FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Subscribe
How-To

Tying a Bow to an Eyebrow

Carpenters mix compound curves to build a bow window topped by an eyebrow roof.

By Joseph Wood, Robert Caine Issue 44

Synopsis: This article explains how the authors framed an unusual bow window capped by an eyebrow roof for a Tudor Revival house near Silicon Valley. Plenty of detail on a job that is not for novices.

Silicon Valley is a symbol of the future. At its heart are row upon row of gleaming, mirror-clad offices and laboratories. Carreras and RX7s fill the parking stalls around the buildings, while technicians inside dust-free workshops probe the mysteries of microcircuits and disk drives.

But you wouldn’t know such contemporary pursuits were under way after a drive through some of the local neighborhoods. It seems that many of the Valley’s homeowners want to ignore the future and live in houses that evoke a simpler past. Brand-new houses cloaked in Victorian, French Provincial and Colonial detailing are common sights around here. So are Tudor Revival houses.

Tudor houses are probably best known for their half-timbering, in which dark, exposed wooden structural members contrast starkly with whitewashed stucco infill. Just as important to creating a Tudor look are complex roof lines especially dormers with slighty curved hips. Covered with a roof of slate, these houses look like quaint old English inns, where you would expect to find a bed under a down quilt, a stable for your horse and a flagon of ale to slake your thirst.

Last year contractor Ray Anderegg hired us to frame a huge Tudor Revival house in Los Gatos, a bedroom community in the foothills to the west of Silicon Valley. Anderegg is well known locally as the builder of fanciful homes rooted in the European past. This Tudor, which was designed by Irving Haws, features layer upon layer of slate-covered roof planes. Perhaps the most striking of these roofs, and certainly the most challenging for us to build, was the eyebrow roof sheltering the master bedroom. It not only arcs above the adjacent rafters, but bears on the curved wall of a bow window as well.

Calculating the windows

We used Pella windows almost everywhere in the house, including the simple bow window below the bedroom. Pella makes four, five and six-unit bow windows as stock items. The glass ranges from 16 in. to 24 in. in width (in 2-in. increments) and the stock assemblies will fit radii from a little less than 8 ft. to nearly 11 ft. Depending on how wide the glass is, these bow-window assemblies will fit rough openings ranging in width from 7 ft. 3 in. to a touch over 14 ft.

Before we started framing, we consulted Pella’s specs to find which combination of units and glass widths came closest to matching the window shown in the elevations and plans. That turned out to be a 10 1/2-ft. radius to the outside of the 2×4 framing, calling for a rough opening of a little over 12 ft. Given these dimensions, the five-unit window with 24-in. glass seemed to fit our needs. In our experience, however, few custom details pop right in without some tinkering. In this case, we had to have king studs between window units to carry the weight of the second story above. Since the Pella specs assume the windows will nest tightly together, without studs between them, we decided on the five-unit window with 20-in. glass. That left us with enough space between the windows for our king studs.

For more photos, drawings, and details, click the View PDF button below:

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters
×

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters
View PDF

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

Up Next

Video Shorts

Featured Story

Choosing the Right Construction Tape for the Job

Keeping out air and water for the long haul requires using seam and flashing tape the right way.

Featured Video

Micro-Adjust Deck-Baluster Spacing for an Eye-Deceiving Layout

No math, no measuring—just a simple jig made from an elastic band is all you need to lay out a good-looking deck railing.

Related Stories

  • How to Choose Exterior Paint Colors for a Home
  • Podcast 463: The Best of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast, Volume 3
  • Coastal Home That Mimics Nature
  • Tough and Precise Hand Lift

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

Fine Homebuilding All Access
Fine Homebuilding Podcast
Tool Tech
Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • The Hole Truth: How to Properly Place, Cut and Drill Holes in TJI’s
  • Earthquake-Resistant Housing
  • Framing the First Floor Exterior
  • Installing Floor Joists and Laying Subfloor
View All

Window and Door Installation

View All Window and Door Installation Articles
  • Quick Door Fixes
    Quick Door Fixes
  • Installing a Mortise Lockset
    Installing a Mortise Lockset
  • Refurbishing Old Double-Hung Windows
    Refurbishing Old Double-Hung Windows
  • Replacing a Pane of Glass
View All Window and Door Installation Articles

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition
    Buy Now
  • Outdoor Projects
    Buy Now
  • Pretty Good House
    Buy Now
Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 309 - Aug/Sept
    • 10 Steps to Install Crown Molding on Cabinets
    • How to Get Sturdy Walls Without OSB
    • Choosing the Right Construction Tape for the Job
  • Issue 308 - July 2022
    • Pretty Good House Book Excerpt: Copper Farmhouse
    • 10 Dos and Don'ts for Electric In-Floor Heat
    • A Sturdy Rail for Outdoor Stairs
  • Issue 307 - June 2022
    • How to Raise a Post-Frame Home
    • Trimming Deck Stairs
    • Evolving an Energy-Efficient Envelope
  • Issue 306 - April/May 2022
    • Framing Stairs to an Out-of-Level Landing
    • Building a Zero-Energy Home for Less
    • Good-Looking and Long-Lasting Traditional Gutters
  • Issue 305 - Feb/March 2022
    • The Steady Surge in Residential Solar
    • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: William B. Rose
    • How Good Is Your Air Barrier?

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Privacy Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • Do not sell my information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • California Privacy Rights

© 2022 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

X
X
This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.

Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 70%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in