Window through chimney breast

Jun 06, 2005 29 Replies

Hi Colin

AFAIK its comes from just after WW2 when a huge house building project was started. The concept was; Dad at work, mum at home, children playing in garden. Mum could keep an eye on Janet & John whilst washing up, peeling spuds, whatever. That's also why the kitchen is at the back of most houses of that era.

Dave

Oh what a load of bollocks.

Mary

More practically, the bathroom is usually at the back (because frosted glass windows don't look nice at the front of the house) so that's where the drains are, and having the kitchen sink under the window means the pipe can go straight through the wall and into a gully in the back yard.

Owain

They don't look nice from inside the house either!

But I've noticed that a lot of front porches are now being glazed with frosted glass.

That's more like it.

Mary

They just preferred natural light.

Now mum and dad are both at work, Janet and John are at school (or "after school club") from 8 till 6, and the garden's overgrown. That's progress for you.

So, did you take the opportunity and bury her under it?

Andrew

Too true, Dave

On the basis that every challenge is an opportunity, I now know all about suitable lintels for solid brick walls. And I suppose that it will make the kitchen lighter, which was always a problem. Someone on another thread said that one benefit of DIY is that you can change and adapt and have more time to think things through, as you plod along, and that is definitely the case in this project. Once it's finshed it will be a really nice room. Now, who knows anything about built under cookers...............?

Alistair

I'll be reading everything you say, definitely ;-)

Mary

Why a window ?

A Periscope would give a much superior view, and you wouldn't have to knock a hole through the wall. :-)

John

Pedantically, yes.

But you need to peer at a pe(e)riscope to get the view.

Mary

John

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