The Window To Your Soul

This post is all about windows, and not as the title suggests metaphorical windows but physical windows you can touch, shine and smash as the mood takes you. I am sat here with the sunshine blazing through my window on a beautiful spring day and on a day like this windows are the most important part of the house. But they are also very important in the winter as they will either keep your home free of draughts and warm or if they are showing signs of wear or frankly not very well installed windows you might be in a draughty house with the central heating on trying to keep warm.

So lets take some time out to check out a few different types of windows and see what takes our fancy:

Lets sashay over to the Sliding Sash Windows first. Sliding sash windows are basically windows where the glazed panels are opened by sliding vertically or horizontally, and normally they will have 3 panes across by 2 up on each of 2 sashes. These are a very traditional type of window very popular in Georgian and Victorian times. The problem these types of windows used to have when they were just made of wood was they could rot, swell and/or distort and so they had to be extremely well maintained. However now you can get uPVC sash windows this is no longer a problem and they can be energy efficient as well as helping to provide sufficient cooling of interiors during hot weather. If you open both the top and bottom of a sash window in about equal measure this will allow warm air to escape and keep your rooms nice and cool in the summer time.

Now we move onto Triple Glazed Windows. The advantage of these is that they can save you money on heating bills and you will also find they reduce the level of noise from outside of your house if you live in an area that has a busy main road or particularly annoying neighbours! If you use a good window supplier who installs your triple glazed windows just right then they should reduce condensation on the inside of your windows by around 70%. And as you probably know condensation can lead to mould and even respiratory problems if people in the house are asthmatic or suffer breathing difficulties.

Casement Windows can be pretty cool too. The definition of a casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges, the hinges are always at the side. Many new types of casement windows have multi-chambers within their profile that can really reduce the heat loss in your home. The main advantage to a casement window is that they work great for ventilating your home, they can be hinged to open outward and angled so that any breeze from outside is directed through the window into your home.

Finally we check out our favourite cousins offering, French Windows. French windows can give your home a breezy, airy feel and the opening allows unrestricted access and maximum ventilation which is wonderful on a spring or summers day. They are large door sized lattice light, and if they have a hinge on them they are then French doors rather than French windows. French windows come in pairs or multiple variations of pairs and are perfect for opening out onto a terrace or into a garden.

Which of these windows you prefer (you may want different types of windows for different parts of the house) may depend on what part of the world you are in, the style of your home or your own particular penchant. Below is a picture of a sliding sash window.