The New Bathroom Window

I built the window Sunday and Monday, and then painted it today. The sash is an English stained glass window I got at a salvage yard a few years ago, and the jamb and sill are from a double hung sash window that came out of the 2 story addition I took down a few years back.



The colors are a little washed out, but that is same Clarey Sage and the Fired Brick that I used on the rest of the house. I’m generally pleased with the way the window came out. This is only my second window I’ve made. I did screw up on the sill a bit, though. I had to dismantle the old double hung window and re-cut everything for the smaller single stained glass sash. I cut the sill too narrow for some reason. It should be ok because the narrow side will be on the inside of the house and it will be hidden behind the window stool and apron. Those are the parts that make up the interior trim at the base of the window.



I bought two matching sashes, and as you can see in the picture above, one is already installed. The little wall with the window is what I’m calling the mud room, but to be honest, it’s not much of a mud room. The brown wall to the right of that is going to be the downstairs bathroom. I’m going to be getting rid of those two big windows and replacing them with the new window I just made.

At first the plan was to just center the new window on that brown wall. It would be better, though, if I shifted it to the left. Essentially, the new window would replace the big window on the left, and the big window on the right would go away. I would then fill in the missing siding.

The reason that would work better is because the tub will be at the far end of the room and I want to leave some uninterrupted wall space for a towel rod and maybe a cloths hamper or something. It is a small bathroom and the opposite wall is going to be occupied by the sink and toilet. My mind, however, likes symmetry. It’s seems the right thing to do would be to center the window on the wall and then just work around it when it comes to interior design.

On the other hand, if I don’t center the window, maybe to have the window off-set on the wall will be one of those fun little quirks of old houses. I’m not sure this is the right house for odd little quirks, though. The off-set window would be a bit out of place. The over-all massing of the house is asymmetrical, but all windows and doors are centered on their respective walls.

Another thought is to center it on the wall, but set it up higher on the wall. I have a similar size stained glass window in the front parlor that is positioned about 5 feet up on the wall. That window is original to the 1895 construction, so there is precedence. Much thought will be given to this over the next few days.