Thanks for the reply. Let me try and provide some pics of some windows I worked on earlier in the year.
Once we tore everything out, the previous folks left a tremondous amount of empty space between the windows and I even found those old cast iron weights which I imagine were once used as a pully for the window? I'm still a little uncertain, but i digress.
The old original wood was what the windows were originally attached . The windows in these parts usually sit in between the exterior masonry and the finished interior wall but almost always attach to wood. So what the contractor I worked with ended up doing was using 2x8's, notching them so they would extend into the window cavity giving the window something to screw into all the while still being able to fit inside 2x4 metal tracks acting as the top and bottom plates..
In this scenario and in most I imagine when encountered a masonry wall, If i were to throw up a 2x4 wall about 1.5" away from the wall, there wouldn't be any "meat" for the window to screw into unless I get creative somehow.
Just wondering what's the best way to handle this or if really just means getting creative.
Thanks,