Rebuilding a Bay Window

[AlexP84]

Hi,

I am wondering if anyone could help me. I live in a victorian house and I am currently renovating the house and windows. The previous owner added a bay window in the 90's to our living room, but they didn't do a very good job and it is currently coming away from the house and has uPVC windows and french doors, which don't fit with the rest of the windows on the house. Below is what it currently looks like.



As this is coming away from the house we are looking at knocking it down and rebuilding it to look something like the photo below, which will be more in keeping with the house.



The plan is to have traditional weighted sash windows at the side and then ideally keeping the french doors in the middle but made out of wood.

Does anyone have any photos of their bay windows where they have removed their windows so I can see how a bay window is built, and how sash windows fit into a bay window? Obviously as the old victorian way of building seems to be lost on modern builders, it would be great to see how they were build so I can show any builders how to construct the bay window.

Thanks,

Alex

 

[stuart45]

You shouldn't need.to explain to a builder how to do that job, it's pretty basic for a bricklayer.

 

[AlexP84]

It’s more a case of seeing how the sash windows fit into the bay window and how this is built. Due to the existing house being built in an English bond brickwork, it is seeing if the brick pillars are just a single skin of brickwork or if they are double skin like the rest of the brickwork.

Also, it would help to determine where the sash windows are fitted. Due to having to get the sash windows made by a joiner, it would help in myself being able to see and then figure out the size the windows need to be to fit inside the openings

 

[stuart45]

They should.be 9 inch (double skinned) piers. The jambs can be recessed, so the frame is slightly protected by the face brick. The Windows are better being sliding sash, as an opening casement window would put too much pressure on the small amount of brickwork. Have it built first, then measure up for the windows, or.have dummy frames made up the size of the windows you are getting made as a guide for the bricklayer to work to.

 

[AlexP84]

They should.be 9 inch (double skinned) piers. The jambs can be recessed, so the frame is slightly protected by the face brick. The Windows are better being sliding sash, as an opening casement window would put too much pressure on the small amount of brickwork. Have it built first, then measure up for the windows.

Yeah the plan is to get it built first and then get the windows in after. Just trying to get a better idea of the recess for the bricks so the sliding sash windows fit like they should.

Its easy to see on a flat wall to have the recess in the brickwork but I’ve never seen it in a bay window so wanted to get a better idea, in case any builders don’t know about the recess.

I’ve had it before where they didn’t know about how traditional sash windows fitted as all they build for are modern windows that don’t include the recess

 

[stuart45]

I'd need to know the size of the piers and size of bricks to draw out the bond for you. Technically you should have nothing smaller than a half bat against the frame. The one in the photo has got a 1/4 closer. Sometimes you have to bend the rules a bit to get the job done though. The bond on those piers is known as burglar bond in the trade. There's enough steps for one to walk up.

 

[stuart45]

@AlexP84 , I've knocked up a really rough sketch of one of a number of bonding solutions. I've used the technically correct method of 2 squint bricks per course. A lot of people would save money and use one squint and mitre the backs. The bond here is English bond with Dutch bond jambs because of the 3/4's. The second course is the same but reversed.
The one below shows how a 1\4 brick jamb is formed to show English bond.
I'd recommend using dummy frames and a plumb line down the squint angle. That way you can build the piers up without having to use the level to plumb them up. It takes a bit longer to set it all up, but building them using a level means knocking the brickwork a bit, and isn't ideal with a squint pier.

 

[AlexP84]

@AlexP84 , I've knocked up a really rough sketch of one of a number of bonding solutions. I've used the technically correct method of 2 squint bricks per course. A lot of people would save money and use one squint and mitre the backs. The bond here is English bond with Dutch bond jambs because of the 3/4's. The second course is the same but reversed.
The one below shows how a 1\4 brick jamb is formed to show English bond.
I'd recommend using dummy frames and a plumb line down the squint angle. That way you can build the piers up without having to use the level to plumb them up. It takes a bit longer to dry it all up, but building them using a level means knocking the brickwork a bit, and isn't ideal with a squint pier.
View attachment 19790

Thanks for that mate, that’s a big help.

I had a look at some bricks to get the angles on the piers. I think some places call them dog leg bricks, but would they also be called squint bricks too?

 

[stuart45]

A dog leg is slightly different, but is another method of forming the angle.

 

[stuart45]

You can make squint and doglegs yourself. For a squint as shown in the photo of some I made a few years ago, you cut out a V and resin bond the 2 other pieces together. It's how a lot of the brick manufacturers do it nowadays.