pockets let outside air straight into the wall. A sash that keeps its weights gets new cord, and each pocket cover is sealed when it goes back. Converting to spring balances frees the pocket to be packed with insulation. Overhead, a header made from a single flat board can hold a narrow opening, though it cannot carry a wider unit. Seeing that before ordering lets the scope either hold the existing width or include a new header with posts beneath each end.
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Taking the casing off shows the frame as it really is. Sound jambs, tight sash joints and pulleys that turn freely mean the window can be restored with new cord and weatherstrip, and its old glass stays. Wood gone soft at the lower corners, or a stile split along its length, calls for a replacement built to the old dimensions.
We pull one interior casing in a single piece, trace its profile and measure its width, and leave the rest on the wall. New sashes are ordered so their glass size and bar layout follow the old ones. If a casing splits on the way off, a new length is milled to the traced shape.
LADBS issues the North Hills building permit for the windows, since the City of Los Angeles takes in the area, plus an electrical permit when old wiring at an opening is replaced. A unit set into its existing opening is the simpler review. A wider opening puts the new header on the plans, and it is inspected before the wall closes.
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Send the details and we will set up a walk-through and a written scope.