Window Seats with Storage in Travis Heights Houses

A window seat sits on the floor and the window sets its height, so both have to be read before any wood is cut. Houses in Travis Heights and Tarrytown often have double-hung windows set higher or lower than a comfortable seat, and the planning (the log at custom cabinets austin tx sourire espoir records the heights found) begins with the sill rather than the cushion when custom cabinets are built under it in Austin, TX.

Seat depth and height

A seat about seventeen inches off the floor works for most adults, with a depth of eighteen to twenty-two inches if someone will actually sit with their legs up. The sill needs to clear the cushion top by a few inches so the window sash can still open. In an older house the floor under a bay window frequently slopes toward the outside wall, so the box is built on a leveled base and the face frame is scribed down to the actual floor line.

Drawers or lift lids

A lift lid gives the deepest storage with the fewest parts, but it needs the cushion removed to open and a slow-close hinge so fingers are not caught. Drawers under the seat use a full extension drawer slide and a dovetail drawer box, and they are easier to reach for a small child's toys. A bay window with an odd angle usually takes lift lids, because drawers at an angle will not open fully past the corner.

Sun fade and the window

Afternoon sun through west-facing glass in an Austin summer fades a stained oak seat unevenly, so a finish with a UV inhibitor is a sensible choice, and the cushion is never left covering only part of the seat for months, which leaves a visible band. Painted maple or birch plywood boxes fade less and show fewer marks. Heat and cool air near the glass also make solid hardwood tops move, so a wide top is made from narrower boards with a gap left at the wall.

Framing over uneven floors

The box is built of plywood with a face frame, set on a framed base screwed into the floor joists where possible. Shims fill the gap at the floor, and a thin scribe molding hides the shim line from the room. Crews check the wall behind the seat for plumb as well, since a window opening in old framing is rarely square.

Venting a heater register

When a floor register or a radiator sits under the window, the seat cannot trap the heat or block the air. A toe vent in the front panel, a cut-out in the box bottom lined with sheet metal, or a raised grille set into the face frame lets warm air pass. The register location is marked on the drawing so the shop leaves the opening before assembly.