Shower with Glass exterior wall

[mustlearntandem]

I have the opportunity to build an inside shower in a private location right up against trees 2 stories in the air. I would like to have clear glass as two of the exterior walls of the shower making a kind of treehouse shower. This is in the northeast U.S. so they would need to be thermopane glass. Has anyone ever seen this done? I figure it must have been done by someone before but I can't track down or get a handle on the types of windows I could use. I may be over-thinking the problem because it might be as simple as using high quality vinyl clad frames and a clever installation technique.

I'm open to all ideas or ideally a link to a web page showing how someone accomplished this.

Thanks.

[willshak]

on 8/21/2007 5:28 PM mustlearntandem said the following:

Will your wife be using it? Otherwise, I have no interest.

[mustlearntandem]

God I hope so... It also faces where my office will be!

[willshak]

OK! I don't see a problem. Office buildings have large thermopane windows. Just find a source. (and give me your address) :-)

[Richard Thoms]

Quote: mustlearntandem wrote on Tue, 21 August 2007 16:28

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Have you considered using a glass block system?

Checkout:

May not be as "open" as a full window but can be fairly clear and yet still also give some more privacy than a full glass pane.

-- Richard Thoms President - Top Service Pros, Inc. Connecting Homeowners and Local Service Professionals

[mustlearntandem]

also give some more privacy than a full glass pane.

Professionals

Thanks for the link - I'll check out the block.

[v8z]

Your best bet might be to contact some commercial glazing installers - many storefronts in the NE use insulated glazing (IG) units i.e dual-pane sealed. They would probably have the info on the available framing extrusions ( vinyl or AL), glazing units, and sealants that would do what you want.

[RicodJour]

The glass will have to be tempered, of course, and, depending on your specific locale, the glass might require an impact rating or shutters in case of high winds.

You could build the thing like a frameless shower stall - just glass, and caulked in the corner. As another post mentioned, contacting a storefront contractor is a good place to start. Also contact a frameless shower door outfit, though they won't be up on the code requirements.

R

[mustlearntandem]

Thanks for the ideas everyone! Yes, it needs to be storm-rated. If I go with block PPG has a rated system.