Victorian Bay Window Roof Construction

Bay windows are typically rectangular or polygonal and the most common internal angles are 90 135 and 150.

Victorian bay window roof construction.

Parapet wall on a early victorian butterfly roof aka london roofs rock page 323 in effect making victorian houses function. Don t get me wrong. Bay windows are a prominent feature of victorian domestic architecture but were originally incorporated into designs during the english renaissance period as a means of making a room appear larger providing better views and admitting more natural light than a window which was flush with the wall line. Canted bay windows with a straight front and angled sides became a particularly fashionable and popular characteristic of middle class victorian houses and villas.

When a bay window is installed on a gabled end or in the middle of a wall and there s no roof overhang right above it a small roof or skirt must be built over it. To get started building the bay window roof frame take a 2 by 6 ledger board and nail it onto the back wall. Roof skirts must also be built above any window that sticks out beyond an overhanging eave. Large bay window on a small house.

Dating from the time of construction is compounded by gradual erosion of materials over time long term neglect of mainte. Being relatively heavy they have caused some roofs to sag alarmingly. These original bay windows are usually found in reception rooms most commonly at the front of the house. Cracking around bay windows.

Bay windows encompass all aspects of masonry measuring setting out template making banker work carving and fixing. Interlocking concrete tiles also look clumsy and are unsuitable for areas where intricate detailing is required such as on bay windows. In the 1980s many victorian houses had their roofs re clad with large interlocking concrete tiles. You may also want to install long screws to affix the board even more securely.

The bay windows usually had their own roof made of tiles or lead. A common problem that occurrs with bay windows is that they have often have little in the way of foundations and so settle at a different rate to the rest of the house. Bay window italianate late to the party in the 1880s these took over flat front italianates when lot sizes got smaller which resulted in using bay windows to increase square footage. I seem to be the go to man in southwest london for bay windows.

Replacing timber sash windows with sealed double glazed units without any compen. Also it is common for small trees to be planted in the front gardens of victorian properties which draw water from the soil and can cause the bay.