Lintels and sills

[GailM]

Many years ago, before I bought my house, someone removed the original stone lintels and sills at the back of the house. They laid modern bricks in the gaps and also made the windows smaller. It looks a mess! For years I have wanted to have replica wooden sash windows and reinstate the stone lintels and sills. I would imagine reclamation yards would sell them, but is this how I go about it? I have no idea who to contact to actually do the job. I've done a bit of research regarding the windows themselves but the stonework has totally stumped me. If any original bricks needed sourcing I would need someone to do that too. I have some old bricks from the Victorian terrace chimney stack a few doors down, although I don't know if they are the same. The rest of my terrace was added a few years after my house was built. I figured I would risk keeping them. I am literally making myself ill with worry. My bathroom is being redone shortly, so figured now would be a good time to put at least that window in as the radiator is being moved to under the window. It will be smaller than the current one as the sash window will be bigger/longer. It doesn't make sense to have to redecorate the window wall, although I am SO stressed maybe I should leave a years gap or something before I tackle a new window and just concentrate on the bathroom itself (which also won't be straightforward but I think I can just about cope with it!). Many thanks.

 

[GailM]

Just to add, where the lintel should be are arched bricks. They look the same as the original house bricks and I quite like the arch. Unfortunately under the window is a huge problem. I did think about leaving the arches and just doing the sill but it wouldn't look right. Maybe I should grow something under each window and hide the brickwork that way? Probably a stupid idea...

 

[stuart45]

Photos would be really helpful for members here to give you some ideas.
There are plenty of people here who can offer you some good advice.

 

[GailM]

Hope these are ok.

 

[GailM]

I've just noticed that next doors spare bedroom window also has the arched bricks above the window. I'll have to have a look and see if all their windows at the back only have the sill and not the lintel.

 

[GailM]

I've just checked next door at the back. Those arched bricks must be totally original because they are exactly the same as mine. Bit of a win as it means I only need the sills. Would this have happened because it's the back of the house? As in it's not "on show" like the front is? Next door until last year had all the original windows back and front. The backs are now UPVC.

 

[Stevers]

It's likely that the 'cills' will have been lifted to put basins/sinks/worktop in front of them. Having a full length sash window in front of a kitchen sink even with a splay is a bit awkward - don't ask us how we know!

You'd have to see what cills are available in the reclamation yards, but getting a good match could be tricky or take time. Of course exact replacements could be cut or cast by the right sort of outfit. Making a mould and lining it with a suitable 'stone' mix and then filling with concrete/limecrete is a DIY option for someone willing and able to have a go.

 

[GailM]

There aren't any sills on the inside of the house. I remember being in next door's kitchen and there was a section of window which was lower than the kitchen units themselves so you couldn't actually see where the window ended. What is a splay? How would I be able to have a sill put in and a larger window. Ideally they would want doing at the same time but that would be two different trades wouldn't it? This is keeping me up at night. If I can't track down an exact match, at least I can go down the mould route if necessary although I definitely wouldn't be doing it myself! Or as you say get one cut or cast.

 

[fernicarry]

I made a sill for a window opening that an earlier owner rather crudely bashed through the side wall. That's probably your path of least resistance to be honest as finding a matching set of reclaimed sills for the whole house will be like hen's teeth. Assuming the originals weren't dumped somewhere on the property?

Have you priced up replica sliding sashes? They will certainly transform the look of the building but will probably be of the order of a few thousand per opening. You will probably need the new opening ready before they can be measured up so that will mean a few weeks with the opening boarded up. It might be an idea to do a whole facade in one hit so that you get a consistent appearance.

 

[GailM]

Unfortunately they aren't anywhere on the property. I haven't priced the windows up yet but I know they will be really expensive. I can't have all five windows done at once I don't think, but I could do a three and a two. I have parrots and house cats so I think one half of the house and then the other, maybe soon after might be the way to go. At least the two windows at the front of the house will be more straight forward as it's literally just the windows.

 

[fernicarry]

How would I be able to have a sill put in and a larger window. Ideally they would want doing at the same time but that would be two different trades wouldn't it?

Any general builder should be able to alter the opening including forming or inserting a sill. A joiner would then measure up for the window and go away and make it to order hence why it'll be boarded up for a few weeks.

Try and get a close look at next door's original windows to see how they are detailed. Do you want an architrave around the opening? How are the reveals finished? Is there a window board. How are they detailed into the shallow arch at the top etc. I had to remake all the internal details in the "new" opening I mentioned above because the earlier owner had just lined it all with plasterboard so it wasn't in keeping with other rooms.

 

[GailM]

I have some photo's of inside the house but they're not close ups. We had a fall out recently although are on speaking terms. I will have to ask them if I can take some photo's and also ask if it's ok for the window designer to take a look (or maybe just the window designer ). What are reveals? When you say window board do you mean a sill? If so there aren't any. Ideally it would be good if whoever designs the windows had a look at next doors windows at the front to see how they were done. Hopefully the landlord won't replace the front one's before I get chance to get mine installed. I know him so I would likely know about it beforehand.

 

[Stevers]

If the windows next door are any good, but likely to be replaced - make the landlord an offer he probably won't refuse!

There wouldn't be a splay in a brick built house with 9" walls, but they're quite common in stone houses with thick walls.

 

[GailM]

I was told the back one's were rotten which is why he replaced them. I think the front one's are ok. The landlord is a tight bugger so he'd probably try and charge as much as he possibly could! He hates spending money so while ever the front one's are ok he will leave them alone.

 

[Stevers]

With poor maintenance, north and east facing windows tend to last better than south and west facing windows.

 

[GailM]

They do. The south facing one's next door have been replaced, and my north facing windows look better than the south. My current windows are nearly twenty five years old. The seals have gone on all of them. I know I could repair but have decided to get what I always wanted. I've lived here nearly forty years so it's been a long time coming.

 

[a twig]

Any half decent joinery near you should be able to make timber sash windows to fit your openings.

Replacement cills would be a question of how much you want to spend, reconstituted stone cill profiles that can be cut down to size are your cheapest option.

Getting a stonemason to carve you new bespoke proper stone ones is the most expensive.

 

[fernicarry]

I will have to ask them if I can take some photo's and also ask if it's ok for the window designer to take a look (or maybe just the window designer ). What are reveals? When you say window board do you mean a sill? If so there aren't any. Ideally it would be good if whoever designs the windows had a look at next doors windows at the front to see how they were done.

Whenever I'm reinstating some piece of joinery here I often find myself running off to other rooms to look at the details and proportions of something similar. You really do need something to crib from.

The reveals are the bit where the wall turns 90' into the window opening. If your external walls are quite shallow then there might not be much of a reveal and it might just be plastered. The window board is the flat board on the inside below the window (where you would put your plant pots), which some people do refer to as the sill but I think of the sill as strictly the bit that the window case actually sits on.

 

[GailM]

I do have someone who I would class as a half decent joiner, although when I asked him to make me a handmade kitchen (which I'm still after), he pointed me in the direction of Howdens....At least I have a few options with the sills. I don't drive so to actually travel to look in reclamation yards and know that I am trying to match them with my existing ones and get the size right makes me nervous. I have no idea how it will pan out. Would a stonemason come out, copy my existing ones and take measurements himself? You can tell I really don't trust myself to do it correctly can't you? I will have to ask next door for permission to look at their windows and also for whoever is going to make them for me. If they aren't keen (because of the fall out), I can go directly to their landlord and friend and I'm sure as long as they're given whatever the legal notice period is, they will allow the joiner in, if not me. I had a look at a diagram of parts of the window. I call the flat board the window ledge, but many do call it a sill don't they, which can be confusing.

 

[fernicarry]

Getting the attention of trades-people can be very difficult. If they are any good they will be booked up. Especially for smaller jobs where the overheads of travel and so on are a bigger proportion. If you were to order several windows at the same time the joiner would be able to get a bit of a production line going machining the components in bulk so it'd be a more attractive job for him (and maybe cheaper overall for you).