The room that will be our bedroom in the upstairs back of the house has 1 door and 1 double hung window that open to the back porch addition. To put a "real" window into the room we'll be putting it into the roof, because of the way our roof slopes down. We have knee walls on one side of the room - the other side was 'finished' out to the roof wall. The other 'finished' side is where we're contemplating a window.

What kind of work is involved in something like this? Is it a huge deal, 10k+ worth of work? Or something done all the time and only a couple thousand? Or is it one of those really complex things that you don't know until you look at a bunch of other details?

These kind of show the side of the room with the knee walls, can't really put a window here:

This is the other side, which is currently a pantry closet, where we hope to put a window (and remove the pantry wall). There is also a tiny window in here looking out to the addition.:

Last, a view out the door and window:

Try some different shots, or draw out the floor plan. You're familiar with the space, but no one else can tell what is located where.

Here's a bigger copy of the relevant pic. I can't take new ones right now, all the baby stuff is crammed into those rooms. I'm not sure if this is more clear than my original post...?

Other than that I think the window would have to be more of a skylight.

I mention this because regardless of what numbers we give you, the estimates you get could vary widely. Just off the top of my head, and based on the cost of adding windows to my house, I'd say, easily, under 3K. Maybe even under 1500, depending on the exterior height and accessibility, and if you do some of the painting and finish work yourself. But if you're talking a dormer, then closer to 3K or over.

I got pella architect series windows for 700 ea, and the labor to install them (where there had been nothing before), including aprons, sills, interior and exterior trim, staining, painting, etc., was less than 1K per window. I actually don't know the exact cost because there was other work too.

I know this is very meandering, and I hope one of the building pros chimes in, but maybe it's still useful input.

It looks like a good space, nice proportions, especially like the steep roof angles. Please repost when you're done with it.

Carla in Sac

I'm hesitant to get a contractor out at this point because it's work we aren't going to do until next year at the earliest, so for now it's a bit of a waste of both their and our time. Was just kind of looking for what others have experienced. I know that can vary widely, but I figured in general the estimates could be within a few thousand, which is plenty close enough at the dreaming stage ;)

We do have Angie's List - invaluable for the old house owner =D

I know my contractor neighbor will do some small fill-in jobs in order to keep his crews together. Times are tough, and if you do have a chance to get to know contractors, and can find one you have confidence in, you'll be way ahead of the curve. Pictures are fine, but having him/her LOOK at the place, he will better judge and may have some useful ideas for you. It does not hurt to ask, you know.