Skylight and Gable Window Installation

Project: Victorian Restoration, Episode 6, Part 1



Bob joins contractor Charlie Tomaszewski on the third floor of the main house to install an ODL tubular skylight to help brighten what will eventually be an office. Also, Bob takes a look at how the new triangular peak windows from Pella were installed.

Outside, a team from Harraseeket Restoration, Inc. is installing new copper gutters and roofing on the addition connecting the main house and the barn. Finally, painting gets underway on the backside of the main house.
Part 1: Skylight and Gable Window Installation
Bob goes up to the attic of the Victorian house project, where general contractor Charlie Tomaszewski is installing an ODL tubular skylight. Charlie has made the hole in the roof and has also installed the flange that sits on top of the roof. It's all one piece, so there's little chance of water coming through (and there is no step flashing involved).

Next, Charlie installs reflective tubing through the flange and attaches the solar lens within an acrylic bubble that tops it. He then attaches the tubing that goes through the attic space and tapes the pieces together with reflective tape. The 14-inch diameter tubing is articulated so that it can bend a bit to adjust for framing elements that might be in the way.

Charlie has already cut a plywood collar for the tubing, which will screw onto the drywall. When the ceiling is plastered, he'll finish the job, by attaching the interior flange and the trim kit, creating the appearance of a light fixture, only without electricity.

While on the third floor, Bob looks at the Pella window installation at the gable end. The architect's original plan called for one big glass triangle, but this would have involved a great deal of structural reworking, so the plan changed to installing two smaller triangular windows, with 2 x 4s retained in the middle maintaining structural stability.

In a flashback to the installation, carpenter Matt Alexander removed the exterior wall covering from the area and used a chalk line to mark the opening for the new windows. Next, he cut away the sheathing with a reciprocating saw to create the opening, folded out the nailing flange on the custom Pella windows, and nailed the flange to the sheathing. The windows are aluminum-clad, with double-glazed, argon-filled low-E glass.
Part 2: Installing Standing-Seam Copper Roofing
Part 3: Installing Copper Gutters
Part 4: Exterior Prep and Painting
Located just five miles from downtown Boston, Bob's scouts discovered a Victorian-era house in a neighborhood of family homes on tree-lined streets that was past due for a full-scale renovation.

The home's new owners, a work-at-home family, have set goals to modernize the home's floor plan, update the building's mechanical and electrical systems, and add home office and work spaces for two busy professionals.

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