A Quick Guide To Choosing The Right Windows For Your Home

Out of all the details needed to be taken care of in the house, homeowners often neglect one of the most valuable elements that can easily boost the quality of life indoors: the windows. Granted, they’re easily overlooked compared to the ceiling or walls. However, windows greatly contribute to your home’s comfort level and aesthetic value simultaneously.

Because they involve two crucial elements of what makes a house a ‘home,’ choosing the right windows tends to be challenging. After all, not everyone would prefer custom-made windows, despite their many benefits to a homeowner. Thus, before making a decision, follow this guide to see if you’ve covered all of your grounds:

1. Look At Different Styles

Architectural geniuses have created countless home designs throughout the years. Although they seem like a minute detail, a property wouldn’t be complete without the right windows. But because they’re easily overlooked, many homeowners end up almost pulling their hair out when they can’t pinpoint what’s wrong with the architecture.

Since pre-built residences are often cheaper than building one from scratch, the best starting point is to research the house’s architectural style. From there, look up various window designs to see what you’re working with. For example, colonial-style houses are known for their symmetry when they use shapes such as rectangles or squares. Installing an evenly spaced double hung window across the walls would be fitting to stay true to its style.

2. Find The Right Design

For those whose neighborhoods only feature the same architectural design for every resident, you can break away from the monotony by having a different window design. Fortunately, there’s a long list you can choose from, such as double hung windows, casement windows, awning windows, and slider windows. Although their aesthetic value plays a significant role in your selection, each design also has its practical uses.

The most common window designs are hung windows. This design is meant to maximize ventilation, regardless of whether they’re single or double hung windows. In contrast, casement windows are chosen for their durable design, which is ideal for homes that often experience strong winds. With this pair of examples alone, it’s easy to say that each window design has a purpose outside visual appeal.

3. Choose A Material

Aside from their design, the material used for producing windows matters when it comes to their efficiency and durability. Traditional wooden window frames have been around for as long as windows were first built. Many homeowners are still attracted to them for their vintage aesthetic. However, wood is the last thing you’d consider ‘resilient’ against time and the elements. Fortunately, there’s a variety of materials available from now on.

Vinyl is a top choice for most homeowners. It’s an artificial material constructed tightly to secure the window from too much air leaking out. For those who live somewhere that suffers from strong weather conditions, your best option is to go with aluminum window frames. These materials alone are enough to improve the life span of your windows.

On top of the materials of the window frame, even the glass itself has different variations to choose from, namely:

• Float glass
• Obscured glass
• Laminated glass
• Tempered glass
• Insulated glass
• Low-E glass

Average households typically use laminated glass windows as a default since they minimize damage upon impact by securing most of the broken glass in its frame. Tempered glass is manufactured with industrial-level durability for those who encounter extreme weather conditions frequently. Meanwhile, Low-E glass is much more fitting for households located in a tropical climate to filter out heat while letting in natural light.

4. Consider Performance

Many homeowners settle with low-quality windows because they’re much cheaper. Since windows are often considered trivial compared to the rest of the house, they assume they don’t need much investment. Even window installations aren’t held in that high regard, whether built-in or replaced.

However, quality goes a long way, especially when paired with the proper material and design. After all, improving your home’s energy efficiency is one of the main purposes of installing the right windows. To easily spot whether or not a window is energy efficient, see if it’s labeled by Energy Star and National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC). These labels prove that experts have tested the manufactured windows according to their performance.

Takeaway

A house isn’t complete without the right windows. However, many homeowners overlook it because their purpose isn’t as obvious as setting up security systems or having a roof system that can withstand the elements. Most homeowners are unaware of how the perfect windows for your home are supposed to boost energy efficiency. But because they’re not given much attention, choosing the right ones can be challenging. Hopefully, this guide can help make selection much easier for you.