Congratulations on your decision to replace the windows of your Colorado Springs home, but you want your windows to enhance its beauty and provide the functionality you’ve been missing for years. Understanding the facts about your choices and what features they offer is a critical next step in your window purchase process. Selecting the right windows really depends on your home’s architecture, the purpose or use of the window, and of course, how much you can afford.
WINDOW STYLES TO THINK ABOUT:
Awning Windows — Hinged from the top and opening outward from the bottom, awning window's construction pushes water away from the window opening. They are usually placed over fixed windows or in garages above eye level to give your property ventilation and privacy all at once. Awning windows are often associated with southern home designs.
Bay and Bow Windows — Most bay windows involve a large middle window bordered left and right by casement or double-hung windows set at 30- or 45-degree angles. The display can include vented or fixed windows; you can even combine window styles according to your needs for the area. The bow window consists of four or more equal-size windows, usually casements displayed to produce a gradual arching frame. Bay and bow windows offer gorgeous sweeping views, as well as giving a room the sense of being larger than it is. Many of our Colorado Springs area clients opt to include a convenient window seat to their bay or bow windows to provide additional seating for guests or everyday use.
Casement Windows — Usually referred to as “crank out windows”, casement windows are one of the best selling style of windows in the Colorado Springs area. Found within numerous home designs, casement windows feature a single sash that’s hinged on either side and opens by turning a crank shaft in a clockwise motion. With such a design, casement windows provide excellent ventilation (particularly if your window opening faces the direction of the wind). In terms of appearance, we encourage you to consider casement windows for taller windows, over wider ones. Also, because casement windows crank out, and therefore take up more space when open, we do not recommend them for heavily trafficked areas, such as decks or front porches.
Double-Hung Windows — A wide variety of home designs utilize double-hung windows, including traditional, Colonial and Victorian. Double-Hung windows feature two sashes within a single frame. The top and bottom sash bypass each other vertically
when opening from the bottom up or the top down. Double-hung windows look most appropriate for your home’s architecture when they are about twice as tall as they are wide and each sash is an equal-sized square.
Fixed Windows — Fixed windows are most often used for decorative purposes or combined with other windows. Often shaped in a circle, square, or hexagon, fixed windows will not open, as they are intended to contribute an architectural enhancement to your Colorado Springs house.
Single-Hung Windows — Single-hung windows are the same as double hung windows, with one difference: only the bottom sash opens by pushing upward; the top sash is fixed permanently in place.
Sliding Windows — Often called sliders or gliders, sliding windows open precisely as their name implies; they shift side-to-side horizontally. Sliders are great for those hard-to-reach areas in your Colorado Springs home, such as over the kitchen sink. Sliding windows are regularly used in multi-family buildings and apartment complexes.
Skylights — Those Colorado Springs homeowners that would like the additional natural light that windows bring, yet they do not have the addition to allow traditional wall-installed windows, should think about a skylight. Skylights can be opened manually or by remote control (if such functionality is offered), which can bring in more light and heat than windows due to their rooftop positioning.
Transom — Similar to fixed windows, transoms are typically combined with other window styles, and can be either fixed or vented units. Normally placed atop or below the main window or door. Transoms give the illusion of bigger windows by allowing more sunlight in and additional airflow if the windows vent. Transom windows are available in many different shapes, including square, rectangular, half-circle, elliptical and more.
Window Wall — As you might assume, a window wall is literally a wall of windows that do not open and stretch from floor to ceiling. The windows that make up the wall can be of similar or different sizes/shapes and be used for both exterior or interior walls.