The UPVC set is rather large over 10ft long and around 8ft high. It includes 3 section, a right and left set of half glazed units top and bottom, around equal size and the top one opens. The center section has a set of UPVC full french patio doors.
Over the years we've experienced leaks from under the unit, which sits on brickwork with no visible damp cours, membrane etc only clear silicone mastic which has disintegrated. I think it was shoddy work from the offsett over 20yrs ago. Leaks happened withing a year, but the company had gone bust and reopened under a new name with just one letter different, same shop everything, but would not validate my parents claim. Since then every attempt at rectifying the leaks has eroded in the end. The entire brickwork was surrounded on the inside with a long UPVC strip cut to size. Anyway I've come to realise that i could this strip off and slap and seal it with Hydraulic Concrete in about an hour. Ultimately though this is still in my head a quick fix.
What i would like to do is remove the entire UPVC unit and reassess the entire situation. I know i can remove it, or think i do at this stage. Remove all glazed units to one side, and then unscrew the Unit from the surrounding walls, carefully removing all bonding agents. Fix the situation with bricks that were holding the unit up. If need be replace and start from scratch. Installing clear waterproofing. Then reinstall the unit with packers, level, plumb, and screw back in following any and all guidance i can find online.
I do intend to have some help with the heavy lifting from a friend, but in my head if carried out correctly believe it can be done on my own. I know that in the past mastic has been sprayed vigarously into the top gap above the double glazed units, and any others i may have forgotten about over the years. I'm thinking that if i remove all the glazed units i should be able to just unscrew the main housing from the surround brickwork and remove it. So what i need to understand at this stage, apart from 'Your Crazy' is how heavy could a unit with all glazing removed be? Is it sturdy because of the size to move it myself? Is it easy to break? Should i remove the French doors entirely before removing the surrounding unit from the brickwork? Would i need more than one person to help? Should i remove the glazed units at all? (Which seems to me pretty precarious).
I keep telling myself its not rocket science. I've seen plenty of youtube videos about installation, but not really re-installation, taking old and resetting it.
Any help would be appreciated, if you need pictures I can get those tonight, maybe tommorows best in the daylight.
Over the years we've experienced leaks from under the unit, which sits on brickwork with no visible damp cours, membrane etc only clear silicone mastic which has disintegrated. I think it was shoddy work from the offsett over 20yrs ago. Leaks happened withing a year, but the company had gone bust and reopened under a new name with just one letter different, same shop everything, but would not validate my parents claim. Since then every attempt at rectifying the leaks has eroded in the end. The entire brickwork was surrounded on the inside with a long UPVC strip cut to size. Anyway I've come to realise that i could this strip off and slap and seal it with Hydraulic Concrete in about an hour. Ultimately though this is still in my head a quick fix.
What i would like to do is remove the entire UPVC unit and reassess the entire situation. I know i can remove it, or think i do at this stage. Remove all glazed units to one side, and then unscrew the Unit from the surrounding walls, carefully removing all bonding agents. Fix the situation with bricks that were holding the unit up. If need be replace and start from scratch. Installing clear waterproofing. Then reinstall the unit with packers, level, plumb, and screw back in following any and all guidance i can find online.
I do intend to have some help with the heavy lifting from a friend, but in my head if carried out correctly believe it can be done on my own. I know that in the past mastic has been sprayed vigarously into the top gap above the double glazed units, and any others i may have forgotten about over the years. I'm thinking that if i remove all the glazed units i should be able to just unscrew the main housing from the surround brickwork and remove it. So what i need to understand at this stage, apart from 'Your Crazy' is how heavy could a unit with all glazing removed be? Is it sturdy because of the size to move it myself? Is it easy to break? Should i remove the French doors entirely before removing the surrounding unit from the brickwork? Would i need more than one person to help? Should i remove the glazed units at all? (Which seems to me pretty precarious).
I keep telling myself its not rocket science. I've seen plenty of youtube videos about installation, but not really re-installation, taking old and resetting it.
Any help would be appreciated, if you need pictures I can get those tonight, maybe tommorows best in the daylight.