Making the top of the windows higher?

I live in a brick brownstone conversion on the 4th floor. My windows on the front are incredible low… You can’t stand next to the windows if you are tall (if you know what I mean). I wonder if it will be worth it to enlarge the windows by making the top higher? How much would it cost?

d.dalia

in Doors & Windows 3 years and 11 months ago

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Guest User | 3 years and 11 months ago

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Glad you finally understood that 🙂

helen40

in Doors & Windows 3 years and 11 months ago

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@janedrew agreed. You are not the “qualified opinion” that anyone should trust.

Guest User | 3 years and 11 months ago

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You’re certainly entitled to your opinion as I am entitled to mine…

I’ve done this kind of work multiple times now in consultation with an engineer. This kind of work is performed in NYC fairly often. One must careful and evaluate the surrounding context and consult an engineer. It can be hard depending on the situation and what you may find when you open things . That’s not to say the works is ‘hard’ if done correctly with qualified people.

OP never mentioned redoing skylights or a roof . If one is adding work it’s going to get more complex. I didn’t recall see all these “additional items” in the original post. I’ll wait for OP to talk to an engineer which is what I suggested above. And that’s the qualified opinion that OP needs to trust.

helen40

in Doors & Windows 3 years and 11 months ago

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@janedrew what do you mean that its not hard to remove lintels and beams? Its a significant job and might require an engineer to assess the impact of the removal of the beams.

@urbandad has it right.

hkapstein | 3 years and 11 months ago

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I’ll add, there’s a ton of ways this could go sideways and end up costing 50k+ more than expected. Roof, waterproofing, problems with the century old brickwork, DOB demands a sidewalk shed to protect people against falling bricks, I can think of ten other things that could go wrong.

d.dalia | 3 years and 11 months ago

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thank you thank you thank you everyone for the perspectives! i do need to find someone who can look at my case specifically.

Guest User | 3 years and 11 months ago

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Removing lintels and beams not that hard just needs to be done correctly by a qualified crew.

Guest User | 3 years and 11 months ago

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Any construction project can become enormous but also doesn’t have to be. OPs almost never share the full story because they don’t want to give away too much or don’t realize they are not sharing relevant info such as “don’t own the house” or the “top of the window is inches away from the roof” We can all add points as this info trickles in but in the end without seeing the space and the situation, it’s hard. OP should call an engineer and a window company and start moving this towards a decision.

resident2 | 3 years and 11 months ago

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You do not specifically state what form of ownership you have, but if you are in a Co-Op or Condo …. I think it is going to be extremely difficult / expensive to get approval from the board.

Guest User | 3 years and 11 months ago

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Seems like an enormous job. Bare windows are in, but window treatments can help visually extend your windows, either high curtains or shades.

hkapstein | 3 years and 11 months ago

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Well I do agree with that concept, but if your rafters need replacing this cycle, they’re gonna need replacing. The best time to install a skylight is definitely when the roof is getting done. OP seems really fascinated with one minor issue that probably would not bother most of us, so I’d tend to agree that it may be a situation where OP would be happiest learning to love his/her space rather than renovating it. Let’s put a pricetag on it:

New windows, custom. Non landmark, vinyl, should be less than 5k. Could be less, but whatever, it’s hardly important. Demo, 1 day, 2 guys, call it 1k. Masonry and lintel, let’s say 3 guys spend a week working on it, 3500, plus markup, let’s call it 5k. Refinish with sheetrock, 2 guys 2 days with mud and skimcoat. Maybe 1500-2000. So you might be looking at like 10-15k, but with the labor and materials issues right now I’d guess you run higher.

Oh and you may need an architect and permit for this. You could get away with skipping it if you’re non-landmark, but it may be hard to argue this isn’t structural.

Guest User | 3 years and 11 months ago

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As someone who recently did a gut reno of a couple floors of an old brownstone, let me add my two cents, which if you know anything about reno budgets will quickly balloon to at least a nickel if not a dime… One you open up walls, and get deep into them, you could end up encountering all sorts of unpleasant (read: $$$) structural issues. I’d just buy a nice big mirror, put it on the wall ideally over a mantel, and call it a day. I don’t have any experience moving/removing lintels, but just thinking of the potential plaster/beam/facade-brick/mortar-repointing/cornice issues… it just seems like a project that could spiral out of control. As someone who ended up having to replace nearly all the roof joists while putting on a new roof, well… I’d also personally recommend against adding skylights!

hkapstein | 3 years and 11 months ago

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Do the skylights, look up and enjoy the stars. Changing those windows in the front will wreck the appearance of your building, and be a headache to accomplish, not to mention it will cost thousands. That’s my advice, but I guess I don’t have to live with the hassle of having avert my eyes downward to see out the window, so YMMV.

d.dalia | 3 years and 11 months ago

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[I made a little sketch ](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:C1sn:slice.png.jpg)

hkapstein | 3 years and 11 months ago

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Here’s a thought. It’s hard to comment without seeing the configuration, but messing with the facade might be harder than adding skylights. Since you have small windows on the 4th floor it seems like you might be on the top floor. If not, obviously you can disregard. Skylights present roof leak risks, but if done by a decent contractor, that wouldn’t worry me. You’ll get a ton of light, won’t change the appearance of the building facade, and it will totally change the feel of the rooms.

Guest User | 3 years and 11 months ago

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If the windows are close in size to the brick, there is probably not much room and you will have to enlarge the opening by removing bricks and the lintel.

Re the cornice, the only way to know for sure and be completely safe is to ask an engineer. Several names have been mentioned on this forum…Search for structural engineer. Perhaps you can email pictures to one of them and get an informal opinion. Then decide if it’s worth moving forward.

d.dalia | 3 years and 11 months ago

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Thank you for you responses so far!

The windows are not small necessarily (although they’re smaller than my downstairs neighbors’). Indeed there is plenty of light (plus there are three windows)… They’re just really close to the floor. If you’re really tall and stand next to them, your sight will be blocked. For a regular height person, you can’t see the sky through the windows until you sit down.

My windows are about the same size as the brick opening…

Yeah it did look that the lintels have to be moved upward… but i assume they can’t be too close to entablature? (cornice?) at the end? Right now they’re probably just several inches apart (just about the height of a lintel).

If that’s too much work, maybe I should just continue hanging my curtains higher.

Guest User | 3 years and 11 months ago

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Thanks for confirming. I am not sure I understand what you meant by ‘you can’t stand next to the window if you are tall’. Do you mean you can’t look straight outside?

It’s worth it if it’s going to bring in light. It’s not going to cost that much for the window work but will vary based on current vs. future size. The engineer’s visit could run you $500- $1000

1. Consult with an engineer as if you are enlarging at the top; there will be a lintel above the window that will need to be moved.
2. Is your window frame a lot smaller than the brick opening outside?

d.dalia | 3 years and 11 months ago

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Nope