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Hallways Polls Design Dilemma

should we keep these internal windows??

2 years ago

Our recently purchased 60s house has these internal windows (transom windows?) from front bedroom and back bathroom into the stairwell/landing.

Before we moved in we thought we’d board them up, but having lived here a bit I think we’d miss the natural light they bring in.
stairwell is in centre of house so if all doors upstairs and down are shut there is no light at all coming in except through these windows. hate the thought of getting up in the morning and having to turn landing light on!

My husband still votes to lose them, I think keep them but maybe update to more modern frosted glass.

Would love your opinions please

and if anyone has similar thing would love to know what you’ve done with it

keep them as is

keep them but new glass

board them up

Featured Answer

Wumi

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

If you want to save the staircase, you could just renovate them (if the’re in good nick)

Leave the posts in place and refit the horizontal balustrades so they’re notched into the posts rather than fixed on the face. Add a top rail in some nice wood.

Comments (22)

Wumi
2 years ago
Why not keep the ones above the doors and board up the rest? If the glass in smooth (not ribbed) you can just install some translucent static cling film to get the frosted look.
Becci C
Original Author
2 years ago
I hadn’t thought of keeping just the door ones, definitely an option. As the other rooms don’t have it, would it look strange if only 2 of the 4 doors upstairs had them though??
unfortunately the bathroom ones are textured so the frosting sheets wouldn’t work there, the bedroom ones are smooth.
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Wumi
2 years ago
Textured on both sides? Where are the other doors in relation to the these ones?

You could cover up all but the bathroom one if it looks weird but I have been to plenty houses/flats where there are some doors with and without windows above the door and never thought it look weird.

Another option is to cover all and get a full/partly glazed door for the bathroom.
Richard L
2 years ago
I'd spend some time hunting down retro decoration ideas from the house's period 60s, 70s...?

By the time you did that for a while you might get into the whole look.

Boarding up as a last resort - it looks like they are the primary lightsource for the stairwell.
Jules Mc
2 years ago
How about having some reeded perspex cut? Looks good with black surround (architraves,frames etc)

https://www.sheetplastics.co.uk/6mm-clear-twinwall-cut-to-size?gclid=CjwKCAjwgb6IBhAREiwAgMYKRkKY8iyS9qKOwwwKrnxU8eOKzXTmKObyetk4q5qgSFYcd9fAyd2-QxoCgRwQAvD_BwE
Sarah L
2 years ago
I've boarded up the one above my bedroom door and installed a sun pipe. It gives much more natural light.
Becci C
Original Author
2 years ago
thanks everyone for the suggestions.

@wumi attached photo of upstairs, all 4 doors are next very close together, looking at it again though I think it would look fine with just the 2 transoms as it would still be symmetrical.

@richard, completely agree and have done exactly that and that’s what’s leaning me towards keeping, I have a bit more appreciation for the quirky 60s features than i did before.

I’m now wondering if what we do with the windows depends what we do with the banister too. We’re undecided whether to keep that in 60s style or replace with something more modern. any thoughts??
Becci C
Original Author
2 years ago
p.s we’re planning on oak or grey doors, undecided on exact style but they will be more modern, not sure it’s possible to have nice doors that lean in to 60s style!!??

light fitting will move over the stairs and i’m thinking something similar to attached, tall wall by stairs will have large nature themed artworks probably in black frames.
Becci C
Original Author
2 years ago
thanks Wumi, great suggestion, I think refitting like that will really improve and modernise but still be sympathetic to the property era. and maybe keeping just the door transoms as your earlier suggestion will be a similar approach, a modernisation with a nod to the era.
Jill Harris
2 years ago
I'd consider adding a light tube from the to the landing ceiling & boarding them up.
Angie
2 years ago
We had some windows like that in the bathroom in our previous house which was 60s built. Made a significant difference to the light on the landing so I wouldn’t recommend covering them. Different if they are for bedrooms of course as the sleeper will be disturbed when anyone puts the landing light on! You could always change the glass for a nicer pattern.
Great ideas given re the stairs btw.
Angie
arc3d
2 years ago
Sun tunnels are your best bet if you really dont like them, but me personally, I would keep them.

Painting them dark grey and the doors a bright yellow would make your house really groovy!
Becci C
Original Author
2 years ago
wow that certainly is ‘groovy’, I think my husband might have a heartache if i even suggest yellow doors!
after everyone’s votes and suggestions i’m now set on keeping them! i just have to win the husband round. He’s vetoed sun pipes so it’s the windows or nothing. I’m going to cover them over with card to show him how much we’d miss the light, hoping that will win him over! thanks again everyone for taking the time
Pauline Luxford
2 years ago
I personally love them. I'd be fascinated to know though how much Sun pipes cost to supply and fit? I'm in the West Sussex area.
tim_baker921
2 years ago
I had a 60's bungalow with these windows and needed to remove one when combining a bathroom and loo.

In my opinion simply boarding over the frame would look a mess. To do the job properly I had to carefully remove the old brittle glass. Cut back the frame and create a rebate. Insert an additional stud, board over and skim with plaster. It's quite a fiddle but the materials are cheap if you have the tools and time. I employed a plasterer for skimming.

I would strongly advise leaving things as they are, changing the glass if you prefer and spending your money elsewhere.

If your other half can't live with the transom windows, and looking at your photos I would remove glass and frames, insert additional studs, board and skim. You could then extend the cornice right round the room but you might have to move the loft hatch over too.

If you are considering altering your stairs your balustrade doesn't look like it would pass current building regulations. For child safety you must not be able to pass a tennis ball through any of the gaps. You don't have to change it but most professionals would want any upgrade to meet current regulations.

Good luck with your new house.
Sarah L
2 years ago
@Pauline Luxford I paid £840 to have a 10" sun pipe supplied and fitted 3 years ago in Wiltshire.
Pauline Luxford
2 years ago
Thank you Sarah. I have a dark little area at the top of my stairs, that I feel would benefit from one of these fitted, so thank you :)
Becci C
Original Author
2 years ago
@tim_baker. we definitely wouldn’t just board over, we’d remove all the frame then board out flush with wall (fortunately have a chippy brother in law to help!) and the walls are textured/artex currently so it all needs skimming anyway. interesting point re balustrade, I thought it was a max 10cm gap that was allowed (based on similar issue at previous house) but perhaps that’s changed or i’ve remembered wrong, will have a look into this, thank you.
Becci C
Original Author
2 years ago
update for those still interested!.....
I have finally got the husband on board with keeping the windows! (only by covering the windows with cardboard to show how awfully dark it was! he immediately agreed! we even tried just uncovering the door ones but still too dark, it’s amazing how much light they bring in!)

but we would like to replace them completely with more modern glass and frames, something like this image I found.

any thoughts on where we can source something like this?? or alternatively who we would contact to do for us?? we have a glazer in the family but he only does upvc, and we have a carpenter but he doesn’t seem keen to tackle anything glass related!
Richard L
2 years ago
Good call - and excellent for not rushing into one option.

They are already timber frames - stripping back the paint and refinishing is an option if you have the time/diy inclination?
Becci C
Original Author
2 years ago
thanks Richard. we are happy to do that kind of thing ourselves, I just don’t know if we’d be able to achieve a finish like the image with what we have? I really like the clean oak look.

maybe we’ll rip of all the architrave/trim and sand back the rest of the frame to see what the wood is like and go from there.

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