Add Flair with Trimless Windows
Posted in Construction How-To Finish Carpentry Construction How-To Mantels. Trim Construction How-To Molding Trim Carpentry Windows & Doors
By Mark Clement
Flaring the windows delivers depth and mass, and the lack of casing leaves more room for ceiling trim.
A benefit of working on old houses is that I get to see how they used to do it. Sometimes that’s good, other times the phrase “They don’t build ‘em like they used to—thank God!” comes to mind.
One good design trick in these older homes is trimless windows. In other words, instead of wood jambs and casing, I flare and bullnose my window returns using drywall and cornerbead. Now, this isn’t some cheap, money-saver disguised as a fancy technique because it takes some effort—and the payoff is terrific!
Prepare for design mumbo-jumbo: Flaring the windows delivers depth and mass without making a window feel like a tunnel through the wall. It also makes modest rooms feel much bigger. Another ROI (return on investment) is that the top of the window terminates in a soffit with no casing. That means there’s about 3-1/2 more inches between the top of the window and the ceiling. These extra inches allow room for larger, more elaborate crown molding above the windows. The end result is a room that transforms from a boring box to a stately room.
The first step is a window worth trimming out in the first place. As part of this room’s overhaul, I installed Simonton’s new Driftwood replacement windows. The color is pleasant and muted on both the interior and exterior and enables me to really play with exciting wall colors. White would work too, but the benefit here is that I have a choice.
I might have had it easy in this project because the room was gutted, so I had to reframe the walls. If you’re re-detailing a stick-built house (and/or not gutting the room) to accommodate this detail, at the minimum you’ll have to consider widening the opening to accept the flare. This could mean re-framing a few king studs, jacks and the header. You can also experiment with a more shallow flare, too. This window opening, so you have a frame of reference, has a rough opening about 6 inches wider than the window on each side—this amounts to a 16-degree flare on each side.
Existing Trim Details
On this house, the window-weight shafts had a simple trim detail that I chose to keep. Should you find this on your project, here’s how I dealt with it:
