Please share your pictures, please????

I hate to admit I still don't know how to add a picture to a post...but if you'd like to take a close look at mine you can find it in the photobucket pics in the Finished Kitchens Blog under amck's Kitchen. You can enlarge the photos by clicking on them. I think I've posted several views.

I would encourage anyone building or remodeling to consider bringing the windows to counter height.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And I've always loved your kitchen too!

Kat

Can any of you talk about how difficult it was to frame the openings to have the window sitting right at the counter (either glass even with countertop - like christinamc; or just the frame but no trim right above the counter - like mamadadapaige)? It seems like there is so little room for error, but the effect is great!

Here's one of my inspiration pictures:

And another I took at a house in Australia:

If you look close, we had a floor level problem and our slab installer had to cut out around the cranks on the bay window casements - what a craftsman!

Here's the other one in my pastry rolling area:

Here's mine. I love it.

Thanks for taking the time to post pictures.

Besides being sure your window is at the right height, be sure you can open the window (if it will open).

• Get a casement window (crank open rather than lift up to open) b/c trying to open a window when leaning over a counter can be a "stretch" :-)
• Be sure you have enough room b/w the counter and the crank so you can turn the crank w/o running into the counter

Usually, the window should be 36" off the finished floor. The height of the window itself is up to you...do you want it almost to the ceiling or a different height? In our case, we were constrained by the fact that our bay was an actual bump-out of the house so we were limited to the height of the bump-out...14" lower than our 8' ceilings.

OK...this is what you have to do...

1. First, are you replacing your current floor? If so, will it be before or after you put in the window?
   • If before, you need to know the thickness of the floor and the materials used to put in the floor.

     E.g., our tile floor went in after our window. So, we had to know how thick the tile was (3/8") + thickness of thinset + subfloor (if new subfloor will be put down).

     Then, we had to subtract the thickness of the vinyl that was still in place but was going to be taken out later (1/4")

   • If the window will be going in after the new floor is installed or you are not replacing the floor, you can skip this step.
2. Next, find out the height of your cabinets themselves. Most are 34-1/2" high. But, if you have raised or lowered your counters you will have a different height.

3. Now, determine the thickness of your countertop material.
   • If granite, is it 2cm or 3cm? Generally (in USA), the west coast has 2cm and the rest of the country has 3cm. (2.54 cm = 1 in)

   • If 2cm, you will need to know the thickness of your plywood subtop.

4. Add these numbers together and that's how high off the floor you will need to place your window. And, like I said before, it's better to err on the side of too high than too low.

HTH!

My window trim isn't painted yet, but I wanted to show you my bump-out. It's only 6 inches deep, but it makes the area behind the sink seem huge. It was much less expensive to do than a greenhouse window. (Please ignore my leaning faucet ... not hooked up yet.)

Good luck!

Erika

I have this handy retired guy who does things that we can't do and I am going to ask him about doing a bump out. I just came to the conclusion that I would NOT buy a beverage center or bump out the wall behind where the fridge will go - just suck it up and get a CD fridge and replace the old one down cellar with a cellar type basic fridge to handle overflow. Saves quite a bit and I think that $$ will help my convince my husband that a bump out window is a great idea. I don't have nearly the room you have --- maybe 48" or 50" but I bet a bump out would make that area look a lot larger.

Love your cabinets too! I'm going to go with a creamier color and a beaded inset. I'm debating on the slab drawers or ones that match the cabinet doors.... but I keep going back to kitchens like yours - I just love that simple, timeless look and I think that's exactly what I will go for.

I like the drainboard in your countertop too. I'm thinking more along the lines of soapstone and stainless for the sink and I'll definitely do a drainboard. I hate my kitchen strainer but I really would miss it. I hate putting every tea cup and spoon in the dishwasher because you dont have anywhere to dry it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your beautiful kitchen! I bet you love it every time you walk in there!

Buehl - thanks so much for sharing that info - very much appreciated!

I'm going over tomorrow to get a rough price on windows and then I'm going to try to figure out materials, etc so I have a rough idea of what to expect in terms of $$$. I think it's very much worth it (within reason) and something that I will regret not doing if I don't do it. However, the sell to my husband is something else entirely ;-)

Colleen, sorry it took me a while to get these photos for you of the outside. We didn't need a little roof because we have an overhang there. The guys said it was very easy to frame. If you want me to ask them about how much you should expect to pay, give me the size of your window and I'll ask them.

Thanks for taking the time to post that picture.

My walls are very thick, so I am making angled returns on the windows to reduce the tunnel effect, and the added width of the total opening puts my outlets too far apart. I am putting outlets in the angled window return, and hopefully they will OK this. I asked an inspector, and he thought it was fine, but there's no guarantee that I'll get the same inspector when I get my electrical inspection. My Plan B would be to put outlets under the front of the counters in the affected area (ugghh).

Your best bet would be to get an approval for whatever you plan to do from your local building department. There are a few options, such as pop-up outlets.

Hope this helps.

Oh, I forgot to say, building the bump out box was optional, and unrelated to whether the windows were counter-depth or not. In our kitchen, I felt as though the extra foot-plus-a-bit would be valuable real estate, both for more counter space, and for pulling the eye out through the window and giving the illusion that the kitchen was more spacious than it is.

Current house:

Your explanation and calculations are so helpful. What gorgeous windows everyone. I can't believe the views.

Carol