External window becoming internal

[2plus1]

We are having extension plans drawn up with a family room added to the rear of the house. There is currently an open plan kitchen/diner with a window at the kitchen sink and patio doors from the dining part into the garden. When the new room is added it will be accessed via the patio door opening. But the kitchen sink window will look into the new room. We need to keep light coming into the kitchen so should we retain the upvc window? If we take it out it would be an odd opening between the two rooms. What would you do?

[RedHelenB]

We had an external door & window into our conservatory & it is fine.

[lalalonglegs]

Sorry, I always think it looks really odd and kind of cheap. I would ask an architect for some alternative solutions.

[Thinkingofmyfabfour]

We will have something similar if we do our extension. The plan is to keep the external stonework exposed (granite) as a feature of the new room, and keep plenty of light into the existing room. I don't think it is a problem tbh

[2plus1]

Thank you for your replies. I just cannot visualise what it will look like at all. Part of me thinks it will be ok retaining the window but another side thinks that it needs to look less 'external'. Will have a chat with our architect for ideas too.

[wetaugust]

If it were a conservatory I'd keep the UPVC window - as conservatories don't retain heat.

But if it's a proper brick built extension then I'd take the window out so the extension becomes part of the house rather than a tacked-on box with the original windows still in place. TBH, you need to move the sink..

[ReluctantBeing]

We live in a bungalow, and a conservatory has been added to the back, so what would have once been an external window on our bedroom is now internal. It's good for light, and also for air. It means I can keep the window open at night too, which I might not want to do if it was external.

[shoom]

I've seen this a few times, never done in a way that doesn't seem odd. You may not get as much light through the now-internal window as you'd like. Personally I'd try another option. As a pp said, if the extension is at all conservatory style, and depending on the position and sunlight, then the new room could be either very cold or very hot with only a month or two each year of being pleasant.

[2plus1]

The new room is a brick built extension with tiled roof. There will be velux windows in the roof above but positioned by the existing kitchen window and patio door opening, so maximising light. So the external wall that becomes internal will be plastered for a paint finish. The kichen sink ccannot be moved either. maybe a stained glass feature window?

[shoom]

If you're keeping the existing patio door maybe the window frame will look less odd because they are both external style.

I expect your setup (furniture etc) in the new room favours looking out rather than at the kitchen, so that would help.

Good luck speaking to your architect. I hope they either reassure you or provide options you like.

[wetaugust]

2plus
As it's a #proper# extension that you want to blend into the house the external window has to go. It will have external window ledge so will look very odd.

You could just leave a hole where the window was - but that would look very strenge - like a giant seving hatch. Or create a new drylined wall - which you don't want to do because of the light. But you could o that and have a horizontal internal window at ceiling height to let the light in (as some bedrooms have above their doors). or a series of small internal square windows at ceiling height which would look like a design feature. That would look OK.

Otherwise the options for walls would be glass bricks? stained glass? frosted glass?

Are you sure there is no way you could move the sink? If you keep the window the new room will always look like a box tacked onto the the house and not an integral part of it.

[shoom]

^^ This is what I meant in my first post, when I said I'd seen it (external windows becoming internal) a few times, but thought it looked odd. Sorry to be negative but in the instances I've seen, it looks like the owners have tried to do an extension on the cheap, rather than making the best use of the new layout options and space.

[wonkylegs]

At the very least you need to replace the external UPVC with a more internal style frame.
I'd go for a timber window with an etched design on it.

[2plus1]

Yes I think I am now considering an internal wooden frame with a feature glass or maybe the glass blocks. This way the window from the new sitting room will not be upvc but more of a feature. The existing upvc window can be re-used in the extension as it is only 6months old. Any other suggestions are welcome too! Thank you for your comments.

[TheCatThatSmiled]

I once saw this done with frosted/patterned glass and glass shelves. No window frame as such, it let the light in and was rather useful for keeping glasses & pretty ornaments.

[shoom]

Reusing the uPVC window sounds ideal.

I'd probably think about changing the shape and position of the internal window, maybe something higher up and longer. Losing the bulky uPVC frame and aiming for a less window-like look, whether that's shape, type of glass, coloured glass or even going for a fabric panel may work well.

The good news has to be that your not the first person with this problem. Hopefully your architect. ha a few options for you to consider. Have you tried pinterest? There are loads of home design ideas there.

[NoComet]

DF still has a window between her dinning room and the playroom extension. You really don't register it unless the curtain is open and the playroom light is on.

I think it's a wooden frame.

[ContentedSidewinder]

If you make your window a feature with stained glass or use glass blocks you will lose your view into your garden. There is a reason most kitchen sinks are positioned in front of windows.

What about making the current external wall half height wall (assuming you could relocated any wall units) they did this on Sarah Beeny's double your house program. I've just tried to find it but I can't remember which episode it is on.

They do it with a playroom, so the landlocked room in the middle (your kitchen) has a half height wall to allow light in and the kitchen in the extension feels like a separate room. It is a bit higher than your worktop, creating an upstand effect.

My friend did the extension add on and retained a window and to be honest it looks cheap. I have just had a kitchen extension built and at one stage I had an external room with the original kitchen window and it was very dark until they knocked the entire wall out.

I have a massive velux too and it floods the kitchen with light but you will be surprised at how dark your kitchen is. At our previous house the previous people had put a conservatory on the back of the dining room and I couldn't believe that a glass structure could make the dining room so dark.

[PollyE]

I have the same scenario. Currently have open kitchen/diner and the hob looks out onto the garden and I really like the extra light coming in too. Want to extend which means this external window may look odd but don’t want to lose it. I’ve looked at online ideas and seen one picture where the window has been turned into a shelving feature, looked great and still adding light!

[GrumpyHoonMain]

@shoom

^^ This is what I meant in my first post, when I said I'd seen it (external windows becoming internal) a few times, but thought it looked odd. Sorry to be negative but in the instances I've seen, it looks like the owners have tried to do an extension on the cheap, rather than making the best use of the new layout options and space.

Yes this. Also consided that when / if you want to resell prospective buyers may want to haggle the cost down so they can ‘fix it’ or rebuild the extension. Locally houses like this with external windows / doors (sometimes even entire sets of windows or a whole conservatory) tend to go for a lot less (30k+ less) as it makes family living difficult.

[OnTheBenchOfDoom]

I wonder what the OP did in the end, because this thread started in 2013