How To Choose Windows To Suit Your

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Window shopping is more than an idle pastime. Given that each window in your home might have a different function, choosing the best one can be challenging.

Say you want to replace aluminum windows on the front of your home with appealing ones made from wood. Maybe an older window leaks and you need to install something more watertight.

Perhaps you're choosing dozens of windows for a house under construction and you need to stay within budget. Given all the variables, how do you choose the right window?

Introduction

Before you consult with a window specialist, it helps to know something about the basic components of a window: frame materials, glass, and hardware.

Comparing several manufacturers' products can give you some idea about how various options perform and what they will cost.

Introduction

Window frames come in three basic materials: aluminum, vinyl and wood.

Most people choose vinyl over aluminum because they prefer the look of a vinyl window.

Frames & Finishes

A vinyl window will also require little or no maintenance and is relatively inexpensive.

A window frame made of wood will cost nearly double that of vinyl.

You will also need to apply a finish to the frame, so factor in the cost of painting the window when considering the cost of wood windows.

Wood is usually chosen for its insulating properties and traditional appearance.

Frames & Finishes

Although wood frames have been known to last for centuries, they require more maintenance than those made from aluminum or vinyl.

These days, however, manufacturers offer exterior finishes for wood that reduce maintenance demands.

Frames & Finishes

Exterior aluminum or vinyl cladding on a wood frame makes it extremely weather resistant.

A film of aluminum or vinyl is applied to the exterior surface of the wood frame and then baked to a hard finish.

Unless you are closely inspecting the window, it looks like a painted-wood finish.

Frames & Finishes

Most modern windows have at least two panes of glass in the frame. Dual panes provide greater insulation, which reduces temperature and noise extremes.

Several manufacturers also fill the air pocket between the two panes with argon gas, a colorless, odorless, nontoxic gas that has 30 percent less thermal conductivity than air.

Glass Options

Increasingly, glass comes coated with Low-E, a low-emissivity coating that reduces energy transfer through the glass.

Low-E reflects radiant heat outward in the summer, reflects the internal warmth of the room back inside in the winter and blocks over 80 percent of the ultra-violet rays.

Unless you're very astute, visually you can't tell the difference between a pane of glass coated with Low-E and one without it.

Glass Options

If you have extreme weather or outside noise problems, you can order specialty glass for your window.

For example, some window and door manufactures offer heat mirror glass helpful in very warm climates or in a room with strong reflections off a light patio or pool for an extra 15 percent.

Their laminated glass provides intensive sound insulation from freeway and other urban noise, but costs an extra 50 percent.

Glass Options

There are fewer options when it comes to upgrading window hardware, but a bigger price variation. Standard cranks, levers and pulls are usually made of plastic or steel, but some companies offer solid brass hardware as well.

Converting to brass hardware on an Anderson window would increase the price nearly 20 times.

Hardware Standards