window modification in historic house

kiwi2006

17 years ago

I am remodelling my kitchen and need to modify one window and eliminate another. My contractor says we will have to get a mason to redo the outside of the house (matching the existing brick). But I've heard that the existing window or part of window can be insulated, then wall-boarded over. My contractor is open to this, but he doesn't know how to do it, & he worries that the city will give him trouble on the permits (this is an 1895 victorian). It seems to me that the city would be more upset at the exterior elimination of a window and a half than they would over not being able to see inside a window. Does anyone know a way to wall in the window that is safe? I'd rather not tamper with the exterior.

I'd be sooooo grateful...

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Comments (6)

patricianat
17 years ago
Your city and/or neighborhood should have guidelines governing this. Did you apply for a permit to build and your contractor a license to build, or did you seek approval through your covenant or city? If not, you might want to do this. It is better to get approval ahead of time. Check with your city planning commission; they should know whom to contact if need be.

I do not live in an historical neighborhood, but one of my sons does, and they have pretty strict guidelines. He is the 'president of their neighborhood group' and would not approve some plans his wife had for redoing their attic. LOLOL. I did not know if it was because he did not want to do it or it denigrated the integrity of the period of the house. :-)
kitchenwitch
17 years ago
We have a 1900 clapboard house, and shortened the windows in the kitchen. First we completely replaced the orignial windows with shorter ones. On the exterior of the house we built 5-piece panels between the original window stools and the new higher stools, visually maintaining the bottom alignments with the existing windows on the house. These panels ended up being about 18" tall and the width of the windows, and we painted them to match the house and trim. This way we didn't have to patch any of the clapboard siding. I think you'd be able to use the same idea on a brick house -- make it a design detail! I don't see why getting permits would be difficult unless you have some kind of historic limitations in your town.

Sorry I don't have a picture.
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I truly dislike it when a window manufacturer is condemned as being "bad" or "mediocre". No window company is all bad or all good. All make some good windows, and all make windows I would not put in a doghouse. The better route is to investigate just the window types you want on your house. If you want double-hung, don't be concerned if the company's sliders installed down the street did not meet the homeowner's expectations, concentrate of what people think of their double-hung windows. We don't buy Andersen's sliding windows, for example, because we have had a number of bad experiences with that window type from Andersen. But, we have had good luck with Andersen double-hung wood windows and would buy them again. We don't buy anyone's clad wood windows because we have had so many of them rot when water gets under the cladding. So, experience in this business counts for something. But, if you are new to the window game (and it is a game, don't kid yourself), look first at the warranty. The company can, and probably does, go on and on ad nauseum in its promotional literature about its fabulous energy efficient, double-pane, argon-filled, UV-blocking, weather- and rot-resistant, lifetime windows, but the real truth about what it thinks of its windows is in its warranty. If the windows are guaranteed for five years, that's the manufacture's true opinion of how long they will last in ordinary use. If the warranty is for 10 years, then that's the life expectancy of the windows. Find the longest warranty, and you have found the most reliable windows. But also look at what the warranty promises. If all the company will do is mail you some parts to fix the window, that's not much of a warranty. If the company will send someone to actually fix the window, that's the window to buy. We typically stay away from vinyl windows, but if we have to buy vinyl we buy Milgard. Why? Because the company is confident enough in its windows to offer a no-tricks, no-BS, full lifetime warranty that includes the labor to repair a defective window. (See the Milgard warranty.) So, that's the sum of my advice based 40 years of buying replacement windows. Look to the warranty. If you want wood windows, tart your search on Google with "wood window lifetime warranty", and go from there. Best of luck.
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courtreporter
17 years ago
We have an 1888 Victorian - I know about the preservation committees!

So, on my home office we had two casement windows. We lined the window in black, insulated it well, sprayed it for moisture, caulked it and drywalled it in.

From the exterior it's the same, the inside you'd never know.

We did it in one evening. Nothing to worry about with bricking in, etcetera.
lenl
17 years ago
Hmm. Contact a mason first. You will undoubtedly have trouble finding matching bricks. They don't make them the same way anymore. Size will be different, also. I don't know anyone who would recommend the insulate and drywall solution, nor do I think it will pass code. Good luck. re-post the solution, I'm very interested.
Len
sharon_sd
17 years ago
We left the deeper window the way it was, dropped down behind the kitchen counter in our stone house. I use the well created to grow plants it works beautifully. Would that work for you?
julieann_grow
17 years ago
The neat trick is to leave the window and cover it up on the inside. So, from the outside, it is still a window and from the inside it is sheetrock.

1. Clean the glass.
2. Install window shade like mini blinds and close them.
3. Cover the inside of the window with sheetrock, painting the side facing the window black.
4. Done.

window modification in historic house

Comments (6)

patricianat

kitchenwitch

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