Looking
Through Your Window Options
 |
| Photo courtesy
of Milgard Windows. |
 |
| Photo courtesy
of Pella Corporation |
 |
| Photo courtesy
of Pella Corporation |
By Heber Nelson
Replacing your
home’s windows is a considerable investment, but well worth the
expense if you are losing energy through these openings, or if returning
the exterior look of your home to a more historic theme. Make sure
that you or the installers choose window styles and sizes that complement
your house. Armed with a little knowledge about today’s window
types and design, you can make choices that will enhance the beauty
of your home for a long time.
Energy prices
are continually on the rise and an energy efficient window can pay
for itself through energy savings. The type of glazing can add to
the energy value — double or triple glazing and argon-gas filled
windows are examples of choices in the marketplace today.
Window frames
now come in a variety of differing materials including wood, vinyl
clad wood, vinyl, aluminum, fiberglass, and composite plastic. Vinyl
frame windows are the least expensive, about half as much as 100%
wood frames. In addition to double panes, the windows are energy efficient
because of the honeycomb chambers in the framing system. Another feature
of vinyl windows is that they never need to be painted. Vinyl windows
have been around for about 25 years and received a big push because
they can be custom sized to any opening.
Vinyl windows
have taken a greater share of the market away from wood windows, although
wood windows are strong, beautiful, and for the most part energy efficient.
You will need to plan on spending relatively more for a good wood
window. Those homeowners who choose wood windows consider the painting
necessary for good maintenance to be a minor inconvenience for the
higher quality that comes in wood window frames.
An excellent and
creative compromise is vinyl clad wood windows. This clever combination
gives the best of both worlds: exterior maintenance free vinyl and
wood interiors that you can finish as you wish. Vinyl clad wood windows
will cost a bit more than wood windows. With the exterior of the windows
being vinyl and clad over wood interiors, you can choose different
types of wood such as oak, cherry, or even mahogany to go with your
interior design or to complement your existing interior wood trim.
To make vinyl
or vinyl clad windows last and look beautiful for a long time, the
vinyl surfaces should be cleaned annually and little more often if
you live in a dusty area. Warm water with dish soap works very well
when rinsed with clear water. This is also a good time to check to
make sure the weep holes are draining properly. You can pour water
into the interior windowsill track. If this water doesn’t readily
drain to the outside, then the weep holes are probably plugged up.
Occasionally they get plugged up with bugs or dirt. Simply insert
a bobby pin, or thin nail into the weep hole to unplug it.
Aluminum frame
windows are relatively low in cost, are reasonably durable and have
low maintenance, similar to vinyl windows. They are not considered
to be energy efficient and have a tendency to collect condensation.
Take caution with your historic home, rarely are aluminum frames able
to replace or replicate historic window frames. So it is important
to choose the right style of window frame that will go with your home’s
style. Radically altering the window openings in a historic home can
irreversibly alter its look and negatively impact the home’s
resale value.
The latest window
technology to enter the market is fiberglass and composite-frame windows.
These two window structures are maintenance free, sturdy, and a bit
more energy efficient than vinyl. Fiberglass, through a process of
pultrusion, has been used for decades to make rigid I-beams and ladders
and this same technology is now being used with windows. Fiberglass
exteriors provide good paint adhesion and have low thermal conductivity,
which means they are energy efficient. These frames are stronger than
aluminum frames. You’ll pay more for fiberglass and composite-frame
windows than you will for vinyl, but less than wood frame windows.
Your home will
have some or all of these types of windows. Fixed: an immovable piece
of glass is set into the sash, which is the trim that goes around
the interior of the frame. Double hung windows have two sashes, top
and bottom, and both sashes can move up and down vertically. Double
hung windows are in their own separate track, which separates the
two sashes. In older homes, the sashes are counter balanced by an
iron weight that is attached to the sash with a cord or chain, the
mechanism for keeping the windowpane open. Some modern window replacements
are called single hung because only one of the panes, usually the
bottom, will open up and down. Casement windows open out with a crank
on pivot arms. Sliding windows operate horizontally, instead of up
and down. Awning windows look like casement windows except they are
hinged at the top and the lower part of the window moves out. They
operate with a crank at the bottom of the window and scissor arms
that open and close the window. Bay or bow windows jut out from the
wall and have three or more panes, some or all being operable.
Another choice
in window design is the number of lights or pieces of glass traditionally
separated by wood, called a mullion. Some older style windows have
4 to 9 light. You have several choices these days for replicating
the look of a window with several lights. There are plastic snap-in
place window grids that you can remove at window cleaning time. Higher-end
windows have incorporated the window grid between the glass panes
making up the double or triple glazing. Finally, there are true divided
lights, found in wood windows, which use small panes of glass separated
by wood mullions. Some homeowners like the historic nature of these
true divided lights and are unconcerned by the small panes at cleaning
time or the painting needed to maintain the wood mullions.
Today’s window
manufacturers are committed to providing energy efficient windows,
flexibility in design and beauty to enhance your home.
|
For More
Information on Replacement Windows:
Call your
local Parr Lumber store or Bill Elder at 503-645-7425, also
logon to www.parr.com.
Call Truax
Builders Supply at 503-256-4066 or visit them at: 10949 SE Division,
Portland, (15 blocks east of I-205). Or logon to
truax.citysearch.com. |
|
