Home Style Decorating

There are many different types of windows to choose from, depending on your taste and the theme that you want for a specific room of your house.

The following are the types of windows and brief description:

Awning windows
Similar to a casement window, it operates on a hinge. Awning windows move horizontally rather than vertically. It can be left open during rainy days because the open pane catches the rainfall.

Hopper windows
This type of window is basically an awning window the opens at the top and it is palced low on the wall. If left open during rainy days, hopper windows would actually direct rainfall into the home rather than away from it. For this reason, it is incredibly important to close all hopper windows during inclement weather.

Bay windows
Bay windows are a decorative type of window that projects outward from the wall. It is composed of one central window parallel to the wall which is flanked by two other windows attached at an angle, usually casement or double-hung styles. Box-style bay windows also project from the wall, but the two flanking windows are attached at a 90-degree angle.

Bow windows
A bow window projects outward from a wall as well, like the bay window. The primary difference between the two styles is that while a bay window is typically composed of three main sections, bow windows contain several more. These panes join to form a gentle curve, or a bow shape. While center windows are typically fixed, a bow window’s side sashes are typically casement windows.

Single and double hung windows
Single and double-hung windows are the most popular windows on the market. The windows hold their position with spring mechanisms or by the ‘friction fit’ of the sash within the window frame and not depend on the heavy weights attached to ropes within the wall cavity of the older model. Single-hung windows contain two panes, but only the lower pane moves. Double-hung windows, on the other hand, also contain two panes, but both are operational. Both these windows typically open vertically.

Tinted glass windows
Tinted glass is now often used in window construction, not as much to keep out the sun’s glare but for aesthetic reasons. Some of the tints used presently are Bronze Reflective, Solar Bronze or Gray, Azurlite (blue), Evergreen, Dark Graylite and Extra Dark Graylite.

Casement windows
Casement windows give homeowners an unobstructed view from top-to-bottom and from side-to-side. They open fully, catching breezes and directing the flow of fresh air into the home. Casement window shapes are usually tall and narrow. Wide wall areas typically feature more than one window to increase the amount of light and view. Much like doors, casement windows pivot on hinges, usually opening outward and operated with a hand-crank.

Double glass windows
Often called insulated windows, this style of window is constructed of two panes of glass set apart to allow airspace in between. This airspace acts as a buffer which obstructs the transfer of heat from one side of the glass to the other, sometimes cutting this energy loss in half. Overall efficiency can be improved by using vinyl or wood window frames and applying low energy metallic coating on the inner surface of the outer pane.

Jalousie windows
This type of window is now used less frequently. Jalousie window is composed of glass louvers that overlap one another to form the pane with the glass louvers tilting open to allow air flow. Its slatted design makes these windows almost impossible to seal and because they are not energy efficient and may be a security risk, jalousie windows are no longer permitted by many building codes.

Picture windows
Sometimes called fixed-pane windows, picture windows come in a variety of sizes and shapes and are perhaps the simplest windows homeowners can buy. This window can not be opened and are used to give a view of the outdoors. Other picture windows are purely decorative like appearing at the top of a set of stair or in the attic. Picture windows are used together with other types of windows.

Rotating window
Rotating window opens by pivoting around a central point very similar to that of a revolving door. Because their rotation allows either side of the central pane to face a home’s interior, rotating windows are extremely easy to clean.

Single glass windows
This type of window is the most basic of all window types because they contain just one pane of glass in each panel. Most builders, however don’t use this type of window because it is not energy efficient.

Sliding windows
Sliding windows have two panes: one pane is stationary while the other slides horizontally along a track. They are typically inexpensive and easy to clean if the sash, or panel, is removed. Because only half of the window area can be opened, sliding windows provide less ventilation than other types of windows.

Tempered glass windows
Tempered glass is a type of safety glass. While it is typically stronger than other types of glass to prevent shattering, it crumbles into tiny pieces when broken, preventing injury. This is particularly helpful during hurricanes or tornados when large shards of sharp glass could cause serious injury.

Obscure glass windows
This type of window is designed to allow light into the interior of your space without appearing to be a window from the exterior. This is particularly common in bathrooms where one appreciates open light but requires privacy. here are a number of different styles of obscure glass to choose from. While most are frosted or textured in some way, others use special coatings - such as the reflective coatings applied to one-way mirrors.

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