Window fitted on top of tiles..?

NervousHomeowner

Looking for a bit of advice! Yesterday I was removing some old tiles in my bathroom and discovered something that has worried me a bit!

On the rear wall where the bath/shower is, there is a small rectangular recess which is tiled (along with the entire bathroom, with ugly 1980s tiles!) and has a 10 year old double glazed window fitted in it. As I was removing the tiles in this area, I discovered that the window has been fitted on top of the tiles. Obviously this causes a problem because I can't get to the tiles to remove them and also because in removing the tiles, I seem to have broken the sealant around the bottom of the window.

So basically, what do I do now?! I've stopped removing the tiles but who do I call to get a quote to fix this? A tiler, a double glazer or a builder? And is it likely to eat up my entire renovation budget?

wallbash

I would continue to remove tiles , window will be fixed on the sides . Fish out tile bits , re-tile and reinstate sealent!
DIY

NervousHomeowner

wallbash wrote: »

I would continue to remove tiles , window will be fixed on the sides . Fish out tile bits , re-tile and reinstate sealent!
DIY

Awesome, thanks!

Is there any way to double check that the window is fixed on the sides? I'm just worried about damaging the window itself because when I removed the tiles around there (inadvertently!) it made some popping/cracking noises.

ETA: I don't wanna tile underneath it again because I feel like that's a pretty terrible idea so what should I do about the space where the tiles used to be? Just fill with sealant?

WestonDave

Presumably in effect the windowsill was tiled - so if you remove the windowsill you'll have to put something back as a window sill. That gives you the option of building the level up a bit either by having a thicker windowsill (if you go for timber) or filling it a bit with plaster and then putting a UPVC piece on as a window sill (which is possibly a better option in a bathroom than wood. You can fill under the window with some additional sealant, gap filler, plaster or whatever you have to hand, put the sill in and then seal it with a sealant gun. It takes a bit of a steady hand but its not that hard - a pleb like me can do it so I'm sure you can.

Incidentally as another idea we had something similar in our downstairs toilet and ended up rather than putting a new sill on, we got a huge black stone effect floor tile, cut it to size and put it in as a single piece. Looks great, easy to clean, waterproof, won't go yellow etc like UPVC and fills the gap under the window. OK so black might not be your taste (it works in our context because of other black items in the room) but might be worth a quick nose around the floor tiles.

wallbash

I would ( as said) remove the tiles , and yes it will be firmly fixed on the sides.
Then tell us the gap size that occurs. Will help us to help you.

Sealant should only be used in a narrow gap , plaster would work but needs a little skill and the waste would be high .

we got a huge black stone effect floor tile

Sounds ideal , but get the idea it might be a little beyond OP .
Wood is an ideal medium. Easily worked , cheap . And there is an a lot of wooden cills in lots of bathrooms.

NervousHomeowner

WestonDave wrote: »

Presumably in effect the windowsill was tiled - so if you remove the windowsill you'll have to put something back as a window sill. That gives you the option of building the level up a bit either by having a thicker windowsill (if you go for timber) or filling it a bit with plaster and then putting a UPVC piece on as a window sill (which is possibly a better option in a bathroom than wood. You can fill under the window with some additional sealant, gap filler, plaster or whatever you have to hand, put the sill in and then seal it with a sealant gun. It takes a bit of a steady hand but its not that hard - a pleb like me can do it so I'm sure you can.

Incidentally as another idea we had something similar in our downstairs toilet and ended up rather than putting a new sill on, we got a huge black stone effect floor tile, cut it to size and put it in as a single piece. Looks great, easy to clean, waterproof, won't go yellow etc like UPVC and fills the gap under the window. OK so black might not be your taste (it works in our context because of other black items in the room) but might be worth a quick nose around the floor tiles.

Thanks for the suggestions! I like the idea of the floor tile and we're having someone in to fit the tiles so although it may be a bit beyond my personal skills (Thanks for that, Wallbash ) I'm sure our tiler will be able to sort it out if I tell him what we want to do. Definitely prefer it to the idea of a PVC sill because of the yellowing! And the wood definitely because there isn't a fan in the bathroom so I think wood anything is probably a bad plan.

I think I'm just gonna remove the tiles if possible and then leave the window/gap to the guy doing our tiling.

Just to make it clear, I'm not doing the work myself Removing the tiles is fine with me but I'd rather not take on the job of retiling the whole shower area.

wallbash

although it may be a bit beyond my personal skills

If you don't have a go , you will never know.
DIY seems to be going out of fashion ...... how many kids can wire a 13 amp plug?
I ( personal problems demanded it ) tiled my first small bathroom at the tender age of ......11. That was nearly 50 years ago.

cyclonebri1

As all above, just chisel away and clear the old tiles up to the window.

Just ensure you seal the gap/ the remainder of the tiles with silicone, before you retile. You then seal again for cosmetic effect after tiling,

NervousHomeowner

wallbash wrote: »

If you don't have a go , you will never know.
DIY seems to be going out of fashion ...... how many kids can wire a 13 amp plug?
I ( personal problems demanded it ) tiled my first small bathroom at the tender age of ......11. That was nearly 50 years ago.

I just don't see what's wrong with paying a tiler to do it. I've budgeted for it, it's their trade, they do it professionally, they have the tools and experience and will know what they're doing. I'm not a tiler, I'm an illustrator, my first attempt at tiling isn't going to look anywhere as good as someone who fits tiles for a living.

I enjoy DIY and things like removing the tiles, tiling the splash back behind the sink in the bathroom & the kitchen, painting & decorating are all things I can do. But I don't want to attempt to tile the entirety of my bath cubicle myself and do a bodge job of it.

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

As all above, just chisel away and clear the old tiles up to the window.

Just ensure you seal the gap/ the remainder of the tiles with silicone, before you retile. You then seal again for cosmetic effect after tiling,

Thanks for this I'm planning on just removing as much of the tiles as I can and then filling the hole with plaster. Then I'll do as you say with the silicone

Retro_Bunny

NervousHomeowner wrote: »

...although it may be a bit beyond my personal skills

Try it.

If you're paying someone else it'll cost you X pounds.

If you have a go yourself you've learned something, and you might be able to do it. If you fail then it will still cost you X pounds to do it. You've lost nothing, failure is perfectly valid and valuable lesson.

Worked for me years ago, I'm now a self taught property developer.

NervousHomeowner

Retro_Bunny wrote: »

Try it.

If you're paying someone else it'll cost you X pounds.

If you have a go yourself you've learned something, and you might be able to do it. If you fail then it will still cost you X pounds to do it. You've lost nothing, failure is perfectly valid and valuable lesson.

Worked for me years ago, I'm now a self taught property developer.

Except it will cost me if I mess up and damage the tiles I've bought, so I'd really rather not do it myself and would be much happier to pay someone to do it properly the first time.

I can totally accept that plenty of people like DIY and obviously being a property developer, it's worked out well for you. I'm not adverse to doing a bit of DIY, hence why I'm taking all the tiles off myself & doing other jobs around the house. However, I do not want to do the tiling myself and have had a good quote from a recommended tiler, which I'm perfectly happy with. I really do not think there's anything wrong with paying a tiler to do the job for me, it's their trade after all.