Windows

How to look at a window and understand if you

have problems with the window

If you need help and advice wit h regard to building surveys, structural surveys, structural reports, engineers reports, specific defects report, dilapidations or any other property matters please free phone 0800 298 5424.

Windows can show so much in a property, a distorted window can indicate that there has been movement in the property, whether this movement is important or not it will indicate to a Surveyor to look at the rest of the building to understand the whole construction of the building. However it is one sign that a good Surveyor will look out for.

Cracking

Chimneys are situated at roof level and above and are exposed to everything the weather can throw at them. Ironically, they are no longer generally used as they once were for the main fire of the house but more likely to be used either as a boiler flue or a flue to a feature fire. Deterioration to the chimney can still result in, at best, dampness coming into the property and, at worst, the chimney collapsing.

Typical diagonal crack to top right hand corner in a Victorian property Is it a problem or not?

Other signs as such things a cracking around windows and again if these cracks are important will depend upon the age, type and style of property. Some property types we almost expect to find cracking around windows are for example:

Crack to the rear of a Victorian terraced property is almost a standard crack which is caused by the leaking of the rear drain. However with this crack it is important in the scheme of movement in the whole building and can only be assessed by looking at the whole building.

Cracks in Georgian properties that are above and below the windows

If you look very closely in the photograph below the pen indicates where the cracking is. Is this a problem; only a survey of the whole property would establish this properly.

Georgian property	Close up of Georgian property

Cracks over Bay Windows

Bay windows typically have timber lintels above them and as such these can deteriorate over the years.
	Large bay window What lintels are holding this bay in place?

Cracking where older windows have been replaced with modern windows or doors

Many older windows and doors have structural integrity but when they are removed and replaced with a modern plastic window which has not got the same structural strength movement can occur in a property even though the lintel above is strong enough it may move to some extent.

Render can hide lintels and in some cases can be used to hide the lintels

Lintels may not always be visible due to being hidden the adjoining photographs show some examples.

What lintels are beneath this render?	Sometimes you cannot see the lintels or much of the windows at all!

Types of Windows

One of the important things when carrying out a structural building survey is to access the type of windows and from this to access what movement from this is typical. A good place to start with windows is to have a walk down to your local church or a very old property. Churches often have very ornate windows and have over the years as they have progressed and developed often had every type and style of window that there is to be had.

Church stained glass window

Arched shape windows

The arched shape window was the first style of window and the challenge was to produce an opening that literally stayed as an opening and did not collapse. In the years when this type of window was being built buildings collapsing was quite common. This resulted in a tall narrow window with a large arch and then this in turn meant that there had to be large rooms within, this we were told but are not sure if this is a rumour or not why the flattened arch shape window was invented!

What is Tracery?

A question we asked as a student was what is tracery as we often saw this in the Listed Building references on a property. Tracery is the detailing to the top of a window and normally relates to an arched window.

Flattened arch shape windows

With the building from the principles of the high arch shaped window the flattened arch shape window allowed room heights to be lowered.

Timber framed properties and timber lintels

We call this an introduction of the timber lintel, it could also be headed an introduction to the window for common man as windows with glass in were very much for the main buildings. By main buildings we mean churches and other places of importance to the community. A timber lintel allowed an opening in a modest a modest home which at the time often did not have glass but would have either been open or had timber shutters or, we have been told, oiled linen. Timber was used for everything in construction so it was natural to use it for a lintel.

Tudor timber framed building with timber lintels

Lintel defined

Did you know where the word window comes from?

Single window

The word window stems back to the Old Norse vindauga from the words vindr which means wind and auga which means eye therefore a wind eye. The Old English for window was eagþyrl which meant eye hole and for a door eagduru which meant door hole.

Multiple windows

The Swedish fönster and German fenster later gave rise to the English equivalent of fenester with the word fenestration still used to describe the layout of windows in a facade.

Brick and Stone lintels

Concrete lintel

In the Post War era and in the 1960's in particular it was the era of concrete everything and as such the lintel also had a concrete option. This sounded like a sensible move forward but we are now finding in modern houses that have concrete lintels that cold bridging can be a problem.
	Concrete lintel

Cold bridging defined

Cold bridging is caused by a colder element in the structure allowing coldness to pass through the structure much quicker when warm moist air is present in the property.

Metal lintel

From the 1970's onwards we saw metal lintels of various types; we now have what is known as a pressed lintel. Pressed lintels come in many different shapes and sizes with the boot lintel probably being the most common. A boot lintel allows the lintel to be put in place and hidden as it is to the rear of the wall by whatever material is being used to build the wall in i.e. typically brick.

Insulated metal lintel

Metal lintels have also seen to have a problem with cold bridging and we now can see that there are insulated metal lintels.

Other building surveying articles you may be interested in:-

Building surveys or structural surveys

Compare commercial surveys

Buying property at auction

Problems with roof windows, roof lights, sky lights

and light tunnels

Windows and The Great Fire of London

Glass

Independent Chartered Surveyors

If you truly do want an independent expert opinion from a chartered surveyor with regard to structural surveys, building surveys, structural reports, engineers reports, defects report, including things such as cracks, dampness, condensation, foundation problems, etc, dilapidations, home buyers reports or any other property matters please contact 0800 298 5424 for a chartered surveyor to give you a call back.

Independent professional advice on commercial property

If you have a commercial property, be it leasehold or freehold, then you may wish to look at our Dilapidations Website at www.DilapsHelp.com and for Disputes go to our Disputes Help site www.DisputesHelp.com.

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