Cutting an opening for a window?

[Ian H]

I was hoping to get the front of this extension dropped and rebuilt but the bricky I like to use is busy and I'm **** at laying bricks.

I want to get it raised up and a window in as soon as possible before the roof gets done.

If I were to cut the opening now and raise it up myself would I be asking for trouble when it gets rebuilt? The new bricks are the same size so I can't imagine any problems other than having to fit some wall ties around the new opening.

Was thinking of leaving 4.5 bricks to the right and 3.5 to the left. Top level with the small window and bottom a couple of bricks lower.

What do you think?

 

[^woody^]

I'd suggest dynamite.

 

[pilsbury]

I'm only suggesting this because I too am **** at laying bricks so have gone down this route...... How much would it cost to knock the extension down and rebuilt? Could you not do the minimum required brickwork yourself, if a little ragged, and render the whole front of the house? How would that fit in with the look in the street or what you're after?

 

[Ian H]

It would be the only rendered house and it's a semi so not really an option.

The extension is solid, its just odd looking being so low and different bricks.

 

[Doggit]

If it's being rebuilt, then whatever you do now can be juggled afterwards, just don't finish off the plastering etc inside the room to allow for a little wriggle room if the window frame need readjusting. You can use plastic architrave to finish off the outside of the window, and just silicone to seal the gaps rather than superglue to fix.

As to crap bricking skills, have you tried using a brickmate. But pilsbury makes a good point to render, but I'd suggest monocoushe instead of render; that's spruce the house up nicely, and add value as well, and the savings on the bricky would go towards the render. The other houses may not be rendered, but a good finished job is far more important than keeping the house the same as the others.

 

[^woody^]

The frontage is all out of line and nothing harmonises. All the frames are out of alignment vertically and horizontally, are different, and that front box room window is sitting in some random place.

Render might hide the awful brickwork, but won't do anything for the actual appearance.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Couldn't find an Emu but got a pic of a kangaroo laying bricks....................if that helps!

https://www.clipartof.com/portfolio/djholmes/illustration/kangaroo-brick-layer-40159.html

Andy

 

[Ian H]

The frontage is all out of line and nothing harmonises. All the frames are out of alignment vertically and horizontally, are different, and that front box room window is sitting in some random place.

Render might hide the awful brickwork, but won't do anything for the actual appearance.

No **** Sherlock

I'm trying to polish a turd

 

[pilsbury]

They say you can't polish a turd..... but you can roll it in glitter..... or render.

 

[Ian H]

I'll try the glitter first

 

[Ian H]

Couldn't find an Emu but got a pic of a kangaroo laying bricks....................if that helps!

https://www.clipartof.com/portfolio/djholmes/illustration/kangaroo-brick-layer-40159.html

Andy

I've seen a monkey laying them too!!

 

[HERTS P&D]

Love it!

Andy

 

[Doggit]

God I love your sense of humour Ian; I think you ought to copyright that ostritch on this site.

But on a more serious note, and out of interest, what are you intending to do with the roof lines etc, as Woodys made a reasonable comment. You did post a picture of the next door house on a previous thread, but I can't find it.

 

[Doggit]

Just picked up next doors pictures. I can now see why the lines look wrong, and what you're trying to achieve. Just how much do you intend to copy next door though, and I can see why you wouldn't render.

 

[Ian H]

Cheers Doggit, have you been away these last couple of weeks? Haven't seen you posting much.

I'd like the garage and room above to have windows that look more original so was thinking of 3x550mm windows upstairs and 4x550mm windows downstairs.

They would be similar to the bay windows but the awkward/different heights of what's there already make it hard to imagine. So I'm not sure how deep to have them. The bottom of the bay window is too low and the bottom of the box room window too high

The roof will be taken across with new hips over the extension.