Help me remove glass block window and replace

[Brybo86]

I remodeled our shower bathroom and am now doing our bathroom with tub.

There is an old glass block window which was previously covered with plywood and then tiled over .

I would like to put in a new window but it cannot be so low as the old window sill in tub area.

My options are to either

1. remove the glass block block window and brick up about 5 courses then place a window in the 3ft x 2ft opening

2. Remove glass block and old sill? Seems like a ton of work, this is on the back of house and looks don't really matter...

Do I add a second sill for the new window to sit on?
Should the window sit flush with outside brick or back a few inches?

Inside I have about 13 inches from outside edge of brick to inside edge of durock. There will be a tile shelf to make up the distance between new window and wall, hopefully a single piece of marble.

I'm thinking of a frosted glass awning window that opens bottom out.

 

[Brybo86]

More pics, old joist had all been cut 50%+ for toilet plumbing and floor had sagged like 1.5 to 2 inches centered on the common bathroom wet wall.

 

[Brybo86]

Added new 5 LVL 16ft that sit on foundation wall and steel I beam in center of house.
Also changed toilet location to middle vs front of bathroom.
Put in a linear shower drain which was pretty tricky
Solid marble shower threshold.

 

[doitmyself]

Based on bad experiences with my first home that had a window in the bathtub area, I am biased against having a window in that location. Mold, mildew, condensation, etc.. My inclination would be to eliminate the window in the bathtub area. If budget was a concern, I might even go as bold as just covering the outdoor part with well trimmed T 111 plywood. You said looks didn't matter. It would just look like some kind of utility access cover.

That's my vote. Do away with the window.

 

[Brybo86]

Do I brick up and then build a wooden box for the window to sit in or does it attach directly to the brick/masonry?

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Your work looks very nice. You would have a hard time finding a contractor to do that quality of work. Go for it 86. Regards

 

[PimTac]

The current setup looks hokey. My guess is that they had the glass block for light but later on needed ventilation so they added the window.

If you have a fan already then ventilation should be taken care of. For the glass block, it will depend if you want the additional light. Installing new glass block could be another option. That might be cheaper than rebricking and installing sheet rock.

 

[JTK]

I had a very similar situation in our last home where there was an old double hung window above the bathroom sink. When I remodled that bathroom and added a walk-in shower, we needed the wall space where the window was. Instead of disturbing the exterior brick of the home (window was actually in a 3-season sunroom), I removed the window, added a piece of plywood in the opening that I painted to match the brick, then glass blocked the window opening.

To me, your problem is that funky vent window in the old glass block.

The cheaper and easier option would be to re-glass block it solid, or if you think you can brick match and make it look decent, go that way.

Awesome looking work so far BTW!

 

[Brybo86]

Originally Posted by PimTac
The current setup looks hokey. My guess is that they had the glass block for light but later on needed ventilation so they added the window.

If you have a fan already then ventilation should be taken care of. For the glass block, it will depend if you want the additional light. Installing new glass block could be another option. That might be cheaper than rebricking and installing sheet rock.


Believe the glass block was original 1950.
in 1980's bathroom were remodeled and the glass block covered over from the inside.

I put in new exhaust fans, adjustable auto humidity sensing, cool to hear it throttle up after turning on shower then slowly throttle down when drying off after shower

I have a bunch of matching old brick

it would be hard to remake the offset half brick bond original construction. I would probably just add some steel anchors into the old that tie into the new brick for stability.

 

[PimTac]

Sounds like a winner. Bathroom fans have really improved over the years as well.

Linear drains are not as popular here in the US as in some other places. I see them mostly where bathrooms are divided into wet room/dry room. Some Marriott hotels use the concept of a room with the shower and the tub combined. There I've seen linear drains. In Japan the concept is popular.

 

[JohnG]

Are you sure your name's not Mike Holmes?

 

[Malo83]

Wife want's both of our bathrooms remodeled, admire your building skills, gonna have to hire it out as I have limited building skills and I probably end up with somebody to fix all my mistakes.

 

[Alfred_B]

Originally Posted by Yah-Tah-Hey
Your work looks very nice. You would have a hard time finding a contractor to do that quality of work. s

Precisely what I was thinking

 

[Brybo86]

Originally Posted by JTK
I had a very similar situation in our last home where there was an old double hung window above the bathroom sink. When I remodled that bathroom and added a walk-in shower, we needed the wall space where the window was. Instead of disturbing the exterior brick of the home (window was actually in a 3-season sunroom), I removed the window, added a piece of plywood in the opening that I painted to match the brick, then glass blocked the window opening.

To me, your problem is that funky vent window in the old glass block.

The cheaper and easier option would be to re-glass block it solid, or if you think you can brick match and make it look decent, go that way.

Awesome looking work so far BTW!

I guess I could possibly keep lower glass block but just put a bigger hopper vent /window higher in the glass block...?
I was leaning towards a triple pane vinyl window to minimize condensation in the winter.
I'm not sure glass block is the best insulator for a window.

 

[cashmoney]

Remove the block and brick the window up. Windows are never a good idea in tub or shower locations. Condensation is almost always going to be a problem.

 

[Brybo86]

Originally Posted by cashmoney
Remove the block and brick the window up. Windows are never a good idea in tub or shower locations. Condensation is almost always going to be a problem.


I also have a skylight(40 years old, inefficient) in both bathrooms, when cold outside they do get a bit of condensation which clears up with just a couple minutes of bath exhaust fan.

 

[Brybo86]

I would like to try and keep a similar look to window in the rest of the house
I stacked a few bricks up next to another window.

Imagine the paper is some white aluminum flashing
It would go over the brick like in the picture then any drips would fall down and hit the old sill below?

Or do I need to buy another limestone sill? To put underneath?
Removing the old sill and moving it up would be very difficult.

 

[PimTac]

You need a sill. The flashing by itself is not suitable. How about wood and then flashing?

 

[Brybo86]

Originally Posted by PimTac
You need a sill. The flashing by itself is not suitable. How about wood and then flashing?

I will have a wood frame that the window will attach to.
The flashing can go around that then out?
Or do I have to have the wood extend past the brick also?

 

[PimTac]

I'm not a carpenter just to put that out first but I'm trying to visualize what I've seen before.

I would extend the wood about one inch or so beyond the brick. Where the window will sit should be level but the wood should be cut so it slants downward to allow rain to drain off.

On the underside of the wood sill where it meets the brick they make foam strips that will seal that off. A termite shield might be prudent as well. I would pre finish or paint the wood on all sides before installation.