Replacing wooden "under window sill" sill

Lafleur_2

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Due to my bedroom window sills "moldy" appearence i decided to lift it up (it wasn't too hard) and have a look under there. Basically i found this wooden sill, looking pretty moldy and leaving a gap between the interior wall which mold had collected in

photo/my-images/192/window2v.jpg/

photo/my-images/440/window1.jpg/

It seems to be stubbornly stuck to the dry wall, i could hardly move it (the chip in the wall in the centre of the picture was my attempt to lift it up with a screwdriver, pretty dumb i know)

photo/my-images/96/window3.jpg/

Is there any hope of getting the majority of this wooden sill out, by say cutting it out with a power tool bit by bit? I guess the alternative is to just clean the exterior of it but since its wood and its getting the the way of the gap its not exactly ideal. any suggestions would be much appreciated

Btw, at one point i used the same screwdriver to pry it horizontally out from the wall, but found that the bottom of my actual window seemed to be moving, is this a sign of shoody workmanship or just normal?

Cheers

bobthedambuilder

You say that you've already removed the sill and then found this wooden sill underneath it. Was the top sill one of these thin plastic mouldings?

It's difficult to see how far under the window the wooden sill extends (it may go all the way to the outside). Can you see the wood from the outside under the window? It's also possible that the window is somehow attached to the wooden sill if it's moving when you try to move the sill. And photo 2 seems to indicate the wooden sill is pretty firmly anchored at the sides - perhaps break back a bit of the plaster there to see how far in it goes.

Whatever, it seems to me like a botch-up by the window installer, leaving the old sill in under the new window instead of installing directly on the wall. You could end up with a real can of worms by trying to remove the wooden sill while leaving the window in place.

Can you see any fixing screws going down from the bottom of the window frame? If you can, take them out and see if the sill moves any easier.

Have you any idea where the water's coming from which is causing the mould? 2 possibilities - from the outside if the wood extends all the way under and isn't properly sealed on the outside, or condensation running down the inside of the window. Maybe you'd be better trying to eliminate that, then clean up the mould, give the wooden sill a good coat of sealer, then replace your top sill. Seal that against the window frame so no water can get down to the wood underneath.

Either that, or take the window out and do a proper job on a new sill - but that's a big job!

ormus

sounds like the board goes all the way through.
you may have to remove the whole window frame to do the job properly.

capeverde

ok, the internal cill doesnt go all the way to the outside as its butting up to a upvc external window cill that is attached to the window frame. If it is the original cill it is horned into the plaster reveals and also nailed into timber pads which will be cemented into the perps in the bricks. To get it out will simply reguire a bit of delving. Basically you will require something to give, you either chop the plaster back and the prise the board upwards or cut and chisel through the board before lifting and then knock out the horns. Be aware, you may lose some plaster on the front face of your wall below the window board where the pads are fitted.

Lafleur_2

Cheers for the help guys

Bob and Ormus: Yea, the wooden sill definatly doesn't extend to the outside

Have you any idea where the water's coming from which is causing the mould?

Pretty sure its just the windows susceptibility to condensation, which has run down into the sill (sealing is absolutely terrible). The room has also gone without heat for quite a few years, athough at the time i didn't really realise the importance of heating a whole house as opposed to the rooms you use most often (my parents still don't)

Think i'm going to try and virtually seal the cill with silicone sealent, so that at least i'm not exposed to the mold, i guess if that doesn't work i'll have to consider taking it out. Thanks again guys!