Regulations-height from floor to window cill

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pudzer

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Hi!

Am just about to start building a hosue and one of my many conditions of planning is to ensure that my windows have a 'vertical emphasis'. This is proving difficult as the floor to ceiling height upstairs is 2.4m and I believe that regulation state that we must have at least 75cm between the floor and the window cill? Btw, we have to have two windows in the bedroom (again, a condition of planning) each 1.2m wide.

Anyone have any advice on this one please?

Thanks for your help
 
You can give it vertical emphasis regardless of the ceiling height or sill height by making the vertical dimension proportionately larger than the horizontal one. You may have to put in several narrow windows to get the light you want and to satisfy the planning dept.

A friend of mine 'got away' with dividing the existing windows openings with a vertical timber panel to give a look similar to seperate narrow windows - this approach allows for more light than with seperate window recesses.
 
if your windows are 1200 wide x 1350 high they will have verticle emphasis... but personally i think 900 x 1350 is a better proportion....

if you are putting in uPVC windows i doubt the manufacturers will stand over a 1200 x 1350 openable section.... you could split it down the middle and have two (approx) 500 x 1350 openable sections, but while this conforms with fire regulations, it is possibly an unsafe dimension...could a heavily pregnant woman get out through that dimension???
 
Each window is divided into 4 sections. Personally, I don't agree with the current fire regs on upstairs windows but that's another story (e.g. you cannot have locks on your windows upstairs - I have small kids and I personally believe that the probability of one of my kids opening an unlocked window upstairs and falling out is higher than the risk of having a fire where I have keys either in locked windows or at a very convenient location nearby).

Anyway, I'm digressing.....the real question here is what is the minimum height from floor to window cill level upstairs?

I have looked up the HOmebond Builders Handbook but it doesn't state it clearly.

Thanks!
 
pudzer...
the ammended fire regulations include provision for 'restrictors' to be incorporated onto first floor windows... these work very well IMO.... you may have seen them, they are small metal catches at the bottom of the window, they restrict the openings to usually 100mm.... and can be undone without a key... children cannot undo them.... they are a great idea....

anyway, to answer your question, the minimums and maximum are set by the fire and ventilation regs.... the bottom of the openable section os a window in a bedroom should not be below 800mm (or 600mm in caseof a dormer or rooflight)....... therefore the usual head height is 2.1 m, so a height of 1350mm suits the ope (the window board and window frame brings the opening to over 800mm above floor level)

the fire regs state that a min clear opening of 0.33 sq m min is rquired (with a min dimension of 450mm.... therefore if your window opening is, say 500mm wide then you need at least 660mm height....)

but the ventilation regs come into this as well....

i cannot find it exactly right now, but i think there is some provision for the min height of the head of the window..
 
Thanks a million for that Sydthebeat. I must look into those 'restrictors' - I think I know what you're talking about.

Just as an aside - have you seen those inward opening windows - I think they're imported from Lithuania. I assume that the fire regs are the same for them i.e. do the fire regs specify that the window must open outwards (though I think I'd prefer if they did in case of fires).

Pudzer
 
no, the window can open inwards..... as long as the clear unobstructed ope is maintained it doesnt matter how it opens....
 
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