Home Sweet Home

Openings in houses may be voids, doors orwindows. Voids tend to be in areas where security is not a consideration, such as between rooms in an open-plan living area. Doors provide a means of access and security to the building. Windows, however, are designed to provide daylight and a means of ventilation. They should also provide a view, but still allow for privacy when required.

The difficulty in placing windows is that the best position for maximum daylight may not coincide with the best view, or best ventilation possible. Compromises are inevitable. The light admitted will depend not only on position but also on the type of glass used, the reflection from walls, floor and ceilings; and the sun control treatment used.

Glass

Glass in most instances will be clear. However, for areas such as bathrooms, glass is available in various levels of obscurity, or it may be tinted. The range of solar and reflective glasses, although expensive, may be used to control solar radiation. Safety glass should be used around sliding doors and floor-level glazing panels.

Windows

There are many types of windows, each with their advantages and disadvantages.

Fixed windows: Don’t have any opening sashes.

They are not normally used as the only window in a room.

Timber sash (box-framed) windows: The old traditional windows where the sashes slide up and down, and are counterbalanced by weights.

Casement windows: Style where the sash is hinged on the vertical framing members.

Double-hung windows: The modern equivalent of the old timber sash window. Both top and bottom open to allow convection movement of air.

Sliding windows: Commonly aluminium, where one half slides past the other fixed half. This allows large, open areas.

Awning (top-hung) windows: Style where the sash is hinged to the top horizontal member and opens out. They may be left open in the rain, but allow only limited air circulation.

Sashless windows: Glass without a frame, various styles but mainly for commercial purposes. Frame materials may be timber, aluminium, steel or PVC. The choice will be based on the style of house, exposure, availability, and maintenance requirements.

Leadlights

An attractive alternative is leadlight or stained glass. These are available as ’standard’ panels, or a leadlight or stained glass panel can be commissioned from an artist. Imitation leadlighting with surface- applied lead and a stain wash to the glass is also available.

Glass Bricks

Glass bricks are a way of providing obscured filtered light into areas such as stairwells and bathrooms. Their installation is exacting, and allowance must be made for expansion and contraction.

Patio Doors

Patio doors are an extension of multiple windows, and in many homes may be a combination of normal opening floor-to-ceiling windows, together with fixed sashes. For ventilation in humid situations, banks of louvres may be used.

Conservatories

Conservatories are a popular extension of patio doors, where the roof or part of the roof is also glazed. It is important to use a proprietary system and keep the pitch correct, to achieve adequate waterproofing.

Skylights

Where rooms are enclosed and don’t have their own window, a common option is that of a skylight or roof `window‘. They are effective together with a lightwell, and are available in vented or unvented styles.

Barrel lights may have curved glass and glazing bars and can be made to cover entire rooms. It is important in this case to watch the heat gain through the glazing — many people find air- conditioning a necessity after installation.

Shading

Shading of windows is possible in many ways. Most effective are external methods such as awnings, external blinds and louvres or shutters. Also effective are solar films. On the interior, heat can be controlled with reflective blinds and a range of venetians, blinds, and even curtains.

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