The 1950 brick cape cod I bought has a window above the kitchen sink. The previous owners retro-fitted this window with a smaller window than what was original (same width, just shorter window in length). Instead of laying new brick up to the new window, they attached a piece of plywood and then vinyl siding over that! Needless to say, it's terribly inefficient when it comes to heating and cooling. Because I am going to gut the kitchen to the foundation walls (removing all plaster) I will have access to the window opening from the inside out and want to use this opportunity to properly fix the opening. I want to keep the window over the sink. However, I have never worked with brick or any masonry so I'm in desperate need of advice and guidance. I have attached pictures of what my foundation looks like from the inside. I'm assuming I'll need to lay new concrete block on the inside of the opening and then the new brick on the outside. The existing exterior concrete sill is cracked right down the middle and I don't think is salvageable. So I'm willing to to just lay new brick right over the broken sill if that's easier than trying to remove it. It might not be the most aesthetically pleasing option, but due to my lack of experience I want to take the path of least resistance! Also, my brick has ridges on the face - does anyone know what style of brick this is?
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