Two words: frosted glass.

Wantoretire......

We have the same dilemma........For now, I hung an inexpensive plastic curtain over the entire window to protect it from the water....I used a white plastic shower liner and cut it the length I needed....That is all I could think to do.....Would love to hear what others have done to protect the window from water damage....

skw

we had one of these in our old apt, and the geniouses they were, put wood trim around the window. I know, i cringe just writing this!

I saw an open house and a NEW constr house had this (which comepletely boggled my mind) but at least it was tiled all around!!

Our window had frosted glass - and it was a great help also.
I wish i had more help for you - but I just wanted to say I hope you find a good solution. I like the adapted-shower curtain idea also!

skw - that's what I have right now. Trying to figure out a setup that the curtain won't "be cold" on DH during winter but still protect the wood trim. The window faces dead north so no sun. AAARRGGHH.

Carol, in the northeast where it is VERY wet.

Mgerken....Our window has a wood frame too....In fact, we have 3 bathrooms and all have windows in the shower tub area.....All windows are lower than shoulder height....So it makes it very difficult to shower without wetting the window area...

Carol....I thought above having someone make a stained glass window mounted in a frame that would fit over the entire window...It would be similar to a storm window that mounts from the inside....The only downside I see to this, is the window could not be raised........but for now, I will live with the shower curtain cut to fit...its not a looker, but it does protect the window....

skw

Check out this link on the home dec gallery. She has the exact same bathroom window and she explained what they did.

In one bathroom, I do the clear shower curtain against the wall on a pressure shower curtain rod. This is the bath that my oldest showers in and it seems to be working to keep the moisture off the frame, while not obscuring the light.

In the main bathroom, the younger kids just use the tub, so we don't have the water problems. The previous owner used this bathroom for showers and did nothing to protect the frame, so it's a mess and I'm going to have to get it fixed soon.

Even though it's a pain to keep the frame protected, I love having the natural light and being able to open the windows. Our bathrooms are on the back of the house and high up, so privacy isn't an issue.

Gloria

Here is a link that might be useful: shower with window

Gloria....Thanks for the link....I always enjoy looking at pics of old houses, especially before and after....Kelly's window looks like a casement and ours is double hung....so it makes it so easy for water to enter around the frame in our bathroom....Also, our window is longer and lower than hers....

It is just the two of us & we are only using one bathroom right now....Like you, I love having natural light and I like opening the windows...When we remodel the baths, I think I am going to have a tub only in the hall bath....I am going to redesign the MB, leave the tub under the window and add a separate shower...The bath that we are using now is the problem, too small for a separate shower....so the tub & shower will have to stay put...and for now so will the plastic curtain over the window....

skw

skw - If by stained glass you are referring to a panel and not just one piece of glass: it shows water spots if you don't wipe it down; you'll also need to wax it occasionaly to protect the metal from oxidizing depending on what is in the water (the metal turns 'white' along the edges of each individual piece)

glassquilt....

yes, I was thinking about one piece of glass somehow framed so it could be mounted over my bathroom window....I thought it would make a nice decorative feature besides protecting the window...but, it was just a thought....I have not talked with anyone that does stained glass....

thanks for pointing out the potential problems I could have....I really would not mind occasionally waxing the window to protect it.....but it probably isnt a good idea anyway, because the window could not be raised....

skw

I bought inexpensive VINYL (not aluminum) blinds for mine... they seem very period -- and at under $10 a set -- they look good and help protect the window. Other than that -- I just made sure I had a few coats of good paint on the wood trim -- eventually I'll strip it down to bare wood and use thompson's water seal and then repaint.

We put a pressure rod up high with a clear shower curtain which is the entire length of the tub, in my mothers house. This works great with the curtain fairly flat against the wall and hanging on rings so you can push it aside.

In our house, we are currently struggling with a window on the narrow wall far end that is located 1/2 inside the shower area. We use a 'L' shower curtain now which separates the shower from the window. DH is insistent on installing a shower door and pan instead of a tub and I'm trying to determine how to design this. Ideas - glass block with the shower door butted against it; or, a short shower 46" with 'L' glass with a narrow storage cabinet under the window. Can't move the window or expand the size of the bathroom.

I wish the window was not 1/2 way in the shower, it really makes it challenging!

years ago, when my mom remodeled the old bathroom, she just drywalled/tiled over the old window. didn't do much for fresh air and sunshine and i bet whoever bought the house wondered where in the heck does that outside window go to...........

I don't know what kind of tubs you have, I have a clawfoot tub. It doesn't have a window in it, I reconfigured the bath and I almost put the tub by the window, but the curtain ring I used was too long to put there. My curtain ring is the kind used for clawfoot tubs, but I would think it would work for any type, unless you have one of those fiberglass tub shower combo's. I got mine from Vintage Tubs. Mine came with the faucet and hand held faucet also, but you can buy them seperatly. Using something like that, you use 2 curtains. A person could pull both curtains open instead of just the 1 side like I do. Just a thought.

Terry