I sometimes get really excited and passionate about random things and want to talk about every detail with my friends. Hence the reason for this post. Sometimes these things are as simple as quinoa or soap… but, because we’re building a new home right now, my latest obsessions have all been about house stuff…. And the hot topic right now is WINDOWS!
I know it’s just windows, but to me, windows are such an important part of the design of a home. it’s actually the one detail we spent the most time going over with our designer. Everything from the number of mullions to the size, colour and shape.
I love old wooden windows, and I wanted to achieve this look with our new home. But if you’ve ever lived in a home with original wood windows, then you know they aren’t energy efficient at all!
We are currently living in a 1930’s home with original wood windows. They are so incredibly charming! But we will be freezing our butts off this winter. Our heating bill is also going to be so scary, I’m trying not to think about it.
The majority of large window suppliers don’t offer plain wood windows anymore in their regular product offerings. If they still do, then it’s a custom order, and extremely expensive! Which is a little sad when you have your heart set on something.
When we first started our search for windows for our new home, we knew we wanted to achieve the “real wood window” look, but find something energy efficient that worked with our budget.
We met with four different window suppliers to see what they could offer us. The majority of them offered a real wood window, with a metal-clad exterior. The metal clad can come in aluminum or fiberglass. With this type of window, you have your real wood window look in the inside of your house, with a metal-clad on the exterior to help with energy efficiency.
Hardware was another important decision for us. We wanted a metal, not plastic handle. And we wanted the handle to blend in with our other finishes in our home.
Anyways, after much agonizing over these details, we made a decision on which company to go with! And, I’m so excited about our decision. You can read my latest post here, to find out more.
To most people I would imagine windows aren’t that exciting, but if you’re building a home or renovating then maybe you can relate??? We also waited four years to be able to make this decision, so I feel like it’s important not to rush through these details.
Here are some inspiration pics I’ve been collecting. Every window in our new home will be a casement window so it will be seamless. They will be tall, and skinny, like most of these pictures to achieve that classic French look. Oh, we are also doing shutters, so I’m sure that’s the details I’ll be obsessing over next…
Todd Dorlon Landscape Architect Design
