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Header on exterior wall

Houghton123 | Posted in Construction Techniques on September 20, 2009 10:51am

We’re trying to shoehorn a window in above the shower in our bath remodel (I’m averse to putting a window in the tiled area of the shower – too many ways for that to go wrong over time).

8’7″ finished floor to ceiling. Shower to be tiled 80″ up from finished floor. This leaves 23″ to play with. Odd wall construction (Victorian house with usual funky additions, the addition where the bathroom is being during or right after World War II): single top plate. Wall is supporting a shed roof from the original exterior wall to this one – a little more than 8′.

Window to span at least two stud bays (three would be nice but not necessary). Since it’s way up above where even I can reach it, much less my sweetie, we need some kind of opening pole or something, and hardware to match.

My son and I have debated whether a 4×4 header would suffice, and both think 4×6 is needed.

This leaves precious little height for a window. The best local choice must be at least 16″ high, which wouldn’t fit, or at least would leave NO wiggle room. There is another source that could give us a 12″ high slider, which may be the way we go, although it’s a finned metal window that we’d have to kluge into a frame (aka buck) of some kind – although the finned metal window I just removed from the wall, which was put into a buck 20+ years ago, was fine, with no visible rot.

Any alternatives I haven’t considered?

Reply

Replies

  1. User avater
    BillHartmann | Sep 20, 2009 11:07pm | #1

    With the crank operators on casement windows you can get extension handles with universal joints to that they can hang down a wall.

    Don't know, but I think that awning windows might be available the same way.

    .
    William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
  2. User avater
    gdcarpenter | Sep 20, 2009 11:10pm | #2

    Rebuild the roof, use a 'let in' header at the end of the rafters. This will give you the full 23" to play with window wise.

    Let's not confuse the issue with facts!

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