D&S Elite Construction, Inc. helps replace over 50 windows for Christ Episcopal Church

During the spring of 2021, D&S Elite Construction, Inc. worked on-site at Christ Episcopal Church to replace 51-custom made Marvin Ultimate Venting Picture Windows. The original 60” h. x 38” w. windows featured a single pane, stained glass and metal frames design that was visually interesting. Nonetheless, over 50 years’ time they had lost their functionality, becoming drafty and costly to repair and maintain. Muhlenberg Green Architects worked with the Church to produce a design styled like their windows located within the connecting lobby of The Church and Parish Hall.

The installation offered a couple of challenges due to the existing conditions of the building. The exterior being brick and granite wanted to remain uncompromised while still allowing for a proper installation structurally while maintaining a weather tight seal. We also needed to properly remediate asbestos caulking that was found on the exterior of most of the windows. Each section of windows needed to be properly quarantined and a licensed asbestos remediation contractor assisted in the removal of each window unit and completed the roper remediation of the asbestos caulk before any installation could occur.

Our installation began by creating a wooden subframe that was secured to the existing masonry opening. That subframe was wrapped with flashing tapes as an added protection being we had direct contact with the masonry.  We then fabricated custom aluminum sill pans which were installed at each sill location.  We utilized a Flex Wrap tape on the pan as an extra means of protection as well. The window unit was installed into the sill pan and secured directly to the subframe using a mechanical fastener. We then applied, inflashing tapes to the legs and the head of the window in the recognized traditional method. This method allowed us to maintain the existing copper head flashing that was previously incorporated into the granite slabs on the exterior of the building. A frame extender was installed on the exterior of the window and caulked into the brick using a bronze colored caulk. For the interior, prior to any trim installation, we applied a continuous bead of spray foam insulation around the entire perimeter of the window jamb and subframe jamb to achieve an airtight seal. We then applied a wood ½”x 3 casing and a quarter round backband. All of the interior sills were removed and replaced with Impala Black Granite to match the black interior trim color.

We took a phased approach to complete the window replacement as to limit the disturbance both within the church and on the outside of the building. Staff was still utilizing the church so we needed to develop a detailed schedule to keep the church operations running smoothly. All of the upper level windows were replaced first followed by the lower level to expedite the manlift and get it off site due to the unique challenges of working in the city. The people at Shuman Development Group were nice enough to allow us to use a parking spot in their parking garage to store the lift and we decided to complete the entire second story in sequence prior to beginning the first floor so we could have the lift removed form the site as quickly as possible.

The project was completed in 36 days and actually finished almost three weeks ahead of schedule. We were able to collaborate with both Marvin Windows and Muhlenberg Greene Architects to develop a detail and a process that proved to be successful in not only the installation of the windows but also the efficiency of the install. We were extremely happy to get this project done for the church and the community.

See Christ Episcopal Church project >

Read the article in Religious Product News - November 2021 addition >