When you decide to build your home, every design decision is exciting but building a home is not just about adding beautiful elements. It is also about adding functionality, sustainability, and safety.
Deciding where to spend the money and where not to spend so much can be a critical element to the home’s longevity. Let’s take the windows, for instance.
Most homeowners go all-in on the fun and decorative areas of the home: the landscaping, pool, outdoor kitchen but try to cut costs on things like windows and doors, an amenity that should be analysed carefully.
Why are windows and doors important?
Most builders agree that homes with cheap windows will eventually need window replacements and don’t perform well. Windows in poor condition lead to water infiltration, humidity, and rot. Cracked window panes allow cool air in the summer out and hot air from the heater out in the winter, thus adding to your energy bill.
In addition, windows that don’t open, especially on upper floors, can be a hazard in the event of a fire or other disaster.
Here are three factors to think about when choosing the windows that go in your new home: frame, glass, design
Frame
Most people believe a wood frame is better than an aluminium one, but that doesn’t mean the wood is always the best choice. Wood expands during the winter, and humidity can cause it to crack and allow rain into the home during the rainy season.
Today, modern technology makes windows available in several options vinyl, aluminium, and composite materials. In many cases, vinyl, although cheaper, seals the window frame better than other types of materials.
Wood sometimes offers the best insulation, but this type of window requires maintenance and can rot. This material may not be the best option in humid or rainy climates.
Aluminium is a suitable material even though it does not do as well for heat transfer or loss. However, these windows are more practical in humid climates.
The Glass
The material of the window frame is important, but what is even more important is the glass that is inside the frame. Most builders use double pane windows with low E glass and a good vacuum seal filled with argon. These windows are the most expensive, but they make a difference over the long run and help homeowners save more energy.
The Design
The design is the art of the window, and many homeowners are choosing large windows with transoms. The transom is the icing on the cake as far as design goes. Some manufacturers are creating transoms that now open to let in the fresh air. These windows are more aesthetic because they need a deeper casing, and they don’t look like a simple pane of glass stuck to the wall.
Homeowners want environmental benefits from their design and should stay away from half-moons, circles and arched windows that don’t open. The windows now need to be more functional.
