Poolguy, Sorry for the delay in my response. Btw,I live in Bergen County,NJ 1/2 the year and in Pinellas County.... I redid the ENTIRE wateline tile in conjunction with skimmer replacement, I ordered 10extra mosaic tile squares so yess a modification can be done and the tile run smooth once again... I questioned the SKIMMER GUY'S Technique and directly said that I felt it was sloppy work VISUALLY for $1100.. REAL problem is,I'm from NJ and this is my first pool(VERY modest 2br/2ba)...I was there for install and it only took the installer 3 1/2 hours of work(one guy who worked and the other who mostly stared into space).... job complete. Sooooo, essentially you ARE agreeing with my TILE GUY(he is orig from upstate NY) that this is a "Florida baked brain" skimmer job.... The replacement skimmer has a much smaller mouth than the original Baker and it TOTALLY freaks me out that on a 'modest pool' I invested in $25 a square Vidrepur fire glass mosaic(super cool) and I have this horribly sloppy beige Baker mouth still evident that 45's back into the new mouth.. I will post pics tmrw and I'm sure you will literally GASPPP!!! The installer is 32 and been doing skimmers since he was 15 in FL.. He said, "Ma'am,this is the way I was taught from the original owner of the company." And I,trying to be polite said to him, "Well,please don't be offended dear. But I hope u r open minded enough to grasp that JUSSST bc u were taught something and it's been working ok for u for a long time, doesn't mean it's the TRULY correct way to install." That being said, the SKIMMER COMPANY OWNER has agreed to make some sort of modification to my satisfaction..(I told him I would be asking online_ Do you think it would be possible to bust out the mouth of the new skimmer install and just RE MUD it all with Rebar as you said was correct??????? How should I propose it to the owner bc he swears that he is following Florida skimmer replacement standards.. Of course I dont want to insult him bc I want the job done right. And FYI, the SKIMMER co. owner(who seems willing to compromise)DID say to me, "If we busted out the orig mouth,we would compromise the integrity of the deck." TILE GUY said, "ANDDD???? That ISSS his job at $1100 in FL...What is he worried about??? Purchasing another bag of Hydraulic and some rebar???" LOL When you see the pics tmrw I hope you will have a better understanding, bc this entire thing has REALLY stressed me out... Another funny thing is this.. I have ONE vertical stress crack running on a vertical in the shell of the gunite now covered w Fibre Tech(11years old).. Guess where it is???? About 8 inches below where the 6x6 orig waterline tiles sat(skimmer throat busted and the domino effect was IMHO that there is now a VOID of some sort to the right of the skimmer mouth...(I let this 'problem' go for a year or so while I was up North. When skimmer install guy opened up area for skimmer replacement(an 18x18 hole) I looked inside and dirt was 'solid enough' yet i'm sure there must have been some weakness behind that area from water rolling back there and HELLLOOOOO it's FL sand eh? too many things point to water erosion causing this stress crack.... that runs vertically...(about 6-8 inches pre skimmer replacement, NOW 20inches YIKES!) anyway,late and I hope this all made some sense to you. I just hope I can get the SKIMMER guy to come back for a modification...

I have decided to go the full frame replacement. I have been looking at various types of sill pan flashing. One product that I like (at least the idea behind it) is the Protectowrap Sill Pan Drainage System. It is installed over flexible membrame flashing and it is layer of sloped foam covered in a water wicking material designed to draw any moisture into the flashing and away from the interior of the structure or so it seems. Most methods I have read about use either a metal sill pan, liquid flashing or flexible membrane. The Sill Pan Drainage System seems like an added bit of security assuming your initial flashing and window sealing is done properly. My question is: Is it worth it? I got a quote for 100' (of which I will likely need about 50') for just shy of $250. Most flexible membrane flashing and liquid flashing is about $40-60 for 50-75' depending on width. Any thoughts or perhaps other practical ideas for making the best possible water tight/ optimal draining sill pan? I'm not trying to be cheap, just practical. This product must be special ordered whereas most of the other protecto wrap products can be bought off the shelf leading me to believe that the Sill Pan Drainage System is not commonly used in my area ( Austin TX) either because it is not needed or due to cost or better alternatives .

The method that is being described, in my understanding, would make the width and height of the new window similar to the old. You would not downsize a window(not more than a negligible amount anyway) and then still use a nail fin... at least not under most circumstances. The depth issue is not what it is normally referred to by "losing glass area". That issue in your case would present itself if the width and height were each reduce by roughly 1 - 1 1/2" or so to fit inside of the jamb extension or drywall return, whichever you have. The depth issue will either shrink your interior "sill", and possible affect the blinds, OR project out farther on the exterior, the aesthetics of which can often be minimized in the way that the exterior trim is completed. Overall, there are several different ways to "skin this cat", what you need is someone to demonstrate the options and ramifications of each in person. Its not rocket science, but it can be difficult to visualize without that. Where are you located? Perhaps an installer can be recommended among the contributors to the community here.

Nobody can comment on specifics without knowing the measurements of your current setup. What can be confirmed is that YES, with a replacement install (sits inside the sheetrock returns) the new window will sit further inward and therefore push your blinds in. An install with nail fin will NOT sit as far inward, but could still sit farther in than your current window IF those have a more narrow jamb depth than 3 1/4". On the plus side, the fact that your contractor is talking to you about this is very encouraging, many don't. He should be able to answer your questions in greater detail.