Window Features

Glass

You can choose from different glass options that have been designed for different environmental conditions and home design preferences. As a homeowner, you can choose anything from clear glass to Low-E glass to obscure glass.

Keep in mind which direction your windows will face and how much sunlight or weather elements they will be exposed to. Sometimes you can get too much of a good thing — oversized windows featuring standard glass can allow too much hot sun into a home during summer months. Consider selecting windows with between-the-glass shades or blinds for enhanced privacy. Select windows featuring Low-E coatings to protect your furnishings from overexposure to the summer’s hot sun.

Glass Types and Options

Clear Glass

Completely transparent, without any color added. Clear glass is the basic material available for windowpanes. In recent years, with the advent of ever-increasing energy costs, more homeowners are choosing glass with special glazing options, like Low-E coating, to enhance energy efficiency.

Low-E Glass

Low-E keeps a home cool and comfortable by reflecting the sun’s heat and damaging rays. In the winter, Low-E glass helps a home stay warm by reflecting heat back into the room. Low-E coating is a microscopically thin finish of metal oxide on the surface of clear glass that reflects a high percentage of heat. This coating allows the sun’s heat and light to pass through the glass into the home, while at the same time blocking heat from escaping the room, considerably reducing heat loss.

Heat absorbing

Glass treated with gray, green or bronze tints reduce heat gain by absorbing as much as 45 percent of the incoming solar energy, further increasing the energy efficiency of windows.

Reflective

Glass that has been coated with a reflective film is useful for controlling solar heat gain during the summer. It also reduces the passage of light and solar transmittance year-round.

Tinted Glass

Gives the glass a consistent color throughout which will not chip or peel. The tinting also reduces glare and absorbs heat, keeping your home cooler. Colors offered usually include bronze and gray.

Obscure Glass

Textured glass that lets light through but is not completely transparent. It is most often used for privacy, light diffusion or decorative effects. Some styles include rain glass, glue chip glass, reed glass, etc.

Understanding Glass Performance

This information is provided to help you choose the best product for your home. The ENERGY STAR program uses U-Factor, Solar Heat Gain Coefficient and Air Leakage to qualify products for certification.

U-factor

Measures how well the window prevents heat from entering or escaping the home. This represens the heat flow rate through a window, expressed BTU’s using winter weather conditions. It represent how much interior heat is retained during cold weather. The smaler the number, the better.

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC)

Measures how much heat from the sun is blocked. Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) is perhaps the most important indicator of how well a window works in texas. The SHGC measures the amount of solar radiation that enters a building as heat. The lower the number, the better the glass is at preventing solar gain.

Visible Transmittance (VT)

Measures how much light comes through the whole window. Visible Transmittance (VT) is the percentage of visible light that’s transmitted through the glass and coatings. A single pane of clear glass will back 10% of visible light (without any coatin).

Air Leakage

Measures how much outside air comes into the home through a closed window.

Fading Transmission

Fading Transmission represents the portion of energy transmitted in a spectral region from 300-700 nanometers. The region includes all of the ultraviolet energy and most of the visible spectrums of light. The lower the number, the better the glass is for reducing potential fading to carpets and furnishings.

Grilles

Window grids, also known as window grilles, are a popular window option to give the appearance of individual panes of glass. Decorative grids can add warmth and style to your windows. And because internal grids are enclosed in between the two panes of glass, cleaning is fast and easy.

Grids can be considered the cherry on top of the sundae for windows in the home. Designing your home requires a good amount of creativity and meticulous planning. Even the smallest details, like the grid pattern of your windows, should complement the overall interior.

Finishes

• Exterior: Each grill option may be finished to match your exterior cladding color. ILT options also include natural Mahogany and primed Pine exterior finishes.
• Interior: Unfinished, prefinished stain or paint, and primed finish options are available for every grille style except grilles-between-the glass, which are available in seven color choices.

Tips for understanding grids and how to specify them for windows:

• Know where the grids are located.
• Consider the size of the window.
• Know your terms. Vertical grids go in an “up and down” direction on the glass of the window. Horizontal grids go “side to side” on the glass.
• Understand your grid locations. Grids are defined within the sash of a window.
• Think of the whole house. Generally, grid patterns should match in all the windows on the same floor and on the same side of the house.
• Visualize a grid.

Color Combinations

Depending on the interior and exterior finishes you choose for your windows, you’ll want to coordinate your window grids to match. For the same colors on the interior and exterior, grids are available. To create grids with different colors on the interior and exterior, grids are available. This allows you to create the perfect window inside and out.

Window Grid Patterns

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  Colonial
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  Diamond
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  Craftsman
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  Prairie
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  Double Prairie

Screens

The beauty of Window screens is that they cover the opening of a window while allowing in fresh air and light. Today’s screens come in a variety of types and styles that serve different functions, depending on your needs.

Window screens are designed to let fresh air in and keep most everything else out. Most screens are placed on the exterior of your home, so that you can open and close the window from the inside. Only casement and awning windows have the screen on the interior side, so that the window can be cranked open for ventilation.

Best Feature of a Window Screen?

• More light to enter your home
• Greater airflow for better ventilation
• Increased optical clarity for clearer views

Select a Screen Type

• Aluminum: Durable, long-lasting, for all screen projects, in bright or charcoal finish.
• Fiberglass: Easy to install, for all screen projects, in gray or charcoal finish.
• Clear Advantage: Greater visibility and airflow than standard screen, least noticeable, greatest curb appeal.
• Pool and Patio: Stronger fiberglass screening for larger openings like porches.

Frame Color Options

There are a wide variety of frame colors available. Depending on the product you choose to have installed, ask technician which options are available to best fit your needs.

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Hardware

Window hardware serves several purposes 1.) assist you in opening and closing your windows, 2.) providing a locking mechanism to give you a measure of security and 3.) add visual impact to your windows and to complement other decor elements in your home.

Window hardware is a small part of a room’s overall design and feel, but it can make a large impact. Choosing the finish for your home’s hardware, including window hardware, might feel like a daunting task, but when done right it can transform a look from blah to beautiful. Think of it as the jewelry that completes an outfit — without it, things look bare.

Window Hardware and Finishes

Windows & Doors offers several distinctive hardware finishes that allow designers and homeowners to create mood and match decor. What does your hardware say about you? Find out below.

Specialty Features

Interior or exterior, with or without glass, gliding or hinged, natural or man made material – Special shape windows come in a variety of shapes and styles.

Distinctive shapes can add elegance to a home, especially when placed above other windows. From octagons to ellipses to gothic arches, Windows can build almost any shape you can dream up. Unique grid patterns can also be added to create a truly one of a kind window.

Specialty Window Features

• Double glazed sealed units with Intercept spacer for optimum insulation value.
• Low emissivity (Low E) glass that provides maximum energy efficiency.
• Argon gas for optimum efficiency.
• Fusion welded frame and sash corners.
• Window has hidden drainage holes to allow water to be drained without you seeing drain flaps.

Specialty Window Options

• Design flexibility.
• Adds architectural interest.
• Can be used to highlight an interesting feature of your home.
• Used alone or in combination with other windows or doors.
• Painted exterior.
• Decorative grids that are sealed inside the insul unit.
• Various tinted and textured glass available.