changing windowsills?

T

TillyD

Registered User
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Is it a big job to change windowsills in a house? Renovating a house and the builder is putting me off changing the windowsills. The existing windowsills are 30 years old and look like they've been painted a 100 times or more! We're keeping the house windows, as they're only a few years old.

And one more question on windowsills how much would a 5ft granite windowsill cost just so I have a rough idea.

Thanks.
 
Granite is approx: 100 euro per foot as far as I know. (Counter top in Kitchen type of polished granite)


Stripping back the paint might save you hassle.
 
Definitely change them. When we were doing up our house after purchasing it we kept the windows which were new double glazed windows in an old house - but like you the sills looked as though they'd been painted since Noah was in the Ark. The builder convinced us it was a lot of work to change them and we kept the sills - he even replicated them in a new window in the garage conversion. They really take from the look on the house and I'm very sorry I didn't insist on them being done. I now know from following the work on the house that it would have been quite easy to replace the sills considering the other work which was done on the house
 
Granite actually costs about 30 euro a metre for 10 inch deep cills which is what you would use for a normal 4 inch cavity wall. Changing them out completley would be a massive job though both labour wise and time wise so I would not recommend it.
 
Thanks guys.

Nedtastic... how massive of a job is it. By the way I should have mentioned it would only be two windows because the way the extension is being built it will need no windowsills in the end bedroom and sitting room, building out each end.

So is it worth the hassle for 2 windowsills considering the windows either side are going to be new? What kind of work is involved... anyone?

Thanks again.
 
This is open to correction but the way I would envisage having to do this would be ....

Remove the windows.

Cut around the edge of existing sills from the outside with con saw.

Cut down through sill itself near the edges.

Knock out the bulk of the sill with sledge and use small kango perhaps to chisel out remaining parts of the sill that is in under the blockwork.

Prepare the ope for new granite cill.

Bed cill in with mortar, new damp course and all the other trimmings.

Put window back in and replaster reveals etc.

Probably leaving out bits or maybe a better way to do it but not having seen it, thats the way i'd probably go at it.
 
Thanks for that Ned, it's nice to have an idea of what the builder is talking about when I ask him to do it for me. I'm gonna go ahead with even though the builder will try to change my mind again but hey it's me who's paying for it!
 
Good company for granite windowsills Comer Granite, in co Galway [broken link removed]
 
make sure the cill is identical in height dimension to old otherwise window will not fit back in. Most of the older cills used different dimensions / poured insitu so be carefull.
 
kkelliher... we've decided to change the two windows completely so the old windows won't matter now.
Any ideas how to measure for a new window when I haven't picked my
sills yet. Will we have to get sills fitted and then measure for windows?
We didn't intend moving out while works are going on.
 
try get a quote just to formwork out the shape you want and use concrete looks fine when finished.
 
measure the ope without the sill and you will have to pick a sill height that you will stick too. Tell the window supplier the dimensions. The price is not going to change over 100mm - 200mm of window.
 
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