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I am restoring an 1885-vintage home in Georgetown, Texas. At some time in the past a 2nd-story window right in the center front was removed when a bath was added inside. I plan to replace that window on the outside, to restore the symmetry of the front exterior, but it will not penetrate the interior wall, since the view from the street would include the backside of the toilet and medicine cabinet–not to mention the occupant of the bathroom!
Here’s my problem: the window will be an oval, approximately 4′ x 3′, predominantly stained glass. I want to find a way to light it from inside the wall so that it looks real from outside and doesn’t require a gymnast to access and change the lightbulb when necessary. Preferably the light will be on a sensor or timer so that I don’t have to switch it on, though that’s not essential. It can’t generate too much heat inside the wall, as this is a frame house.
I need ideas for the type of light, and how to access it. I can’t readily include a “hatch” from inside the bathroom unless I can find a way to camouflage it. Any and all suggestions welcome.
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Interesting problem. One thought that comes to mind is that there are fiber optic light assemblies available in which the light source is a halogen lamp in an enclosure that can be remotely mounted from the light output. You could put the source in a closet or anywhere that would be accessible, and the fibers would end up behind your window. The advantages of this idea are no heat behind the window, halogen bulbs last a long time, and you could mount the light source in an accessible location. The disadvantage is cost. Here is some vendor information for fiber optic recessed lighting fixtures; I haven't personally used it, though.
Lucifer Lighting Company
414 Live Oak St, San Antonio, TX 78202
800-879-9797 or 210-227-7329
*Sue,I wish I was TX, I love the unusual projects.Just a thought but you could build a shallow light box that only penetrates your siding. No point taking up insulation space if you don't need to.Some backlighted displays use a sheet of plastic like plexiglass as the fiberoptic material. A light shines into the edge of the plastic sheet and one face of the sheet is roughened so that the light will exit on that face. Maybe a sheet of plexi behind your stained glass with one face sanded to be rough and the bottom edge poking into a light box.
*Sue, like Ryan, I too like a challenge.Idea 1. Do away with the traditional look of a medicine cabinet, open the wall and install a fixed, insulated, OBSCURE GLASS window - just a thin frame to hold the glass - directly behind the stained glass unit. It does not have to be an oval to match that unit. Your stained unit should be the one that is weather proof.This should leave you a recess on the inside that can be tastefully framed. Add glass shelves to hold whatever (pretend you're an interior decorator) and hide the other normal medicine cabinet junk elsewhere.Your existing bathroom light will then shine through and the obscure glass will prevent peeping toms. If you still want additional light to come thru then a set of two or three of the recessed curio cabinet style lights at the top of the recess (and/or sides, too) will not only accent the niche from the inside but reflect outside too.A bonus is the light from the real world will come into that bathroom and nicely backlight and accent your new collectibles shelves and help brighten up the whole room by day too.Comments? Ralph
*Fiber optics are a great idea, although expensive. I thought you could use rope lighting. One source is http://www.outwater.com. They're low wattage, low cost and I read somewhere they last a long time. Anyway, even if a couple of bulbs burn out the rest of the string continues to work. When it eventually needs replacement, perhaps you could have access by removing the medicine cabinet.Jerry
*Fiber optics are a great idea, although expensive. I thought you could use rope lighting. One source is http://www.outwater.com They're low wattage, low cost and I read somewhere they last a long time. Anyway, even if a couple of bulbs burn out the rest of the string continues to work. When it eventually needs replacement, perhaps you could have access by removing the medicine cabinet.Jerry
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Sounds like you have got some good suggestions. I like the access via the medicine cabinet idea and the piece of plastic to disperse light. Only things I can add are 1) halogens get very hot and can be a fire hazard so a fluorescent light may be a better choice. 2) I believe that code prohibits the installation of any fixture in any location that is not readily accessible - not that you need to follow code, but code
i is
based on safety issues, and 3) how about a mirror (or mirror tile) in the wall cavity to reflect back as much natural outside light as possible. A small exterior spot light or landscape spot light with a light sensor could provide light to the mirror at night.
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I am restoring an 1885-vintage home in Georgetown, Texas. At some time in the past a 2nd-story window right in the center front was removed when a bath was added inside. I plan to replace that window on the outside, to restore the symmetry of the front exterior, but it will not penetrate the interior wall, since the view from the street would include the backside of the toilet and medicine cabinet--not to mention the occupant of the bathroom!
Here's my problem: the window will be an oval, approximately 4' x 3', predominantly stained glass. I want to find a way to light it from inside the wall so that it looks real from outside and doesn't require a gymnast to access and change the lightbulb when necessary. Preferably the light will be on a sensor or timer so that I don't have to switch it on, though that's not essential. It can't generate too much heat inside the wall, as this is a frame house.
I need ideas for the type of light, and how to access it. I can't readily include a "hatch" from inside the bathroom unless I can find a way to camouflage it. Any and all suggestions welcome.
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All things being equal... this link should work better - http://www.outwater.com