i like the idea of letting the concrete be the window/door buck.    the questions i have are as follows:

1. how much bigger than the window should the rough opening be? 

2. what type of anchor should be used to attach the window to the concrete,  and do these
     anchors attach through the sides of the window?

3.  can you mount the window flush to the outside or does this method require you to recess
     widow a couple of inches?   seems like mounted flush to the outside would put the weight of
     window sitting on little but foam. 

4.  this ones hard to explain.  when i build the buck and leave an opening at the bottom to pour
     the concrete through,  can i build the buck to have that slot centered in the wall where i
     want the window to sit?   then fill it up with concrete to the top of the sill buck.  when  i
      remove the buck i should have a 1.5"  ridge.   i could use foam board to bring the rest of the
      sill up to level with the concrete ridge. 


i don't want to use wood for bucks and v-buck is far to expensive in my opinion.   i mount things to concrete all the time in my job but i've never mounted a window.  i'd appreciate any thoughts on the subject.   

in southhern florida most openings have the windows/doors are installed on the inside with tap-cons. this likely has to do with standard construction being masonry and window glazing having to be 3" away from the surface of hurricane shutters.

it also makes for a nice reveal and adds dimension to the building face. additionally the stucco can be wrapped around the edge of the openings up to the widow/door flange and stucco/stone/marble trim/bands can be applied as needed.

simply make the concrete opening a little larger than the window flange, to allow for level and plumb. on the bottom you can then actually let the flange overhang the concrete core to get a natural waterstop, and make your sill with a good pitch. i've let the icf furring strips stick out to have the stucco sills grab on to them. be sure to leave any window frame weep holes open for drainage....

when using siding the trim can be stopped at the wall edge and the opening can be stucco'd and sealed with a bead of caulk, per code, at the window frame flange and the trim interface.

i did the same thing on my own house with the old cmu part as well as with the new icf addition. all impact windows, and 3 hurricanes and countless thunderstorms later, no leaks.

for more detailed info email me

[email protected]
[email protected]

thanks for the replies. i'm going to check on the price of insulbuck. the pictures are pretty much what i was thinking. good idea leaving the furring strips. up here in wv i may have a little issue with snow sitting on the sill but i don't think it would be a big problem.