In today's installment of Adventures in Loft Living our focus turns to our window sills that have seen better days. You take the good with the bad in a space like this, but it doesn't mean you can't do anything about it. Click through the jump to give your thoughts on this crumbling situation.
We have large amount of windows down the south side of our loft space (the amazing views of the sunrise and sunset are both something to be jealous of!). Only a few of them have 100% complete brick work. The others could use a little attention.
We have been racking our brains trying to come up with a solution to their decay. If we wanted to preserve the architectural integrity we would slave over each sill and inlay the brick back in. That process seems a bit laborious so we've been looking at other alternatives.
Here's what we came up with, tell us which one you like, or an idea of your own below!
(Photos by Sarahrae, who because she still doesn't have internet up and running is operating from the local coffee shop and isn't the best at photoshopping her ideas on a laptop!)
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Comments (19)
The last is certinally the nicest, an alternative to "stilts" would be to mount part of your new sill to the brown/unfinished wood part of your windows.
I'm thinking window seat.
I'm thinking these are going to be VERY COLD windows without the sealing action of complete brick work/window sills. If you own, just get them repaired. If you rent, the bean bag idea may help to reduce air infiltration in the windy city.
I'm thinking that calling in a licensed brick mason to come repair the sills properly is the best solution of all...
I agree with bepsf, get the brick repaired.
If you rent, the landlord should have repaired this long ago!
yeah, fixing the brick would be best
fix with brick.
If you have the spare bricks laying around, definitely fix it. If you're at all handy, doing so yourself wouldn't be all that difficult and wouldn't take any more time/level of skill than option 3 that you've proposed, which is the most appealing of the 3 options.
Exactly. Why not call a mason to repair/level/seal the sills? You'll have a nice level surface to put your plants and beanbags on and rain and wind won't penetrate the space.
Fix the brick!
fix the brick
Are you people nuts? This is Apartment Therapy! There's no problem that isn't solved by decorating!
Seriously, fix the brick. ;-)
fix the brick. there are no other options. and its super easy.
fix the brick! it'll only get worse...and more expensive...with time
Fix the brick, and have a mason do it. I can see someone tried to fix the problem using the wrong mortar (portland cement, the dark gray mortar in the pic). Using the wrong mortar can damage the surrounding bricks and mortar worse, as it is a different hardness and expands and contracts differently in the heat/cold.
A mason will be able to match the mortar color and content to your house, making the fix look seamless. Here in Baltimore there are even masons that use crushed oyster shells in their mortar as this is what was originally used in mortars in this area. A normal homeowner will most likely not know how to match and find the materials, let alone do a good job themselves.
In the long run, fix the brick, and have the Maison do it. If you just slap on some bricks and mortar, the wall will fail. The wall expands and contracts, and unless the brick and the mortar have similar amounts of lime and sand, they will expand and contract at different rates, falling apart.
In the short run, I like the 3rd idea with the box. You could put in some extra insulation too, under it if it is cold or drafty near the window.
Make sure you get that foam sealant covered quickly, UV light deteriorates it and makes it look even worse.
I don't think it'll matter much temperature wise whatever you choose to do, since you've already got exposed brick, which, frankly, isn't great thermally.
Fix the brick. If possible, a slate sill would be nice.