ᐅ Relocating Windows in Brick Construction: Costs and Building Permits / Planning Permission

Hello everyone,

I am visiting a house on Friday that almost meets our requirements, and we might want to proceed quickly. To estimate the costs accurately beforehand, I would like to know what I should budget for a planned renovation.

There is a square corner room with a window on the west side, and we want to move it to the north side (the exact reasons are not important here). The window is about 1.5m by 1.5m (5 feet by 5 feet). The house was built in 1992 and has a brick veneer exterior. The window (I believe with a roller shutter) is made of wood.

Is it possible for a construction company to remove the window, relocate it, and reinstall the brick veneer at the old location? Of course, it is understood that due to slightly faded bricks and mortar joints, some differences will be noticeable, but that is acceptable.

1. Is this feasible?
2. Estimated cost range if done by a contractor?
3. Is a building permit / planning permission required?

Thank you very much for your help!

Best regards,
Dirk

Basically, everything is possible in principle. The challenge, of course, is to remove all the bricks without damaging them since they are essentially bonded together inseparably. Changing the window position also means it will need to be resealed. It is very likely that bricks will be missing, which you probably don’t have spare ones lying around.

The new window position must be structurally feasible as part of the wall. If necessary, it may require additional support, and so on.

Another potential issue concerns the window itself—who would want to reinstall a 20-year-old window in a different location?

This whole process is likely to be quite expensive. I really can’t estimate the cost well.

It would definitely make more sense to install one new window.