Thought I'd save some cash by installing new windows myself. Um, turns out it's way harder than those YouTube vids make it look. Now my living room looks kinda crooked, you know? Anyone else been through this mess?
Been there, done that... and yeah, those YouTube DIY vids always conveniently skip the part where everything goes sideways (literally in your case, haha). A few quick thoughts from my own window-installation misadventure:
- First off, check your framing. If your window opening wasn't perfectly square to begin with (and trust me, most aren't), even a slight misalignment can make things look wonky. Grab a carpenter's square or a level and see how far off you really are.
- Shims are your best friends here. If it's just slightly crooked, you might be able to carefully shim the window frame back into alignment. Just don't go crazy hammering them in—gentle taps and patience usually do the trick.
- Did you use expanding foam insulation? That stuff is great, but it expands way more than you'd expect. Too much foam can actually push your window frame out of alignment as it cures. Learned that one the hard way myself...
- Worst-case scenario: you might have to pull the window back out and reset it. I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but sometimes starting fresh is quicker than trying to fix a crooked install.
- And hey, if all else fails, curtains hide a multitude of sins. 😉
Honestly, DIY window installs are tricky because houses settle over time and nothing stays perfectly square. Don't beat yourself up too much—it's all part of the homeowner learning curve.