Recessed window, hooded, curved returns
Windows such as this were built into shingle-styled arts-and-crafts houses and cottages around one-hundred years ago, and are still being done today in new construction.
A plain one as shown has curved returns of about 28-inch radius at the sheathing layer, a 6 degree pitch for the seamed copper sill, and the eyebrow stickout for the soffit above the window is about 8 inches.
I say “a plain one” because I have seen these done on houses in Evanston, IL, with columns inside the opening, windows laid in with an angled ship-prow look, elaborate shingling details, and in some, everything done in cut stone.
If you have worked on existing or built new window openings like this, come aboard and tell us how it is done.
I am working on a house plan right now with such a detail, and need to learn some things.
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While listening to Meet The Press, I doodled up something in Sketchup.
The inside wall, the one with the window in it, is built conventionally with 2x6 framing and 1/2-inch sheathing on its "outside" face. The flanged window unit, a factory-mulled piece with fixed sashes, is mounted per usual.
I don't show the inside wall and window in the Sketchup model, because I was focusing on what goes on with the gable outside wall, the returns, the eyebrow pooch-out, and the sill.
Since the inside wall is the structural one (a monster header is over that window to pick up the post load from the structural ridge above), and is the one to be insulated with sprayfoam, the weather-wall is framed in 2x4s.
The pooch-out eyebrow wedges are overlaid onto the 1/2-inch sheathing nailed to the under-frame, then the eyebrow pooch is sheathed in two layers of thin ply. I did not model all the sheathing in yet, and I think I may have to inset a section where the eyebrow lays in, so that the transition around its perimeter is faired. Right now, there would be a step equal to those two thickness of thin ply.
Anybody know of any shortcuts we can take?
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"A stripe is just as real as a dadgummed flower."
Gene Davis 1920-1985
You are making that too hard by ripping wedges. Instead, hang soffit lookouts to conform individually to shape of the soffit, then stick 2x4s down alongside of the main stud dot to dot. No long rippcutting needed that way and uses cheaper lumber.Did you see my latest yesterday in your bathroom layout?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Thanks for the shortcut.
Re the bath, I modeled your skew-wall sink in there, and honestly, I did not think it an improvement.
I looked at the plan, and saw an opportunity to widen the room by 6 inches, and it makes quite a diff. Bigger window alcove, bigger window in it, more space between tub and vanity (it was OK before).
For lighting, I can get a little Juno low voltage swivel can up overhead, to shine down into the sink and faucet. A small lamp sitting on the counter on the L, its shaded head up at close to the 69-inch elevation from which the kneewall springs, then a wallmount sconce, a small one, higher on the R wall that has some higher vertical, and one of those circular shaving mirrors, one that goes 1x on one side and 3x on the other, mounted with a swing arm on the wall on R just under the sconce.
We stayed in a boutique hotel in downtown Chicago that had face-mirrors like what I envision, lit each side with a concentric light ring. Very high stile, and larger in diameter than anything I see at the lighting web stores. I just might call the Amalfi and ask them what brand they have.
This bedroom suite is for occasional guests. The couple are childless, in their upper 50s, and are deeply into XC skiing all winter, and competitive kayak racing in the warm months. Their guests are athletes and don't expect much.
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"A stripe is just as real as a dadgummed flower."
Gene Davis 1920-1985
LOL, those outdoors types are used to small mirrors and ducking their heads.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I would think you would need to sheath the flat wall so that you could draw your radius' (is radii plural?) then cut that out to infill your framing and resheet with the thin ply. I am going to desing a small one on paper and try this.
Totally intrigued
Dustin
I'm still playing around with this, waiting for the dog to come back inside.
Blowing right by Pif's suggestion for a shortcut, Mr Makes-Things-More-Complicated forges on.
I added "sheathing landing blocking" and then fattened the wedges, which formerly were sitting on 1/2" sheathing applied to the whole eyebrow area.
Now, 1/2" ply is cut to the eyebrow pattern and nailed on, then two thicknesses of 1/4" ply get fit and nailed on the eyebrow pooch-out, the ply joints made as OK as one can expect for framing, then the whole thing gets papered and shingled. The shingles will fair the curve where pooch meets flat.
I'm guessing that the shingles that get nailed to the curved window returns need to be soaking in water so they can flex around the curve somewhat. That, and we would not want to be using any of those huge breadboard-width ones.
I'm a Sketchup-it-so-you-can-prefab-it junkie, so all the parts for this whole shebang, including the plywood, would get detailed with dimensions and all precut in the shop, so it goes together quickly as a kit.
Furthermore, this double-wall gable will likely all get built on the deck, tied together and rigged up with lifting hooks in the appropriate places, window in, shingled mostly, etc., and flown up with the same crane we'll use to set the big structural ridge. I'm also a fan of doing as much as you can on the deck. Farting around on ladders and scaffolding is inefficient, IMHO.
I'm not the builder, just the doodler, grinding out the lines.
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"A stripe is just as real as a dadgummed flower."
Gene Davis 1920-1985
"I'm guessing that the shingles that get nailed to the curved window returns need to be soaking in water so they can flex around the curve somewhat. That, and we would not want to be using any of those huge breadboard-width ones."I think they steam shingles for that application.John