Here's mine. I love it.

Dang! I love all these windows! I would NEVER have thought of a countertop window without this forum. THanks so much as I think the kitchen design of my kitchen will revolve around the size of the countertop window I will install. I'll cut corners elsewhere, but I must have a countertop window :-)

Thanks for taking the time to post pictures.

We went through this for our window. We had a bay window that was only 22" above the floor. We raised it so we could put our counter into the bay and up to the sill as well. The two side windows open, the middle window does not. It is difficult and you may or may not get it exact...err on the side of slightly higher than lower, though, b/c you can have a very short sill (~1/4" or so) and still have the same look.

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")

2. 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.

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.
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.

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!

americancolleen, you sound just like me! Months ago when I saw photos of some of these windows that go down to the counter, I decided I had to have one, and I wanted it to be the focal point of my kitchen.

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

Oh man am I jealous Erika! In a good way though!
I love your bump out, windows, countertops and cabinets! Even the view is superb.

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!

Has anyone used awning windows that tilt out from the top (so the rain doesn't rain in) in this application? We're in Seattle =)

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

ERIKA!!!!! your countertops are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!

Erika:
I do have a question about your window. I'm trying to figure out the labor involved. I would *guess* that you have a small 'roof' over the bump out? Was it a tough job for the guy(s) who did it?

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 ;-)

Thanks Colleen and Karen! =)

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.

I love these! My house isn't even 2 years old and I want to change my kitchen window (I did the cabinet layout and the builder picked the casement window over the sink, I've got plenty of room to the sides and wanted a bigger window, he said couldn't fit but now I see I don't need the sill 10" above the counter)! Maybe in 8-10 years I can talk DH into it if we're replacing counter at that time?

Hi Ericanh!
Thank you so much! I'm jealous of your overhang though :-) (and your kitchen too) - that had to have saved a lot of work because the contractor didn't have to construct a roof - just go straight up - and it looks great!

Thanks for taking the time to post that picture.

erika,
amazing progress! can't wait to see your finished kitchen post!

jraz_wa we're located near Chicago and are using an awning window in the middle with casements on either side all mulled into a single unit. Have not started construction yet but have ordered the windows. The casements are 31" and the awning is 48" so just over 9' wide and 4' high. We wanted the casements with a picture window in the middle but decided to use the awning instead to get the added benefit of it opening, and as you point out we can open even when it's raining! We are going to have it installed similar to gglks above.

bump

bump

Alku05, I love your faucet, it reminds me of a tulip! Also kind of jealous of all your lovely views. I like my house, but want to move it into the the woods somewhere! ha.

I'm so glad to have found this thread so I can show my contractor how I'd like my windows over the kitchen sink. The contractor tells me that electrical code requires an outlet within 2 feet of the sink, so he thinks I have to leave room for an outlet turned on its side underneath the window. Has anyone else had to meet this code requirement? If so, how did you meet it?

Yes, you have to have an outlet within 24" of the sink, and no more than 48" apart on any counters. I am running in to this on my build.

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.

bump. Need more pictures! Love this thread. Can you also tell the width of the total opening? Peke

Hi! So here are a few photos of my new countertop windows -- minus the countertop, which is coming next week. But I thought this might show the depth of the bump out box better, before the counters go in. It's about 40 inches from the window to the front of the cabinets This might mean a bellyflop on the counter every time I want to open the window, but I'm OK with that. SO WORTH IT for the way it opens up the kitchen!

justmakeit, it looks fabulous already! did you build the bump out box new, or was it there before? how did you handle the exterior, especially the roofing on the box? Many, many thanks for any guidance on this!

Hi, smiling! Yes, the bump out box is new. There was a small window on the right hand side, but the mason had to remove a ton of bricks from the rest of the back wall. (Hoping we can use them for the other window in the kitchen that we got rid of.) There was a very large hole for several weeks, until the windows arrived and got put in. We don't have a roof on the box yet (lots of tyvek out there), but it will have a small slanted roof of roofing shingles, to match our existing roof. Underneath the box, we're putting three corbels, but they're just for looks, not for holding anything up. When the weather gets warmer and the mason comes back to finish up, I'll try to post some more photos.

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.

justmakeit, you are so great to answer with such detail! Many thanks, again. I will watch to see your photos when that acreage of counter top goes in. As you might guess, I'm wanting to do a counter height bumped put window, too, and I'm so glad to see that you went for the extra depth. You're right that it pulls the eye outward, stretching the room so nicely. Thanks once again for your help.

My last house:

Current house:

Buehl,

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

Carol

Has anyone recently done a counter height, bump out window (or bank of windows) in their kitchen? I'm loving this old post and all of the pictures. I have a bump out planned for our addition and am looking at different ways to detail.

I can't edit my post above from back-in-the-day to add photos. So am putting them in here as another example of down to the counter windows, since this thread is still being referenced.

******************** UPDATE ********************

As you have probably noticed, many pictures are missing (mostly due to the recent Photobucket debacle). Fortunately, I saved a copy of this thread, including most of the pictures, back in 2009 (any after 2009, I don't have). So, I'm going to post each person's counter-height window pictures in a separate post. (Some were missing back then as well due to other issues, so I don't have all of them, but I do have most.)

Note: Some of the user names have changed (b/c of Houzz take over). I will try to map them here.

NCLakeHouse = atlbeardie

amck = amck2

MaureenInMD = sergeantcuff

fran1523 = fran1523 Saje

ajsmama = 2ajsmama

MamaDadaPaige -- one of the windows I frequently refer to!

Interior:

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Exterior:

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Her comments:

they are bumped out about 8"

ErikaNH -- another one of the windows I frequently refer to!

Interior:

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Exterior:

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Her comments:

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.)

We didn't need a little roof because we have an overhang there. The guys said it was very easy to frame

Just curious if anyone has a counter height window that isn’t bumped out? The cost to bump it out is more than we are going to do with everything else in the remodel but I love the counter height windows. I am afraid that doing it right behind the sink will lead to splashing and general mess. Curious to hear from anyone who has done it that way.

Nice Buehl!! I'm also doing a bump out behind my kitchen window because we currently have a fireplace there and the brick and stucco bumps out....we will make it look like it was done on purpose.

Marzhere:

Interior:

ChristinaMC:

Interior:

FurletCity:

Interior:

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Her/His Comments:

I love the space and light that our window provides.

SnowyShasta:

Interior:

Gglks:

Interior:

Alku05:

Interior:

Fran1523:

Interior:

Janwad:

Interior:

Another one I have saved (this was the first one I saw and the inspiration for my Kitchen)

Fothia:

Interior:

KitchenKelly (she of the "morgue drawers" fame!):

Interior:

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Her comments:

I love mine too. I didn't extend the granite
into the sill. Since it is a bow window it would have a been a big expense for
me and pain for GC. The new window was a big splurge in itself. I think it
would look better if the granite would extend into the sill. Maybe next remodel
:o

BTW...no need to post on this thread just to say "nice" - it's pretty long already! Please only post if you have counter-height pictures to add. (Counter-height means the windows rest on the counter, not raised several inches above the counter.)

Hi Buehl,

We are trying to get the window installed to be set at counter height before the cabinets and counter is installed. May I ask, does the window actually sit on the counter? Or does the bottom of the window frame sit on support that is just shorter than counter height so that the actual counter just meets up with the window frame at the very bottom (like, 1/4 or 1/8 inch below counter height) and then is caulked to the window frame? We've had to change the window height twice now. My contractor wants to put the frame below the counter and halfway up the counter, but when the slider goes back and forth when opening and closing, it bows out the gasket/frame piece a bit, so it flexes. That would not work with caulk I would think. Any suggestions or info would be very much appreciated.

Thank you for the photo. Is the frame of the window resting on the actual counter, or is it resting on wood framing that the counter comes up to?

It looks like it’s right on the counter, but it can’t be since it was installed before the counter. Must be on the framing with the trim sitting on the counter. Btw, you’re going to live it. It really felt like it opened up the kitchen, moving it down

We figured out how to frame it. Buehl's post about how to add up the heights made perfect sense. From the sub-floor, we added the new wood floors that are going to be installed (3/4") plus the cabinet height - 34-1/2" plus 1.2 inches for the counter (3cm). That put us to about 36.25-36.5". We tested the height with one of the built cabinets, a piece of granite and a 3/4" board. We made sure the "Counter" piece was level off the cabinet and it joined up to the window frame perfectly. Instead of putting a full 2x6 board under the window, we ripped it down to 2x2 or so (a little less than the width of the frame) and set the window on the 2x2 (it was like 2x1.75"). That way, the window was up at the proper height, but without a board (2x6) blocking the counter from being slid in to the window opening. Hope this helps anyone who might be having the same questions...