ᐅ Window Installation in External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) – When Can the Window Installer Take Measurements?

Hello forum,

We are currently in the process of having a house built.

The shell is up, and the brick cladding is almost finished.

The house is built with sand-lime bricks, and in the upper third an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) with plaster will be applied, while the lower two-thirds are brick-clad.

I was told that the window installer can only take measurements once the brick cladding is completely finished.

Does the insulation and plaster on the upper section also need to be completed first, or can the windows be measured and installed beforehand?

Basel schrieb:
It is built from calcium silicate bricks, and an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) with plaster will be applied on the upper third, while the lower two-thirds are covered with brick cladding.

Does this mean the entire ground floor is clad with bricks, and the upper floor has a plaster facade starting from the parapet height? Are there no floor-to-ceiling window elements on the upper floor?

Basel schrieb:
Does the ETICS on the upper part need to be installed first, or can the windows be measured and installed beforehand?

The insulation boards can be adapted to the actual opening dimensions, whereas the brick cladding inherently brings its own tolerances based on the planned masonry dimensions.

What advantage does staging the window installation in two phases offer?

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11ant schrieb:
So, ground floor fully faced with brick veneer, upper floor plaster facade starting from the window sill height – there are no floor-to-ceiling elements upstairs?

The insulation boards can be adjusted to the exact opening dimensions, while the brick veneer generally brings its own tolerance relative to the planned wall dimensions.

What advantage is there to installing the windows in two construction phases?

Exactly, the plaster facade starts at the sill height or about two brick courses above. There are two floor-to-ceiling elements.

There is no advantage intended; I want to have the windows installed as soon as possible so that work inside can continue.

I just wasn’t sure if the exterior insulation and finishing system (EIFS) needs to be completed first or not. (And there’s no suitable weather expected in the foreseeable future anyway.)

So for me, the windows can be installed once the brick veneer is finished, and the plaster facade can be done afterwards when the weather allows.

Thanks

Basel schrieb:
So, for me, the windows can be installed once the cladding is finished, and the plaster facade can then be applied afterward when the weather is suitable?

Measurements can definitely be taken once the cladding is complete. I would coordinate the installation upstairs with the external wall insulation (EWI) installers, but you don’t need to wait for them to take measurements. Upstairs, the EWI is the layer that has to adapt and fit accordingly. The measurements downstairs only need to wait until it’s clear how much the masonry might have deviated from the specified dimensions.

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

11ant schrieb:

The measurement downstairs only needed to wait to see how far the masonry might have deviated from the specified dimensions.

Are you sure you know what you’re talking about? For the measurement, it doesn’t matter whether the wall is single- or double-layered. Any reputable window installer will wait for the completed shell before starting.

Exactly. And with cladding, the shell does not end with the structural frame. Each work process has its own tolerances and can only be measured as “complete” once finished.

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/