The "off the shelf" garden windows at HD are $500, but they are only 3 feet high, which will not look very good. We were planning on 42 inches, not 36. HD can get me a special order one for a little over $800. The best online price with shipping is over $1,000. A good quality regular window in a custom size (48W x 42H) is about $175. So here is what we are going to do...
After an hour of dreaming and scheming, we decided to do bumped-out windows on both the south and west sides. This will improve the exteror of the house, plus it will allow my DW to have all the window gardening space she would ever want. One spot will be heavy sun (well, at least heavy for western Oregon), and the other with sun only 1/2 the day.
I still need to do the final design of these, but here is what I have so far:
- Bump out the wall by 6 inches (2x6 + plywood), giving about a 10 inch sill
- Go with 48W x 42H for both windows
- Add wire shelves 1/2 way up
- Build out the exterior so it adds to the appearance to the house - see below
- 2 regular windows - $350
- Framing lumber - $150
- Siding - $100
- Flashing, roofing, insulation, trim etc. - $200
I did some searching on the web for exterior bump-out ideas...
This one adds to the architecural quality of the house - it has structure and an appropriate amount of mass. I think it makes a nice focal point for the front.
I think this one is horrifying - sorry if it's yours! It has only one purpose, deepen the sill. I am sure from inside it looks great, and this is likey on a hidden section of the house. Some mass around it would add a lot. This is also why I don't like exterior look of garden windows.
We have decided to not do a whole lot on the exterior of the house until the inside is done, but this will be an exception.
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