Page 187 - 2018 National Home Improvement

2018 National Home Improvement Estimator, All Rights Reserved Page 154

• Sill height can be lower in rooms used mostly for seating (living room).
• Sill heights can be higher in rooms used mostly for standing (kitchen).

Avoid small windows spaced evenly across a wall. Scattered windows cut up the wall space, making it
unusable for larger pieces of furniture, such as a book case. It’s better to cluster windows into one or
two areas and leave other wall space undisturbed. See Figure 8-11. If you have a choice, put windows in
south-facing walls, especially in colder climates. Winter sun is lower on the horizon, projecting sunlight
deeper into the room through south-facing windows. Summer sun is higher in the sky and will be shaded
even by a small overhang on the south side. In very warm climates, favor windows in north walls to avoid
heat gain. Avoid west-facing windows to limit solar heating during the hottest part of the day. Even a
large overhang is ineffective against a setting sun.

If you decide to close up a window opening, install vertical framing members spaced to match stud
spacing below the window. Keeping the stud spacing consistent simplifies the nailing of both interior
and exterior wall cover. Toenail new framing to the old window header and to the sill using three 8d or
10d nails at each joint. Install sheathing of the same thickness as the existing sheathing. Then add
insulation and apply a vapor barrier on the inside face of the framing. Make sure the new vapor barrier
laps over the vapor barrier in the remainder of the wall. Finally, apply interior and exterior wall covering to
match the existing wall cover.