Bay Windows for the Dummy Carpenter

Bay window with window seat

Most do-it-yourself projects must be tackled in a step-wise manner, which is why so many of them are presented as a series of steps. Those who've tackled such projects know that some steps are simple and quick, while others are more difficult and require greater skill. Turning off a circuit breaker is easy, fishing a four-conductor 10-gauge wire through the wall from the attic is less so. Finding a freelance post that passes off the hard stuff as a simple "do this next" tends to raise the hackles of our DotD panelists, which is why Courtney Ramirez and her LoveToKnow.com post "How to Build a Bay Window"¹ are today's nominee.

Her Bachelor of Arts in English and those entrepreneurial chops notwithstanding, Ramirez clearly knows nothing about building or windows. As a result, her list of steps breaks down into

Remove the existing window carefully... – Ummm, sure, Courtney. What: just kick it out? "Use a circular saw to cut a space big enough for the new window..." – Really? a circular saw? And shouldn't the "space" be big enough for the framing and all that... stuff? and what about wiring, plumbing, HVAC and all that? And shouldn't you have a header? Do you know what a header is? "Build a frame for the bay window to sit in." – Ummm, could you maybe expand on that, Courtney? "Add support braces to secure the window." – Add the braces to what, Courtney? "...set [the window] where it needs to be on top of the support braces..." – OMG

6. "Add shims in the window to make it level." – Does this moron even know what a shim is? and wouldn't you also want it plumb? Does she know what "plumb" means?
7. "Add the roof frame and nail it to the frame of the bay window casing." – 'Nuff said?
8. "Place insulation between the roof frame and the window..." – ibid.
9. "Attach the roof sheeting on top of the frame, add roofing paper and then place shingles on the roof." – Wait: "place shingles on the roof"? Should you maybe nail them?
10. "Caulk the edges to make the window airtight and waterproof." – That oughta do it...

Even a cursory read-through of Ramirez's steps reveals that

• There is no floor to the bay
• There is no exterior finish.
• The "frame" is not secured to the exterior wall
• The window is not secured to the "braces"
• Ramirez has no earthly idea what she's writing about.

Courtney put about the same effort into telling people about decorating their new window than she did into the "construction" phase. Her instructions gloss over anything that might be considered difficult, and leave out at least half of the necessary information. If you could follow the steps set out by our Dumbass of the Day, you'd end up with a pile of broken glass and building materials next to a big hole in your house.

That ain't gonna work.

¹ The original has been deleted by the site, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was   https://homeimprovement.lovetoknow.com/How_to_Build_a_Bay_Window

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