While durable construction and energy efficiency are top priorities when choosing new windows, beauty is just as important an aspect. After all, windows are highly visible design elements that can help your home make a bigger impression from the curb. In fact, the right kind of replacements can improve the architectural and historical accuracy of your home. All you need to do is turn to a reliable window company that can offer extensive window customization. First things first, make sure your choice of contractor can ensure a safe and worry-free window installation. They should have the necessary business licenses that make them eligible to perform this kind of work in your area. Ask for proof of insurance, including workers’ compensation and liability coverage, so you can protect yourself and your investment better. Make sure they are certified, so you’ll have access to high-quality replacement windows and the warranties included with them. Next, take a closer look at the windows they offer. Do they provide an adequate number of design possibilities? In this ebook, we discuss what window customization choices to look for, plus some handy tips.
PART 1: KEEP STYLE AND SIZE IN MIND
Windows come in a wide selection of styles, making it easy for you to match your new units with your home’s distinctive appearance. Which style you go for should depend on your home’s architecture. Do you own a vintage or a modernist home? Some windows work better with a specific home style, helping increase curb appeal while meeting specific needs. Here’s how to pair your home with the right window style: • Choose double-hung windows for Colonial, Ranch, and Craftsman homes. Double-hung windows offer clean and simple lines that best suit traditional American homes. Double hung windows have the versatility to complement most home styles beautifully. They come with two sashes which can be opened at the same time, allowing for better natural ventilation. This helps improve your home’s indoor air quality while letting in considerable light.
• Pick casement windows for Cottage and Cabin-style homes. Nothing says rustic charm better than a row of casement units. The classic design is perfect for home styles that seek to incorporate colors and textures from nature. Casement windows can be opened wide or angled to direct fresh, healthy air into your home. When closed, they create an airtight seal to prevent energy loss. • Select bow and bay windows for Victorian homes. Typically asymmetrical in design, Victorian homes are perfectly highlighted by the look offered by bow and bay windows that protrude from the home in graceful curves. Bedsides letting in copious amounts of natural light, these windows maximize outdoor views. Bow and bay windows also hold the appeal of a deep sill area ideal for additional seating or storage.
PART 1: KEEP STYLE AND SIZE IN MIND
• Get picture windows for Contemporary-Modern homes. Slim frames and expansive glass make for a sleek design - a lovely complement to the aesthetic of modern homes. This same expansive glass provides panoramic outdoor views, plus access to considerable natural light. Because picture windows are practically made entirely of glass, make sure to choose panes with modified Low-E (low-emissivity) glazing, which helps cut back on the heat entering your home. BIG OR SMALL WINDOWS? Size is also important in window customization because it affects daylight and ventilation in your home. Choose bigger replacement windows if you want to maximize available light. Bigger units will provide a brighter, more open feel to your home and can also help cut back on bills for lighting. Bigger windows will give you a more expansive view of the outdoors and better access to natural ventilation. Use smaller windows in rooms that require privacy, like bathrooms, or in compact spaces, such as the area above kitchen sinks or stairways.
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Stay tuned for the second installment of our ebook, where we discuss how you can choose the perfect trim color for your new windows.
PART 2: CHOOSE THE RIGHT TRIM COLOR
Small alterations can make a big impact on aesthetics, and this fact is especially true in window customization. After picking out your preferred style and size for your replacement units, consider further enhancing them with a lovely trim color. Check out some of these handy tips: 1. Blend or contrast as necessary. Do you want a trim color that blends beautifully with your interior’s current color palette, or should you switch things up a little with a contrasting hue? Once you’ve decided which way to go, picking out a suitable color for your window trim should be a breeze. 2. Choose a trim the same shade as your interior walls. Seamlessly blending the color of your window trim with your wall color can provide a modern look and soothing feel to the room. With trims in the same hue as your interior, artwork or the room’s other more colorful elements can provide the “pop” needed to make the room unique.
3. Play it safe with different shades of white. White trim offers a classic but still highly effective way to set off the look of your home’s interior. In fact, when used wisely, white can make everything look better. White window trim, for instance, can give the room the impression of being clean and neat when used with softer wall colors. Bolder colors, on the other hand, can benefit from white trim because it accentuates the vibrant elements in the room while providing visual relief.
PART 2: CHOOSE THE RIGHT TRIM COLOR
Just make sure to choose the right shade of white; depending on the hue you pick out, white can either warm or cool the look of your interior. Warm, creamy-white trim, for example, looks better with striking wall colors. Icy-white trim, on the other hand, is perfect for walls with a more muted palette. 4. The dark side. Window trims of a darker hue than the adjacent walls can provide an interesting focal point to any room. Black, an elegant and brooding color, is an exceptional choice for this. Dark trim works well when the interior walls have paler hues as it effectively highlights the lovely contrast between dark and light. Should you choose black trim for your replacement windows, make sure to pair it with off-white or cream walls for added warmth. Note, however, that black trim generally suits larger spaces better.
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You may also put focus on the finer details of window customization, such as your choice of hardware finish and grille pattern. The final installment of our ebook discusses these factors in more detail.
PART 3: CONSIDER HARDWARE FINISH AND GRILLE PATTERN
What sets a high-quality replacement window apart is attention to even the smallest of details, such as hardware finish or grille pattern. Both these design elements play a key role in window customization. When choosing a window contractor, pick someone who pays attention to these fine details as well as window durability and efficiency. The best contractors are those who demonstrate that a good level of care and thought has been put into developing a product. WHICH HARDWARE FINISH SHOULD I CHOOSE? Window hardware can come in range of colors - from white and stone, to black and canvas. If you want to add a more elegant touch to your new units, however, metallic finishes may be worth considering, too. The warmth and shine of a metallic finish can nicely accentuate the lines and shape of your windows, drawing the eye to them. Just make sure that your choice of hardware finish also complements the other design elements in the room. For instance:
• Use the shine of brass window hardware to create an interesting contrast with the matte finishes in your kitchen. The cool finish of chrome hardware can set off warm wood tones in the room. The contrast can make for better and more satisfying visuals. • Choose distressed bronze hardware to pair with a white-trimmed window for that classic black-and-white aesthetic. Or, use an antique brass finish for windows with wood grain trim to highlight their warm and natural look.
PART 3: CONSIDER HARDWARE FINISH AND GRILLE PATTERN
• Pick two or three hardware finishes, and use them on windows throughout the house. You can have one or two dominant hardware finishes, and use a third one as a lovely accent WHICH WINDOW GRILLE PATTERN SHOULD I PICK? If you’re aiming for historical accuracy, the right window grille pattern can add just the right element to the home. Here are some of the more popular choices: • Colonial, a staple in double hung windows, features equal-sized squares in both top and bottom window panels. Colonial grille is an excellent choice in traditional home styles, including Colonial and Cape Cod, because of its clean and simple elements. • Prairie is recognizable by the two horizontal and vertical bars that form a square at the corners. Prairie grille is best suited to casement windows.
• Farmhouse has two glass panes divided by muntins on both top and bottom sashes. When the unit is closed, the pattern results in a fourpaned glass window. Window customization offers the perfect opportunity to spruce up your home. It not only improves curb appeal; it also contributes greatly to architectural or historical accuracy. Be selective about hiring a window company that allows for the customization you need.
Renewal by Andersen of Western NY 80 Newbury Street Rochester , NY 14613 585-563-3533 www.rbawny.com