I would align the tops of the windows, and have them be higher than the tops of the doors.

I have never lived in a house or an apartment (of a number of different build periods in the 19th and 20th c.) anywhere where the tops of the windows were not higher than the door lintels. (Except a Greek Revival where the room doors were 8', and the pocket doors between parlors and windows were both 11'6".)

I have only seen this idea that the tops of the doors and windows have to line up when people started using programs to design houses, in the 21st c. And that leads to exactly what you are talking about, either windows that do not take advantage of the ceiling height and are too small, or doors that need to be unusually tall.

I would suggest putting your question to the architect that is designing the den. I see engineering/code considerations here.

Pictures or elevation drawings may help as the house type and stile will play a part in the decision.

A heat pump above a window?? I agree the architecct should be providing elevations with different chouces.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting the heat pump would go above the sliding door. why is that a bad idea?

@palimpsest yeah i'm fine with windows taller than doors, just have no idea how it'll look

@thinkof129 what engineering considerations are you thinking of? seems fairly straightforward, no?

@millworkman here's all I've got right now. I'm concerned with window height / placement beside the doors. Style is transitional - cultured red brick wall, black edged oak built-in with white oak shelves, Jotul gas stove, maple floors, black tile in the entryway.

@cat_ky heat pumps high on the wall are common where i live, like this:

Good point about putting it over a door tho, should check w/ the installer about whether that's a good idea.

Lot of openings on that exterior wall. I would be concerned about racking.

I think people were confused because they thought the external unit was going above the door, outside. You are referring to the indoor unit. Two things to consider:

1. Where is the most practical place to put it when it comes to airflow, and general comfort of the room? If there's somewhere else it can go, that would be better. Windows and doors draw focus, so that's not really where I want to put something kind of unsightly. But if above the door is the best place to put this unit, so be it.

2. If you did put the unit somewhere else, there are ways to conceal it -- just be sure the design doesn't constrict airflow too much. There are also recessed and ceiling mounted versions.

(sorry I realize this doesn't answer your original question, just clearing up the confusion about the unit going above the door.)

Could you just eliminate the windows altogether and put in a wider sliding door or put fixed glass the same height and to the floor on each side of the slider?

I was imagining more wall space between. This is looking a bit cluttered and awkward proportion wise.

palimpsest looks like there are porch steps there, so that would have to be widened. But I agree, all of that would look much better!

@thinkof129 what is racking?

@SeattleMCM ahh that make sense. Yeah, head unit is going above the door, not the compressor! From an airflow / comfort perspective this is easily the best place for it to go. We looked at recessed options but they're not great given our constraints unfortunately - I hate the look of the head units but it's a trade off I've got to make unfortunately. I never thought about building something around it to hide it - that's an interesting idea to talk through 🤔

@palimpsest yeah it's only 15 feet wide. We're going to use the sliding door (no budget for a new one). We *could* put in fixed glass but the additional airflow from windows is attractive...

I didn't realize this was not a completely new room. In this case given how close they are together and the HVAC, I think I would line things up at the top. I also don't think you want to emphasize the unit which may happen if the windows bracket it. I realize this pretty much contradicts my original thought.

I hate the look of the head units but it's a trade off I've got to make

It is what it is. I love both form and function, but at the end of the day, function will take priority.

@User 100% agreed. i've got to live in the space, not just look at it!

@palimpsest it is a new room but we are reusing the sliding door. i think I've netted out in the same place as you. The eye will be pulled out the window and beyond the heat pump above it, so I don't want to make the windows interesting / unusual / unexpected. Just align at top and move on. Thanks for your perspective!

I'll try to explain with a box. Take a corrugated board box (like an Amazon box) that you have opened. Push on diagonal corners and notice how the box no longer has right angles at corners. That is racking. Now turn the box over and push again. Notice how box holds its shape.

Racking forces can come from wind or earthquake.

Architect/engineer should take this into account during design.