How to Strategically Place Bathroom Windows


Windows in a bathroom are really important! Why?

  • They create light, feel and fresh air.
  • They must be balanced with privacy.

Because I live in downtown Portsmouth, I can sit at my kitchen island and see in 3 different bathroom windows. Honestly, it’s not good. My neighbors all laugh about it but it makes me very aware of the issue when designing.

CLICK HERE to read my blog post about downtown living and privacy

 

For the house featured in this image, it is located more in the country but still on a busy road and neighboring a UNH research farm. The better views are out the back of the house so the bathrooms ended up in the front of the house on the roadside. This is fine but we needed to be strategic about how to place the bathroom windows.

One hard and fast rule that I follow in design is the front window layout and how the windows relate to the overall Front Elevation. On the back of the house, I often depart from such strict rules and design more for function and interior layout. In this home, you can see that the small windows are over the secondary garage door and also in the stepped back addition. These are all aligned vertically as well as horizontally. In this blog the first floor front left two windows are both in the bathroom showing you again how important design layout is to the project.

CLICK HERE to read my blog post on this home!

From the interior, two windows ended up in the large shower that is 9’ x 4’ and hung at a height that assures privacy. The other window is over the toilet. Since this home has a new truss roof system, we were able to have a 13’-0” ceiling height. This allowed for windows to be installed above the sink mirrors. Not pictured here are three transom windows that align over the two vanities and a storage cabinet.

CLICK HERE for another creative way to consider a window with a sink

CLICK HERE for more information about Selecting the Right Window

Obviously, windows are an important design element but they are also very, very expensive and not something to make a mistake on.

If you need help with your windows, let me know!

 
 
 

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