which comes first: counter-height windows or counters?

19 years ago

Do windows go in before counters or vice versa?

Due to the lack of natural light in my renovated kitchen, we're thinking of putting in large counter-height windows. The windows will replace the current French doors that we have to close in.

So do we close in the glass doors and put in windows now, when we don't have the floors done, nor the base cabinets and the counters (not sure whether they'll be 3cm granite or stainless steel sheets)? How do we know how low the windows should be?

I know some of you have AMAZING expansive counter-height windows (drool drool): what did you do?

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Comments (5)

monroviamom
19 years ago
We had windows in place prior to our renovation - however, we did replace the existing windows. I would make your decisions on counters, flooring, etc., to have a clear plan in place. From there, I would replace the windows (prior to having the new cabinets & counters installed) -- you don't want to damage your new materials with the window demo process.

Just my opinion...
Good luck!
shezzy_in_sj
19 years ago
The windows go in first, but you have to know what the height of your flooring is, (or if your cabinets will go on the flooring), the height of your cabinets, the height of your counter, and if your counter needs plywood support. It sounds like a lot to be sure about, and it is.

Are you working with a contractor, or are you DIY? We were DIY, but were getting our cabinets custom made so we were sure of our cabinet height, knew we weren't putting the cabinets on the flooring, knew that our 2cm granite needed the plywood substrate, and did the math to find the sill.

Also, what kind of window are you putting in? Will it have a crank? Will the crank clear the counter when it is installed. I remember I had to go to the window showroom and do a measurement for the lowest reach of my awning window crank.

The windows then went in (we had gutted the space), and then the cabinets were installed, the plywood put on, and the granite installed, with the fabricators cutting around the corners of the window jam.

Here is a picture, (not a very good one) of our awning windows at counter height.
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User
19 years ago
I put in a counter height window after the cabinets were in, so any necessary shimming wouldn't mess up the height. The window should be installed before the counters are templated if you want the countertop to extend onto the window sill area.
You need to know the exact heights of everything ahead of time so it all matches up.

It is nice for the counter to extend onto the sill but unfortunately, it snowed the day of my window install (the only snow of the whole year) and the counters were templated before the window was put in. So I ended up with the counter being installed the same day as the window. Talk about chaos.
I still haven't filled in that tiny strip of sill because I am still irritated about the chain of events. I am hoping when I get soapstone counters put in my bathroom, they can add the strip to the counter. Since soapstone has an invisible seam, it should look okay. It was one of the few things I paid for because I was nervous about the height of the cutout but it was not a big deal for the guy that did the work.

by the way; shezzy; I love your butcher block piece!!!!

{{!gwi}}
abbycat9990
19 years ago
We closed in full height windows. There was some guesswork involved in determining the size of the new windows, but we had the wood floor already in place.. Basically, we measured up 36" for cabs & counter, and measured from that point to the top of the existing window opening. We wanted a square, fixed window, so we settled on 47" x 47".

In retrospect, we could have gotten 48 or 49" windows, as they had to rip out all the old studs and reframe the windorw, BUT the windows were the first thing we ordered because Pella needs 5 weeks lead time.... Oh well.

Anyway, this is what we ended up with:
shezzy_in_sj
19 years ago
Cleo_2007, thank you very much. I do too!

The drawers hold knives, extra cutting boards, and onions, potatoes, fruit, and extra misc. things like my pasta drying rack and DHs BBQ tools. The back of it, where you can't see, has a pull out shelf to put my bowl to rest while I'm chopping, so I have the full 24 inch by 24 inch for chopping action. It's on casters too.

It was fun to design it and my cabinet maker did a great job.