Window openings in brick walls

[akist]

I was looking at my current house and how the windows have been placed in the brick wall.

It seems that the base of the window sits on a mortar joint, and not directly on the brick. I would expect the window frame to sit straight on the brick, as it does not require a mortar joint, but at least on this house here this is not the case.

Is this practice common/correct, or does it vary depending on the builder at the time?

 

[Notch7]

it depends what you mean -does the bottom of the window sit on an angled brick cill, or do you mean if you look under the external window cill you can see 10mm or so of mortar?

either way its quite common and there a a few different reasons. For example a window may be fitted so it is packed to be tight up the lintel and then the gap at bottom filled after.

 

[^woody^]

It's been that way since windows were invented.

 

[akist]

It is a wooden window cill and under it 10mm of mortar. But If I were fitting a plastic / metal frame I would want to bolt it down on the brick directly, no?

It's been that way since windows were invented.

By "this way" you mean "window cill / frame on the mortar joint and not on the naked brick" ?

 

[stuart45]

When timber windows were built in they were bedded on mortar so you could get them plumb. You couldn't rely on the brickwork to be level enough.