Construction Basics Windows & Doors

This is an excerpt from the Book called “Bathrooms A Sunset Design Guide” by Bridget Biscotti Bradley And The Editors Of Sunset. Continue reading to learn more about Construction Basics Windows & Doors , thanks to the author.

Sunlight brings cheer and sparkle to any kitchen. All you have to is welcome it inside with windows, glass doors, or a skylight. When you shop for window and door units, make energy conservation a prime consideration. Double glazing is now standard, but most manufacturers offer windows with low-emissivity (low-e) glazing. These windows have films that reflect heat but let in light. The film also blocks ultraviolet light that can fade fabrics. Look for energy ratings that reflect the entire window unit, not just the glazing. You can also add exterior awnings to shade the windows from unwanted heat gain. Because a house loses more heat at night than during the day, drapes can provide privacy and minimize night-time heat losses from windows.

Window Types

Before you decide that your kitchen needs more or bigger windows, take down the curtains from your existing windows—the change in light levels may amaze you. If that’s not the answer, consider adding or enlarging the windows. Place them wherever they work best. Sometimes an above-cabinet soffit space provides an excellent site for awning-type windows. Or you may install traditional-style windows. These needn’t be the same width as the old ones, but they usually look better if the top edges line up with other windows in the room.

If you want a window to provide natural task lighting for a kitchen sink or work surface, its sill should be 3 to 6 inches above the countertop. For safety reasons, most building codes don’t permit windows over ranges or cooktops.

Don’t overlook style when selecting a window. If your house is a colonial, for example, stick with a traditional double-hung window instead of the contemporary casement type that may not blend with your home’s overall architecture. Also check for other desirable features. A tilt-in unit, for instance, makes cleaning easier. Optional grilles simply pop in and let you create a divided-light window.

For purists, manufacturers fabricate true divided-light windows in standard sizes. There are five common types of windows. They can be used individually, or combined in various ways.

Fixed Windows. Fixed windows are the simplest type of window because they do not open. A fixed window is simply glass installed in a frame that is attached to the house. Fixed windows are the least expensive, admit the most light, and come in the greatest variety of shapes and sizes. However, they can’t be used to provide ventilation.

Double-Hung Windows. Perhaps the most common kind used in houses, double-hung windows consist of two framed glass panels, called sash, that slide vertically on a metal, wood, or plastic track. The glass can be a single pane of glazing or divided into smaller panes, called lites. One variation, called a single-hung window, is made using an upper panel that cannot slide and a lower, sliding panel.

Casement Windows. Casements are hinged at the side and swing outward from the window opening as you turn a small crank. Better casement windows can be opened to a 90-degree angle, providing maximum ventilation.

Sliding Windows. Sliders are similar to double-hung windows turned on their side. The glass panels slide horizontally and are often used where there is need for a window opening that is wider than it is tall.

Awning Windows. Awning windows swing outward like ma casement window, but are hinged at the top. Awning windows can be left opened slightly for air even when it rains.

WHICH WAY SHOULD WINDOWS & SKYLIGHTS FACE?

Orient a door, window, or skylight to take best advantage of breezes and seasonal sunlight. Also take into account trees, neighboring structures, and the potential view.

South light will pour into windows with a southern exposure in winter because the sun’s path is low in the sky. But in the summer, when it rides high in the sky, the sun will beat down on the southern roof instead. Southern exposure is an ideal placement for a window because it gains heat through the window in winter but not in summer, especially if it’s shielded by a deep overhang. A skylight on a southern or western exposure will capture solar heat during the winter—and the summer, too. Be careful about this placement.
East light brightens the morning yet rarely heats up the room. Skylights on north-and east-facing roofs lessen heat gain in the summer.
West light subjects a kitchen to the hot, direct rays of late-afternoon sun, which can make a room uncomfortable until far into the night. If a west-facing window is your only option, shade it with overhangs, awnings, sun-stopping blinds, or broad-leaf plantings.
North light has an almost consistent brightness throughout the day. Because it’s from an open sky, without direct sun, the light doesn’t create glaring hot spots or deep shadows in work areas. North light lacks the drama of other exposures, but kitchen design and colors can compensate for that.

Replacement Windows

When buying new windows you’ll have two important concerns: the type of window to install and the type of installation.

Replacement Installations. You can install your own windows, of course, or buy the units and hire someone to install them. Or you can shop at one of the increasing number of retailers who offer package deals including installation. If you don’t do the job, watch out for the common problem of downsizing, or installing windows that are much smaller than your originals. Downsizing windows by excessively packing out the old frame can change the scale of the façade and create clumsy-looking trim details inside and out.

There are a few installation methods available. For double-hung windows, you can remove and replace the sash while leaving the window frame in place. It’s a good option for replacing damaged or inefficient sash if the overall frame is still in good condition.

Complete replacement is much like installing windows in new construction. But you have the extra work of removing the old units to start with, and after the windows are in, you need to piece-in siding and drywall, and rein-stall trim.

Skylights.

In a single-story house or one with a vaulted ceiling, a properly planned and located skylight can provider five times more natural light than a window of equal size located in a wall. It’s important to plan for the seasonal angle and path of the sun to avoid unwelcome heat gains and losses from skylights. It’s usually better to locate a skylight on a north-or east-facing surface, for example, to prevent overheating and provide diffuse light. Venting models, placed near the roof fridge, can also greatly improve natural ventilation. Seek advice from an architect or designer if you’re not sure how a skylight will affect your kitchen’s climate.

Door Types

Interior and exterior doors are offered in dozens of shapes, sizes, and materials. Most units are made of wood or wood by-products, but many are made of metal and stamped or embossed to look like wood. Exterior doors often incorporate glass panels. French and sliding patio doors are almost all glass. Most interior wood-based doors are fabricated in one of three ways: as individual panels set in a frame, as a hardboard facing molded to look like a panel door and secured to a frame, or as a thin sheet of plywood secured to each side of a wood frame work.

Panel and Panel-Look doors.

Panel door styles offer a variety of choices. They can be constructed with a few as three to as many as ten or more solid panels, in all sorts of shapes and size combinations. Sometimes the bottom is made of wood and the top panels are glass.

Flush Doors.

Generally less expensive, flush doors come in a more limited range of variations. You can enhance their simple looks with wood molding for a traditional appeal.

Sliders.

Sliding doors consist of a large panel of glass framed with wood or metal. Usually one of the doors is stationary while the other slides. Replacing an existing wood door with one that’s all or mostly glass can double its natural lighting potential. For safety and security, be sure that the new door has tempered glass and has a secure looking mechanism. Enlarge an existing door or window opening, or cut a new one, to gain access to a deck or patio outside. The frame may be wood, aluminum, or wood covered with aluminum or vinyl.

French doors.

Traditional French doors are framed-glass panels with either true divided lights or pop-in dividers; usually both doors open. Manufacturers also offer units that look like traditional hinged doors but operate like sliders. If space is limited, consider out-swing patio doors. These units open outward rather than inward like other doors. So you can open them without taking up valuable floor space.

Dutch Doors.

Made in two parts, Dutch doors have independently operating sections, top and bottom. Locked together, the two halves open and close as a unit. Or you can open just the top section for ventilation.

Top and bottom

Skylights allow in five times more light than windows. Used over a sink, top, they provide task lighting. Set near the ridge of a roof, bottom, they provide general lighting to the room.

Sunrooms, Greenhouses and Bays

If a full-scale kitchen addition just does not make sense for your house, you might wish to enhance your existing kitchen, at less cost, with a “mini-addition,” in the form of sunroom or greenhouse-like bump out.

Prefabricated Sunrooms.

Prefabs usually have double-or triple-glazed glass panels and come in prefit pieces that can be assembled by amateur carpenters, although this isn’t a simple project by any means. For a sunroom, you’ll need a foundation, which is usually a concrete slab with an insulated perimeter that goes below the frostline.

A sunroom should face within 20 degrees of due south to take greatest advantage of solar heating in colder climates.

Window Greenhouses.

Also called box windows, these units provide a site for year-round kitchen gardening. All you need to do is remove a window and hang a prefabricated unit or a home-built greenhouse outside. Fill it with flowering plants or greenery, grow herbs or vegetables, or use it to give your outdoor garden a jump on spring. This window treatment is also an excellent way to replace a poor outside view with your indoor garden, while keeping the window open to light.

As with sunrooms, window greenhouses work best with southern exposures. You might also have sufficient light from an eastern or western exposure if no trees, buildings, or other obstructions cast shadows. You might as well rule out a northern exposure; a north-facing green-house loses great amounts of heat in winter, and many plants don’t grow well in northern light.

Bay windows.

Bay units allow you to add a foot or two of sunny space without having to construct a foundation. In this case, you would cantilever the bay window from your home’s floor joists. Most window manufacturers sell bays in a variety of widths and configurations, ranging from simple boxes to gentle bows. Installing one is a job best left to a skilled carpenter.

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