There are some red flags here. "Victorian". "Cost effective remodel" "Bathroom" and "Previous owner created." "As far as we know." All of those are potential pitfalls and dangerous assumptions to the health of your pocketbook. Concrete is porous. And I wouldn't be so sure that it was properly waterproofed underneath that concrete. I'd take a look underneath it for water damage, especially around the drain. There's no way that I would keep that monstrosity, even if it were properly constructed. It's adding a lot of extra weight to the home, and doing a cosmetic "patch" over it wouldn't even be under consideration if this was a house I planned to live in long term. If I had to save more money to tackle it properly, I would. And I'd also try to develop some DIY skills in the meantime as well to help keep costs down. Anyone can grab a sledgehammer and smash that to bits in a hurry when you're ready to really tackle the project properly. Properly here means gutting the entire space and starting over from scratch.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. Lukkiirish, your bathroom transformation is beautiful! I think I do want to make the window at least a little larger but it is a concern that the larger window could make the room colder or hotter depending on the season. The bathroom window is on the side of the house that we never see. From the outside it looks like a little slit on a big wall. There is only one other window on this wall so a bigger bathroom window definitely wouldn't look bad. Annie, I get what you're saying. Because it's a high window (bottom sill is 69" from the floor) and we would be going up, I don't think going larger will make me feel too vulnerable. I understand that concern though. I don't like to have glass in my front door because it makes me feel uncomfortable. We considered using rain glass for privacy. I thought the window should match with the glass on top of the shower but perhaps that's not necessary? The Warwick glass is somewhat distorted but it is also expensive. The stone tile we've chosen has some movement. I'm wondering if clear glass would look better and less busy with the tile. However, because of the steam in the shower, clear glass would probably show more water spots. That is the main reason we're considering the patterned glass. We live in the High Desert area of southern California. The bathroom window gets dirty on the outside because of the wind. Would it look bad to use rain glass for the window and clear for the top of the wall? One of the photos of the Warwick glass seems to have been deleted. Here it is again. We did tilt the sill toward the shower to allow any water to run off.

We are finally getting around to replacing the last of the original windows in our 1960's rancher. This is a bathroom window and it is currently a small 22.5" X 21.5" obscured glass divided top and bottom. The bottom is fixed and the top is like a casement but opens up and out. It sits above the bathub/shower and is visible from the doorway. My DH is planning on tiling the tub/shower walls and I know this will be my only opportunity to change the size and shape of the window. Once that tile is up, he wont agree to tearing it down for anything! So I have to get this right. We are thinking that vinyl inside and out is a good idea because it will be wet. My question is, does anyone have any suggestions or ideas for a style and brand of window that might make a great focal point in the wall of a small (5' X 7') bathroom? The window looks out over a private backyard but it is ground level so will need some window coverings (I was thinking faux wood blinds??) for privacy. I don't want the glass totally obscured as my yard is pretty. I'd like the window to open. We live in a fairly safe neighbourhood but security is also something of a concern and we like to leave the bathroom window open now all summer. We have discussed having two or three small casements with bars between the panes to match the rest of the house. We have also considered a hexagon about 3.5' across if we can find one that opens (maybe hopper style?). We have diamond shapes set into some of our crown and door moldings so we have even discussed a diamond (or even a square turned on edge) window in that wall but how would it open? Is there even such a thing? I've looked at various web sites and though most manufacturers say they can make anything, price will be an issue, so having a custom window is probably out of the question. I'll post this in the Bathrooms Forum, too, but thought people here seem to be the window experts so .... Any suggestions appreciated.

That inset is really beautiful! Of course we have to have screens here in DC (not only required by code, but practically unless you want your house full of bugs if you open a window at all), but the flexibility of doing an inset, a film, a curtain, a blind, or nothing is what makes me lean toward just doing clear. The cost is so low as to be irrelevant, in perspective (less than half a percent of the project cost), but it just kind of squicks me out to be making a decision that will probably be in place for so long. In the condo I last lived in before buying this house (which I sell this Friday!), I had a window IN the shower and it just had privacy film on the lower portion (it was a double-hung...bane of my existence since the top would slip down and I'd have to put step stool IN the bathtub to put the top back in place!). It worked fine for over 5 years, through all the humidity and direct sunlight (unobstructed southern exposure, so it got direct sunlight ~7 months/year), and I didn't mind it.