Installing a Custom Wood Window in the Shower
/The window in our bathroom is perhaps the star of the show. Not until I got to bathe right next to the great outdoors did I come to fully appreciate how great a window in the shower is. And boy is it great! We had a custom wood window installed and while some people would disagree with this approach, I wouldn’t change a thing!
After gutting the whole room, rebuilding the walls and window was next on the list. The previous window was a little aluminum sliding thing with opaque textured glass. It wasn't great at letting in light or providing ventilation.
Since the walls were opened up, we had the opportunity to make the new window frame as big as possible. During the initial design phase, I was digging gigantic windows that took up nearly the whole wall above the tub - like this, this or this. I was genuinely considering making the window fill a major part of the wall and trying to come up with creative ways to provide privacy, but we ultimately downsized. I'm so glad we did. The final dimensions are 45"x28" and it lets in so so much light - without sharing too much with our neighbors. For reference, the room is 9 feet tall.
Now, most everyone would say that wood windows don't belong in showers. Water plus wood equals rot and termites and mushy windows. However, I don't care for aluminum or vinyl windows in old houses. Plus, I wanted a window that hinged transom-style (more on that in a bit) which isn't a common off-the-shelf vinyl window option. So, we went with a custom wood window. To make sure it was water-resistant, we took some precautionary measures.
1. The window is surrounded by tile that's installed on top of a waterproof membrane on top of cement board.
2. The wood itself is coated in marine-grade primer.
3. The window is situated at a height that doesn't get hit with water from the showerhead.
4. When water does get on it, the marble sill tilts down so water doesn't pool next to the wood.
5. It's a window, and we open it after every shower. It gets all sots of breezy ventilation.
Was that a convincing argument? Will you still follow my blog even though I put a wood window in a shower? Please do!
Once I ruled out the plan to have a gigantic window, the idea of having any kind of mullions or details in the glass was also nixed. One big piece of glass was the only way to go. Thus, the window had to open with a hinge, (since you need multiple pieces of glass to have any kind of sliding mechanism). Enter, transom hinges. I got these beefy brass transom hinges in 24" and they work like a dream. While they are pretty, they also hide behind the frame when the window is open, so there isn't any hardware to get in the way of the view.
I love that the window opens like an ol' fashion hinged transom, plus with the opening at the top, the steam floats out of the room swiftly. This is one of the best ways we’re able to avoid any moisture concerns!
If you're reading this post in an RSS reader, this spiffy animation of the window opening may not show up - click through to the main post.
Those hinges get a ton of range and tilt the frame 90 degrees. On a daily basis, we only open the window a few inches (not the full 90 degrees) to release the shower steam. When I want to clean both the interior and exterior glass, I open it all the way so I can reach underneath to clean the exterior. My preferred cleaning method is a squeegee - I'll never clean windows with towels again.
Note that we used tempered glass in this window. It's what building code calls for, and it's the safe thing to do. If it shatters, small pieces of glass would fall into the tub rather than big shards. Be safe, folks.
That cute lil' latch at the top of the window? It's this gal. On my to-do list is to get flathead screws to look more authentic to an old house. Maybe one day.
The window frame was custom made by our trusty contractor. After the cost of his labor, the materials, and the hardware, the window cost the same, if not less, than a vinyl one from a big box store.
Have I mentioned we live under the flight path? I get to enjoy views of landing planes while I bathe.
The exterior wall got an update, too, with new the siding to accommodate the resized window.
The view looks into the side of our neighbor's house, but it kind of resembles a painting, no?
