Windowsill cut into wall?!?!

[rjw117]

Decorating a couple of rooms in my house and have removed the old windowsills. Each of the sills has a slight overhang - as you would expect. I removed with intention of replacing and found something surprising. Rather than the wood being cut to size for the overhang - the brick has been cut to accomodate the windowsill. I have taken a photo below of the one I haven't taken out yet. I am a bit confused by this as it's obviously much easier to cut the wood to size so was a bit curious if anyone has come across this before or if it's just someone gone a bit rogue??? As you can see there is cracking in the plaster below and that's also below each of the other reveals.
I'm thinking that whilst I am sorting this I should do something to support the brickwork. But I could be worrying over nothing here! It is a terrace house c.1900 in construction.

 

[Tigercubrider]

That doesn’t really show anything.
it’s normal for them to be plastered in.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Decorating a couple of rooms in my house and have removed the old windowsills. Each of the sills has a slight overhang - as you would expect. I removed with intention of replacing and found something surprising. Rather than the wood being cut to size for the overhang - the brick has been cut to accomodate the windowsill!

I'll hazard a guess, here; it wasn't unknown for the brickies to lay up to the level of the window cill (that's the stone or brick horizontal piece below the window on the outside of the building - what you called the windowsill is actually the window board) and stop at that point whilst the carpenters installed the window, after which the brickies would continue laying brick. All that has happened in this case is that the chippie also installed the window board, possibly because some bad tempered bowler-hatted berk* was screaming and shouting at everyone to get the lead out. Whilst not common I have seen it done a couple if times (the built-in window board, that is, the gobby gaffer used to be a lot more common)

Doing things out of sequence does occur - in my experience it's more common nowadays than it has ever been. I think that speaks volumes about construction project management

I'm thinking that whilst I am sorting this I should do something to support the brickwork. But I could be worrying over nothing here! It is a terrace house c.1900 in construction.

I've seen 8 x 3in joists partly bricked into walls along their length. Those were original and maybe 150 years old and still in good condition and supporting 15 to 30 feet of masonry above them in every floor at one end of a 6 storey mill (we propped the wall, took them out and got the brickies to make good). Then there are all those wooden lintels...

If it is rotten, take it out and brick in (brick slips), otherwise it can be left if you are happy with that

* = foremen and managers used to wear bowler hats as a sort of badge of rank up to at least WWII - the workers generally wore flat caps or sometimes berets (at least in England)

 

[rjw117]

I'll hazard a guess, here; it wasn't unknown for the brickies to lay up to the level of the window cill (that's the stone or brick horizontal piece below the window on the outside of the building - what you called the windowsill is actually the window board) and stop at that point whilst the carpenters installed the window, after which the brickies would continue laying brick. All that has happened in this case is that the chippie also installed the window board, possibly because some bad tempered bowler-hatted berk* was screaming and shouting at everyone to get the lead out. Whilst not common I have seen it done a couple if times (the built-in window board, that is, the gobby gaffer used to be a lot more common)

Doing things out of sequence does occur - in my experience it's more common nowadays than it has ever been. I think that speaks volumes about construction project management


I've seen 8 x 3in joists partly bricked into walls along their length. Those were original and maybe 150 years old and still in good condition and supporting 15 to 30 feet of masonry above them in every floor at one end of a 6 storey mill (we propped the wall, took them out and got the brickies to make good). Then there are all those wooden lintels...

If it is rotten, take it out and brick in (brick slips), otherwise it can be left if you are happy with that

* = foremen and managers used to wear bowler hats as a sort of badge of rank uo to at least WWII - the workers generally wore flat caps or sometimes berets (at least in England)

Thanks so much for this very thorough and patient explanation! It is making much more sense now. I can see how that can/would have worked back when it was built. In the intervening years it looks like someone has taken the original board (gotcha on the terminology!) out and replaced with a cheap piece of MDF. So whilst I'll stop worrying my house will imminently collapse it seems prudent to add in brick slips as you suggest.