Sorry I can't answer your question- I think you would have to open the wall to find out where the pipes run. Mine take up a bit more that a foot of space, and you would have to frame around them as well to install the glass block, so that would be another 3-4" lost, then you have the corner framing on the walls that takes up space. It sounds like a lot of work- have you considered a Solatube? I put one in my shower and it works really well. It was easy to install- my husband and I did it in a few hours. Another option is to put a waterproof overhead light in the alcove. Renee

Has anyone here used glass block for a portion or all of their shower? Our master bath addition faces the back of the house (woods) so it is mostly private, but gets little light. We have one large window centered over the tub, and one small awning window over the toilet on the adjacent side that faces the neighbor's house. I'd love to do the wall of the shower that faces the window/tub in glass block to let some of the natural light in and prevent the shower from becoming a dark cave. We are planning on doing the rest of the shower in a blue blend mosaic tile. Can anyone share pics of glass block? We are hopefully getting the mosaic tile (it is not glass tile on mesh backing, but instead 1x1 tiles already on a 12x12 mortar board) at $8/sq ft, but we have to make that decision today as the sale ends and it goes back to $16/sq ft. How is the glass block compare price-wise? Thanks!

I totally understand your concern; a fall from there would not be good! I think there is a difference between padding all the world's corners and eliminating a danger in your own home. No one judges parents for putting child-proof locks on their cleaning supplies, so why not eliminate this hole to a two-story fall? You're going to be very busy with young children for the next few years, and kids can into into trouble in a split second. Anyway, as you can tell, I have strong feelings about people judging parents... I like the idea of either the gridded tempered glass or the vertical wood slats. The slats that @tdemonti shows are nice because they'd be difficult for kids to grab onto and pull on. Our kids are 8 and 11. We have a similar cutout but it's between the entry and the dining which is just a couple steps lower. But the kids love to scale the wall and lay down on that ledge. If they fell it would only be four feet. And since they're older now they don't do it as often. And I'm definitely learning that there are many different parenting styles. We had a party one time and my son's friend jumped out of our 2nd floor window! What in the world?? That would never even cross my kids' minds, but it did not phase the parents of the other kid. In today's litigious society, if someone else's kid fell out of your cutout onto the first floor, that could be so terrible.

Wow! Thank you ALL for your valuable feedback, you've given me a lot to think about. Remember when i said don't pay too much attention to the details on the drawings as they do not reflect the current floor plan. The primary suit actually looks like this now (the blue is my husband's walk-in closet and the area marked "changing" is my walk in closet): 3onthetree I agree whole heartedly that a bath is inefficient so it was the first thing to go when we remodeled our bathroom last month! the breaking of the stairwell is not technically an option as per our contractor and architect's advise. Jennifer K, what you can't see from the attached plans is that this house is semi-detached i.e. the yellow line is a shared wall with my neighbor so there is no possibility whatsoever of adding any windows to that wall. You hit the nail on the head with: "It sounds like your home has plenty of space, but some of it is in the wrong spot", and although this is very much a first world problem it is also very frustrating! K L definitely a living room! the terrace faces my neighbor (he has a window directly looking onto the terrace )and given that it is only covered by a small pergola, our voices would carry. if i decide to leave this terrace area I will be turning it into a very small garden to bring in some greenery as you walk up onto the first floor, it is unlikely that I would add seating. Also, don't forget that the primary suit already has a balcony (it looks small in the floor plan attached but it has recently been made larger and can seat two with a small coffee table VERY comfortably).