Install Types & Frame Profiles
New construction vs. replacement
New construction means the window goes in while the wall is still open — full framing access, and the unit is held by a fin (Nail-Fin on Stick Framed, or a Florida Flange / leg on Block Framed). Replacement (retrofit) drops a new frame into the existing opening of a finished house, so you favor finless block frames, flush fins, or a Florida Flange / Replacement unit. This single choice swings labor more than anything else: roughly 10 min/LF for stick-framed new work versus about 40 min/LF on a remodel. Block Framed adds its own load on top — wood bucking, block sealer, and concrete (Tapcon) anchors.
- New construction (Stick Framed): ~10 min/LF labor
- Remodel / retrofit: ~40 min/LF labor
- Labor swing: roughly 4x more time on a remodel
- Block Framed adds: wood buck + block sealer + concrete anchors
- New-work fin: Nail-Fin (stick) or Florida Flange / leg (block)
- Retrofit favorite: Florida Flange / Replacement frame
- New Construction: set before or with the wall finish, so the crew has full framing access and the fin fastens flat to studs or block before paper, stucco, or drywall closes it in.
- Remodel: you work from the existing finished opening, so you protect interior and exterior surfaces, fit a frame that hides in the old hole, and seal back to finished stucco or trim — that's where the extra minutes go.
- Application type follows the wall: Nail-Fin and Equal Leg / Unequal Leg fins suit open new work; Florida Flange / Replacement and finless block frames suit retrofits.
- Block Framed on either path means anchoring into concrete with Tapcons, sealing the block, and (where needed) building a wood buck — material and labor a Stick Framed job skips.
- Same opening math both ways: from a nominal size add 3.5" (or +3" from a labeled R.O.) to get the masonry opening the buck frames, then the finished hole is the window + 1/2" shim — e.g. a 36x60 window → 39.5x63.5 masonry opening → 36.5x60.5 finished hole.
Pros
- New construction is faster per foot (~10 min/LF) and lets the fin lap into the weather barrier for a cleaner water seal.
- Replacement avoids tearing into finished walls — less patching of stucco, drywall, and trim for the homeowner.
- Florida Flange / Replacement and finless block frames are built to slip into an existing opening, so the visible footprint stays small.
Watch-outs
- Replacement runs ~40 min/LF — about 4x the labor of new stick work — because of surface protection, fitting, and sealing back to finished walls.
- New construction only works while the wall is open, so it's not an option on a finished house.
- Block Framed (either path) adds wood bucking, block sealer, and concrete anchors — more material, more time, and Tapcon drilling into masonry.