Doors and Windows - DIY Glass Block Windows

A friend would like to install glass block windows in her basement and main level bathroom. Is this a job for a middle of the line do it yourselfer? Looks simple enough. Concerns really lie in the main bath -- I mean if you get 4 inch blocks and the window frame you're removing is only two inches, does that mean she has to build a new frame for the glass block windows or just install making them flsuh with the inside or the outside? Any suggestions or should she just hire a pro, she's limited on cash and would prefer to try it on her own. Any suggestions on where we could find specific installation instructions?

Glass or acrylic?

Glass has to be mortared in, and the blocks are heavy (as much as 11 lbs./sq.ft.). Will her wall support it, or does it need some reinforcing?

Acrylic can be had as a pre-manufactured panel that mounts in an aluminum frame, and you cimply use a silicone caulk to install and seal it. Weight is about 3 lbs./sq.ft.

Glass can be found at any home center, and they will have all of the info about installation. One source for acrylic is Hy-Lite Products. (1-877-712-4013).

Actually, with thin-line (3.5") glass block you can buy systems that don't require mortar at all. Haven't done it myself, but the process looks very simple, and 3.5" block will match up with most older 2x4 walls well.

Vector, that's fine as far as it goes. I haven't done one either, but that system will, according to you, eliminate the mortar, and the mess that's involved with that. But it's still glass, and it will still weigh about 10 to 11 lbs./sq.ft.

My question to woobiekins is will the wall support the weight, or does it need to be reinforced? Depends on the size of the opening he's looking at having to fill and how the wall was built, and if it still has all of the structural integrity that it had when it was new.

You are absolutely right. I was just mentioning it as a possibly easier method of installing the window. One of the other things that needs to be kept in mind about the non-mortar glass is that it is completely non-structural, must be supported on all sides, and cannot be used for an area over a certain size.

If the basement windows are the typical, very small daylight windows in the arar of 2'x3', then there would be no issues with area or the wall supporting them (assuming concrete or cinder block). The bathroom window might be more of an issue.

Also, unless the bathroom has a good ventilation system, making the window entirely glass block might be asking for a lot of moisture problems down the road. It is possible to build glass-block walls with openable vent windows, but I believe that those pieces require a mortar installation.

Yes, and then there is the issue of egress from the basement. Where THAT window is being proposed -- does it require egress? I don't know. But if it does, a glass (or acrylic) window isn't going to work. Woobiekins is going to have to get back to us and start filling in some details!