My wife and I are planning our Master Bath remodel and want to include
natural light. The finished bathroom ceiling will be 100-inches above the finished floor. We would like to add fixed transom windows 6-inches below the ceiling for natural light. One of these transom windows will end up above the shower area, which will have 80-inch tall walls (20-inches to ceiling). There will be wood trim in the bathroom to match the rest of the house architecture. Probably cedar with varnish. The window casings will receive the same cedar with varnish. Though the windows will be transom ones and we are including a super exhaust system, we ware still concerned about moisture damage.
What is the minimum height for the window stool to avoid pooling? If the window stool is below the 80-inch shower walls, should we tile around the window instead of using cedar? How would we do so safely to prevent future water damage in the exterior wall? We are looking away from glass block so that is not an option.
Thanks for the advice!
Paul
Columbus, OH
Replies
6" from ceiling isn't much room for a header.
I have a hard time picturing things from words, so I may be off base. But why have window stool with windows so high? One function of window stool is keep furniture from bumping into the window (like chair rail for windows sort of). Not a problem on windows that high.
I would favor tile as the trim for a window in a shower area, unless you are using wood in the shower. My choice is probably based on looks more than function perhaps. But I would add a slight slope to the bottom of the window to let water run back into the shower.
If you really want wood, I would not do anything that "traps" water. Just trim around the inside and outside, and slope the bottom of the window trim so that water will run out.
Also consider how windows this high will look on the outside of your house. Fenestration is a very important element in the exterior aesthetics of a house. So how all opening align with each other is important.
Thanks for your thoughts. You're right about the stool on a window so high. I mis-wrote. The transom windows would be cased all around in the same trim as the rest of the bathroom. We can design the casing so it doesn't provide any places for pooling, though my feeling is that pooling would be the result of condensation on the window. We would place the ventilation system so it would pull moisture away from the window, so condensation will be minimal. We are also thinking about applying varnish once the window and trim are in place to seal the miters.As for the exterior aesthetics, the windows are on an unseen side of the house. We sketched up an elevation and are ok with the result.Now, as for the other concern about the wall header height. The wall containing the transom windows is the gable end of the house. The roof trusses span from outer bearing wall to outer bearing wall. The header above the transom windows supports the gable end truss and wall. We were planning on using the wall top plate as the transom window header. Thoughts?Paul.
Paul is there any space to install studs or a post between the windows. I assume there is and that would be fine on a gable end. It's not bearing. I like to be safe with the studs or posts anyway.
Yes, we are planning on keeping the windows separated so we can continue to support the top plate. Our open spans would be 36" max to avoid the need for a thicker top plate.