One of the best things about building a house is all the decisions you get to make that aren't possible when you buy one. Renovating lets you make decisions too but not on the same scale as building. I think that is why we have been warned that this process will test our marriage. Every decision we have to make is also a possible disagreement. So far our biggest tension has been over windows. Everything from the number of them to their type and placement.
Mr. Dometastic sees them as a weak point. This stems from those hoards of attacking neighbors. I see them as a needed functional and aesthetic feature. We have had some of the strangest conversations in regards to windows. Everything from looking up how much bullet proof glass would cost us.... to watching YouTube videos of people smashing glass blocks. Initially, just like our design reference house, we wanted a wall of windows in the great room with a 40% cut back.
With any luck our house will not look like a giant fish eating a deck if we don't place a circular window for an eye.
Mr. Dometastic initially agreed to all this breakable glass but just like the skylights he began to resist. The more he thought about it the more it bothered him. We ended up with two compromises.
1. Security shutters
Those pesky fire codes say that you must be able to get out if there is a fire or other emergency. For those egress windows and the bottom layer of glass in the cut back area we will install motorized metal security shutters. All other areas where the windows only function for light we will use glass blocks. And yes, I actually had to do some research on how breakable glass blocks are to get them to pass the attacking hoards test. It turns out you can break them with a sledge hammer but it doesn't do you much good if they are installed with space in between. I actually prefer them with space in between anyway. Lets be honest here.... glass blocks can be super dated and tacky. A whole wall of them reminds me of town offices/schools that were renovated in the 1960's/70's to be more "modern". Now when you walk into those buildings you cringe and wonder what they were thinking and why it smells so funky. Maybe in twenty years we will regret using the blocks but right now I like them as a design element that is secure and lets light in.
Our egress windows will be large circular ones. I figured if we only get to have a few of them I wanted them to be big and really cool. We found a company than makes ones that are as large as 92". That size is a bit overkill but somewhere in the 40-45" diameter would be nice.
Mr. Dometastic sees them as a weak point. This stems from those hoards of attacking neighbors. I see them as a needed functional and aesthetic feature. We have had some of the strangest conversations in regards to windows. Everything from looking up how much bullet proof glass would cost us.... to watching YouTube videos of people smashing glass blocks. Initially, just like our design reference house, we wanted a wall of windows in the great room with a 40% cut back.
With any luck our house will not look like a giant fish eating a deck if we don't place a circular window for an eye.
Mr. Dometastic initially agreed to all this breakable glass but just like the skylights he began to resist. The more he thought about it the more it bothered him. We ended up with two compromises.
1. Security shutters
2. Glass blocks
Our egress windows will be large circular ones. I figured if we only get to have a few of them I wanted them to be big and really cool. We found a company than makes ones that are as large as 92". That size is a bit overkill but somewhere in the 40-45" diameter would be nice.
We do plan to put them in a bump out area like this reference image shows. It allows more interior room but then creates an exterior design challenge. We are brainstorming about that now. I am on the fence about going with organic curves that make the windows flow with the exterior or to make them angular in contrast to it.
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