Window Needs

Sometimes the inside and outside of a home demand different window proportions, here are some ways to satisfy both requirements.

 

Suppose you are asked to add two wings to a beautiful old classical home.  Typical of older houses this one needs a new kitchen and a first floor master suite.  Because the best view is in the rear - the bedroom suite would have closets in the front, and the kitchen wing might have the counters and sink facing the street. Small functional windows would be fine, but the rigid aesthetics of the classical design demand that you keep true to the historic proportions of those old, high double hung windows.

 

An up-to-date floor plan doesn't always fit a historic facade. However, there are ways to have a well-proportioned window on the outside, while seeing only the necessary part (or no window at all) on the inside:

 

The old builder's trick is to simply wall up the window on the inside - putting a black panel or black sheet plastic (vapor barrier works great) behind the glass.  From the outside it just looks like a dark room.  This works best if you use windows which allow access to the inner sash from the exterior.  Otherwise, it's darn hard to wash the inside of the window glass.

 

If the window needs to be in a closet, nothing says you can't just use a blackout shade on the inside, and simply allow the clothes to hang across the window.   Raise the shade for spring cleaning.

 

Occasionally there needs to be a kitchen or bathroom counter behind a low slung window. Aligning the muntins or meeting rail with the counter or backsplash edge allows you to use a variation of the dark room trick.  Paint the back of the cabinets black or hang dark plastic sheeting behind them to make the covered part of the window look much like the upper part when viewed from the outside.  On the inside, the counter lines up with a muntin or rail and looks perfectly proper.  With a double hung window, the upper or lower sash can slide behind the cabinet and function normally.

 

Of course, you could always install closed shutters with window trim only - but it has a somewhat forlorn feeling to it - as if nobody's home, or someone's hiding.  Better to have actual real windows, even if they're not used.

This article was originally printed in "Remodeling" magazine published by Hanley Wood - April, 2007