I am rehabbing a ’30’s vintage house for use as a rental property. Recently replaced all of the “termite-eaten” doublehung windows with new Pella vinyl windows for use with exterior vinyl siding. When I had the drywall installed, I had the installer/finisher wrap the interior of the window openings (sides and top) with drywall, finished with a metal corner bead, and am now ready to install the stool. My intent is to install just a stool, probably with an apron underneath, but no casing molding around the sides and top of the window.
My problem is that I am unable to locate a detail that shows the best way to install the stool when there is no casing above it. Should I extend the ends of the stool beyond the window by 2 or 3 inches to give the appearance of a typical window trim installation? It seems that this may be typical for Habitat houses, but I don’t remember what I have seen in a finished Habitat house. One book on my shelf confirms that you don’t want to wrap the bottom with drywall because it doesn’t hold up as well as a wooden sill.
Any thoughts??
RogerTennessee
Replies
Don't know that I've ever run across this....then again, I've done very little contemporay work where casings aren't used and windows are wrapped with drywall. Any that I have done were wrapped all the way round....sides, top and bottom.
I'm not liking the visual I'm getting from your description....however, if I were to do it the way you have planned, I would have installed the stools prior to the drywall corners. Too late for that I guess....I would definetly extend the "horns" a bit beyond the window egdes.
How much? Probably depend on how deep the return into the window was. (i.e. deep return, longer horn.....shallow return, shorter horn.)
FREE SPONGE BOB,SANCHO PANTS!
I've seen plaster jambs with sill horns and an apron. Looks ok on a large window - especially if the sill is natural wood. Another detail I've seen more often is keeping the sill flush with the face of the wall with a 3/8-in th. reveal under the sill. Get a nice little shadow line and everything is crisp and clean.
I think if you do an apron underneath that length would be the width of the window. The sill would be the width of the window with the addition of returns that are the length of the sill thickness.
So if the sill is an inch thick the sill length is the window plus 2 inches.
My house has exactly that in the kitchen -- gwb wrapped sides and top with just a stain grade sill with ears at the bottom. The sill matches the stained window sash. From what I can figure, whoever did it pulled the ceiling down a bit and then realized the existing window openings were too tall to allow for casing. All other windows in the house are cased "traditionally."
It looks OK to me -- good enough that changing it will never make it on my honeydo list. But I'm not always a purist when I have to do the work. ;-)
"Let's get crack-a-lackin" --- Adam Carolla
...good enough that changing it will never make it on my honeydo list.
You do realize that you have just jinxed yourself.
Don't be surprised to find that your wife suddenly wonders why that is the only window in the house without casings.
FREE SPONGE BOB,SANCHO PANTS!
Oh crap, you're right. And there are 3 of them. Doh!
I'm going to run down there right now and make sure the blinds are always closed -- maybe that will break the jinx. ;-)
"Let's get crack-a-lackin" --- Adam Carolla
My thanks to all who responded below!
RogerTennessee
Down here in FL if you dywall a window, you throw on a marble sill, no horns, no apron. An inexpensive option that doesn't look too bad either, mostly I see in rentals and new cookie homes.How do we dance when our world keeps turning?How do we sleep while our beds are burning?
I was at the dentist this morning. While lying there for 45 minutes with nothing to do except keep my mouth open, I noticed the window detail. Drywall finish except for the stool. 1" thick mahogany color stained wood, sticking away about 1 1/4 ~ 1 1/2 in from teh wall surface, 2" horns on each side. The edge all around rounded over. Didn't look bad for this type of arrangement.
Wouldn't do it on anything I own, but that's a different story.
I have done at least a hundred plus, similar to what you describe on HUD low income apartment buildings. We just ran the stool ears about an inch long on each side. No apron, and we used a corian knock off for the stools, with a tight caulk joint underneath,
Can't say that I cared for them. When I see them now I think "HUD"
Dave
Any thoughts??
Depends on stool and apron, if used.
One thing that will work, is to make the stool the same width as the window opening, and such depth as seems right, then wrap the stool with a moulding that "dies" back into the wall.
The real pain with these is that there is no good way to cope with the scribes to the jamb returns. Short of notching the drywall, anything that goes into the gaps shows as something in the gaps. (Not so bad with a stone sill; a bit trickier with a stained stool.)
I believe that we all have pride in workmanship, and if it were my own house I wouldn't do it.....but this is a rental property and I am looking for something fast and inexpensive.
Again, thanks for all the suggestions and feedback.
RogerTennessee
This is the 2nd thank you from you, so I guess you have enough ideas at this point.
If not we can tell you more. See, another way you can do it ...
;>)