Bay Window Roof Construction Questions

[EinTopaz]

Hi all,

 

Noticed something I thought was odd on our bay windows, and wanted to check for sanity. Wasn't sure if this was best in the roofing or Window sub category so will delete and re-post if this is in the wrong place, apologies if so.

Anyway, Two of our ground floor bay windows are this sort of setup, where the brickwork beneath them projects out from the property with the window, but the brickwork above the bay window does not. I was looking at having the Windows,fascias and soffits replaced and on inspection earlier today I noticed the area directly above the window appears to be a recess, where the brickwork just stops. Its hard to see clearly without ripping off the soffits etc. 

But my question is, if I was to remove the soffits and fascias and all the little 'roof' section above the bay window here, if it was 'built' properly should I expect to see a lintel on the inner skin and the rest just solid brick work? Or is it correct to have a big recessed void between the brickwork above where the baywindow is? Tried to draw what I'm describing on my phone on the image below. Red is where the bricks carry on, blue void.

 

 

 

 

Cheers 

 

Ged

 

 

 

[Nickfromwales]

The entire brick facade (either side of the bay and above) are as one.

 

That’s how the upstairs brickwork is defying gravity. 
 

The first floor joist probably carry on and protrude out through gaps in the brickwork, like fingers, which forms the structure that makes the canopy.

 

Other option is that there’s just a timber framework fixed to the brickwork, like a tent frame, and the downstairs bay forms some of the structural strength. 
 

A lot of these types of arrangements often used hardwood

window frames to bear loads, and then they got cut out and replaced with uPVC, and then these show signs of failure associated with weight bearing on them (which they can’t cope with). 

[EinTopaz]

13 hours ago, Nickfromwales said:

The entire brick facade (either side of the bay and above) are as one.

 

That’s how the upstairs brickwork is defying gravity. 
 

The first floor joist probably carry on and protrude out through gaps in the brickwork, like fingers, which forms the structure that makes the canopy.

 

Other option is that there’s just a timber framework fixed to the brickwork, like a tent frame, and the downstairs bay forms some of the structural strength. 
 

A lot of these types of arrangements often used hardwood

window frames to bear loads, and then they got cut out and replaced with uPVC, and then these show signs of failure associated with weight bearing on them (which they can’t cope with). 

 

 

 

Thanks Nick, that's exactly what i'd expect to see, a continuous external brick surface with brick gaps where the timber framework for the roof is fixed to the floor joists.  I guess more will be revealed when I remove the soffits and fascias but it definitely looks like a big void where i've marked on blue in the above image. Certainly more than a brick's worth. Though thats just from eye balling it through the gaps between the brick and soffits.

Re: The bay forming some structural strength. Do the bay windows like this one come with a flat portion on top that's built into the window when it's fitted? I forgot to add an interior image in the original post but attached it below here. In our case will each of the panes be directly fixed to the circular section above it on that interior image? Or will the bay have a flat roof section built into it? And will that circular section above it have to be removed when we replace the bay window? It looks to my eye like each pane is just fixed directly to it, but i really am not familiar with the construction of the bay windows. 


 

 

 

 

[kandgmitchell]

My money is on:

First floor joists spanning side to side i.e from coving to coving in the second picture

A horizontal beam/lintel spanning from one pier up the side of the window to the other pier on the other side of the window.

The upper floor front masonry built off that beam/lintel.

The bay roof built as a frame and bolted to that facade masonry

The solid bit above the window internally is framed out and clad in plasterboard to form the downstand.

[Oz07]

It's a modern house isn't it looking at the brick bond? I'd guess a mono truss arrangement above window although might be wrong as its hipped

[EinTopaz]

2 hours ago, Oz07 said:

It's a modern house isn't it looking at the brick bond? I'd guess a mono truss arrangement above window although might be wrong as its hipped

It’s not no, renovated in the past 15 years but it’s originally a 1955 bungalow. So these bays would’ve originally run into the roof / eaves. When it’s been extended upward I wonder what they decided to do with the bays to convert them. 
 

I guess we will find out when the soffits and fascia’s are removed but I’m still a bit confused/concerned as to why I’m seeing a void above the bay.

 

 

is it likely the bay window here won’t have its own flat roof built in? As in when we swap it out for a new window, it’ll be a straight forward swap of the vertical units?

[EinTopaz]

3 hours ago, kandgmitchell said:

My money is on:

First floor joists spanning side to side i.e from coving to coving in the second picture

A horizontal beam/lintel spanning from one pier up the side of the window to the other pier on the other side of the window.

The upper floor front masonry built off that beam/lintel.

The bay roof built as a frame and bolted to that facade masonry

The solid bit above the window internally is framed out and clad in plasterboard to form the downstand.

I’d assume so yes. But from eyeballing it looks like where the masonry the frame would be bolted to would be. Is a void for some reason.