XP: Window in a shower

tlv204

I just posted this on the nest, but I like you guys better (so far, I'm still dipping my toes in the nest), so I'm curious about what you think. Here goes: H and I just bought an older house (82 years) which has a window in the shower of the original bathroom, and no fan/vent. We definitely plan to put in a fan, but I'm curious about the window. At the moment, there is a ginormous shower curtain across it, I'm assuming to protect the window casing from moisture, plus a little privacy (although the glass is frosted). There are also blinds between window and shower curtain, but that's mostly because the previous owner was a hard core paranoid older lady who never opened anything in the house and blocked out all light from what we can tell. If any of you have a window in your shower, what is your situation? Shower curtain over it? Some kind of paint/treatment to prevent moisture damage? Would it be best to close it up and get a smaller window that would be higher and out of the way of the shower spray?  Just leave it and assume that the people who built it knew what they were doing when they put a huge window in the shower?  I feel like I'm being really dumb about this and making it too complicated, but although I've seen windows in showers before, I've never actually had one, and for some reason it just seems like a terrible idea to me. Thanks!

Night_Sprite

Does it open?

sucrets4

My parents have one in the upstairs of their house.  Side story:  after I was born, they had the upstairs put on.  They had agreed to have the window on another wall, outside of the shower, but my mom was at work and my dad decided to change it.  My mom was pissed and still is pissed.  That was 30 years ago.Anyway, she bought a regular shower curtain (a pretty one, but waterproof, and it has the little suction cups on the side) and hung it over lower half of the window.  You can machine wash it, but honestly spraying it with Clorox Bleach Spray works much better.

tlv204

Yeah, it has to since there's no fan, to let the moisture out. It's not very effective and the window is pretty old, which is why we were going to replace it, but I'm trying to simplify things. (i.e. save money)

julezlee

I would take those blinds out ASAP. DH had a huge window in his old bathroom with blinds and those things got mold like crazy. What's the window facing? And HI!

casblanca2010

I rented an apartment that had a window in the shower. I made a tiny window shower curtain. It was drafty though. And Canadian winters tend to be nippy... so drafty showers suck.If I were you I would eventually close it up. Regardless of the treatment you use there still will be alot of moister on the wood.

squirrly

If there's potential for somebody to see in, I've mostly seen the warped looking glass blocks.  They're ok.  I think there are window casings that are watersafe (sort of like the outside of the window on both the inside and outside).  I'd prefer that, I think.  With frosted glass of some sort. 

sucrets4

Oh, I forgot to mention that she took the shower curtain and hemmed it so it looked like a real curtain but was waterproof.

Night_Sprite

My dad is a window guy so I called him.  A fan is your biggest priority.  Get a fan in there asap.  If you're replacing the window, vinyl is less expensive but don't perform as well.  There are some that are custom sizing (Anderson does this) to fit in an older house.  The fit and installation are the most important.

squirrly

Check this out.  I like the way they redid theirs.[url]http://www.houseinprogress.net/archives/001134.html[/url]

lpstl

I have no idea what's best to do, but I have a window guy if you need someone!

MidniteSun383

FI's bathroom is set up just like that. Right now there's a shortened shower curtain over it. We're planning to redo the bathroom soon and besides putting in a fan, we're also going to remove the woodwork around the window, and have a vinyl/water resistant window put in. So the tile in the shower will go all the way up to the actual window without any woodwork/edging or anything.

eastunder1

A house I used to rent had a window in the shower.  There was some type of contact paper looking stuff over the bottom half that still let light it, but you couldn't actually see anything.  You could maybe have made out  fuzzy shapes if you were *right* up agianst the window, but that was the extent of it.   I don't really know exactly what it was (window wallpaper? privacy decal?) but I bet home depot could tell you.  I liked it because the room was still bright and had a lot of light to it, which a full curtain would ruin. 

tlv204

Thanks night Well thanks everyone actually.I guess we'll go for the repainting with marine grade paint for now, then see how we feel after we get the tax credit!

Night_Sprite

How embarrassing.  Andersen Windows is actually what I meant.  (My dad is a manager of a company that does Andersen wholesales.  I could get a referral in the STL area if you want.)  In that company they have 5 grades of windows.  If you have more questions I can run them by my dad. 

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Our duplex was built in 1923 and we have the same situation, sorta. When FI walks outside and along the house when I'm in the shower, he looks in and scares me all the time.We have a window that slides open sideways and it's not huge. IT had a metal casing and is surrounded by tile, so there's no wood. There's a screen on it, which we did have to caulk last year (water attracts bugs, who knew?). The glass is frosted, though it's usually partially open because of the lack of fan. I'd say it's 18 inches high and 12-15 inches wide.Would I rather not have it there? Yeah, cause I worry about the neighbors seeing me in the shower. But it's a good source of light and that's the only outside wall in that tiny bathroom.

Simply Fated

I have a window in my bathroom... originally there was no fan, but I added one.The window is higher up.. it starts about chin level (I'm 5'5) and goes about about a foot and a half or so. It's wider than it is tall. I couldn't find a pretty waterproof curtain for it, so I opted for the only curtain I could get at the time, which happened to be a fabric floor length one. So, now I just wash the curtain every once in awhile and allow it to block the water from creating mildew on my new tiles, lol. I keep meaning to do something about that.I have that film to put over the windows, but I keep procrastinating putting it up. Even if I did put it up, I would still feel more comfortable using a curtain, since the bathroom is on the first floor and the window looks out onto the street.And, yeah, the reason for the window is moisture control.. it doesn't help that before I put the fan in, the window had never been open. The bathroom was a disaster before I gutted it out, lol.

danieliza1127

I've seen windows in showers before and I've never seen a shower curtain over it.  If the window is frosted, no one should be able to see in.  If you have it properly cauked and sealed, moisture shouldn't be a problem.  I would talk to someone at Lowe's or Home Depot when you go buy your new window, but really, I think that replacing the window and putting a fan in will do the trick.

JGY

We have these all over the place here in Minneapolis. Most of our bungalows were built in the 1920's, and at that time they had just bathtubs and no showers so the water on the window frame wasn't an issue. What I did, and what most people around here have done, is to install a new glass block window and then tile around it and right up to it so that there is no compromised surface (wood) to worry about. You can get the glass block windows custom made to your opening, and installed for you. I did the tiling work myself, but any handyperson worth their salt would be able to tile for you as well. The glass block can be purchased in a number of patterns, all of which would solve your privacy issue. My glass block window also has a little piece in it that opens, which is a nice vent option. But if I were you I would definitely still install the fan while you're at it. I think I read that you're in St. Louis? Try this link: http://www.qualityglassblk.com/ Good luck! JGY

vallyhoo

Why did my brain read the title as Wedding in a shower? Silly brain.