# Ever cover over a window?



## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

This has never came up before, but I have a customer who has a small octogon shaped window, probably 18"x18" in size. They want to move some walls around and this window would end up being split by a new wall. They don't care about keeping the window, so moving it isn't their desire, they would rather it just go away, however they are concerned with the costs and the finishing of the exterior of the house (stucco) after it is done. This window is on the back of the house on the 2nd floor and hardly noticible from the outside.

They were curious if we could just cover over it on the inside, maybe spray paint the glass black before doing so, so it would just be a dark little window on the back of the house. 

Has anybody done this? Is there any code issues? I'm wondering what the inspector is going to say when he comes in and sees a new framed wall going over this little window prior to the sheet rock making it go away? :laughing:


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## reveivl (May 29, 2005)

Dunno what your inspector would say, but I've done the same thing before. Paint it black, insulate, VB (if necessary there?) Here if you're not changing any structure he has nothing to say about it as long as VB and insulation is up to snuff.


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## AtlanticWBConst (Mar 29, 2006)

If he doesn't look at it from the outside, he'll probably just think that you took the window out, framed it in, insulated, & drywalled it.


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## C.C.R. (May 19, 2006)

I don't think it would be an problem. It's just a decorative window. It's not like your blocking an egress point. Like reveivl said, just treat it as any other part of the exterior wall. Go for it.


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## genecarp (Mar 16, 2008)

i would not paint the glass, it could scratch easily, cut 1/4" plywood, paint it flat black, install , black side out, insulate, rock over , spackle before ins comes,


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## Michaeljp86 (Apr 10, 2007)

genecarp said:


> i would not paint the glass, it could scratch easily, cut 1/4" plywood, paint it flat black, install , black side out, insulate, rock over , spackle before ins comes,


 
I wouldnt paint the glass myself. If you wanted to pull the window out you could cover the outside with a louvered vent and just have plywood behind it. Then you wouldnt have to woory about patching the outside.


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## TimNJ (Sep 7, 2005)

Get rid of it. Aside from it being tacky to leave it there you open yourself up to future problems if the window frame deteriorates and starts to leak. Any good stucco guy can match up the texture to blend it in.

This reminds me of a job I did last year. I pull up to the house, two car garage, and walk to the front door. Nobody answered the door and i hear music coming out the window to the garage. I look in the window and there was a full "mother-in-law" apt. where the garge was. I'm guessing this guy built the apt. with no permits and left the garage doors up so as not to raise any suspicion.


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## Michaeljp86 (Apr 10, 2007)

TimNJ said:


> Get rid of it. Aside from it being tacky to leave it there you open yourself up to future problems if the window frame deteriorates and starts to leak. Any good stucco guy can match up the texture to blend it in.


Im with tim, Id try to get rid of the window but good stuccos guys are not cheap.


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## GSE (Aug 24, 2007)

TimNJ said:


> Get rid of it. Aside from it being tacky to leave it there you open yourself up to future problems if the window frame deteriorates and starts to leak. Any good stucco guy can match up the texture to blend it in.
> 
> This reminds me of a job I did last year. I pull up to the house, two car garage, and walk to the front door. Nobody answered the door and i hear music coming out the window to the garage. I look in the window and there was a full "mother-in-law" apt. where the garge was. I'm guessing this guy built the apt. with no permits and left the garage doors up so as not to raise any suspicion.


The leaks in the future can ruin any future business.


Funny you brought up the garage doors, some people think the inspectors are dunnies, what is funny is now when they catch these mother-in-law built on's without permit, they padlock the house assess big fines, and sue for back taxes. You just got to love it. Then the homeowner tryes to find the hack that built it, but he is in another state, and on another welfare system.

In our state, it is just a matter of time, before they find these hack jobs, and close them down.


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## Susan Betz (Feb 21, 2007)

Actually, we covered over a bathroom window in our own house (our ongoing renovation project).

According to code, you either have to have a window or a ceiling fan in the bathroom. So first we had the electrician install a fan.

Then Lorne replaced the tub and put green board up the shower walls, right over the window. Just blocked it off. He tiled the entire bathroom, from the floor to about 8" from the ceiling. We haven't covered it over on the outside yet (it looks out on our lanai) but we will eventually. The house is stuccoed so it will be easy to blend it into the rest of the wall.


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## Brock (Dec 16, 2007)

Yes, we actually started the procedure here in the central US over 20 years ago, and everyone has followed suit (copied our procedure). The reason we started doing it is because many homes have a window centered above the tub. Showers were not installed until after the war. So to upgrade the tub only to a tub/shower combo we clean the interior glass with vinegar/water solution and then spray paint it black. We then drywall right over it and either tile or install post form tub surround. When you walk around to the outside of the window it just looks like the interior room is dark. Many times these old homes are brick and I don't care how long you been laying brick it's still going to look like a cancer patch if you try it. So this has been a win win situation for us and alot of other large remodeling firms in the area. No code violation at all.


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## A W Smith (Oct 14, 2007)

back lite it and put a silhouette of Norman Bates mom in it.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

mother?


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