Home renovations upgrade your house’s curb appeal and make it a better fit for your family’s personality. If eyes are the windows to the soul, then windows are the eyesight to the soul of your home’s interior. Your window selection should reflect the interior and exterior of the house. Here are ten useful tips for choosing the right exterior window style.
1. Know the Purpose of Your Windows
Windows let in light, but they also function as doorways, such as a sliding glass window as an entrance to the porch. Sometimes, windows are ornamental or fixed. What if you install a skylight in your living room or dining room? What about solar tubes that let light into darker areas where windows aren’t possible? Know the purpose of your windows before you install.
2. Select the Right Accent Colors for Frames
Not sure what exterior palette to choose? Look to neighboring homes and the outdoors for inspiration. Match your trim color to your window frame, or maybe select a field color for the home with two accent colors for frames and doors.
3. Match Window to Required Ventilation
Besides light, windows allow ventilation and fresh air inside and outside of every room. What are your ventilation needs? Operable windows also matter for safety in case of a fire or other hazard. You can’t open a fixed window, but they’re commonly used along with operable windows.
A decorative stained-glass window is an example of a fixed window. Letting in proper air flow can also help you reduce your power bill since you don’t rely on your air conditioner to cool your home all the time.
4. Choose Windows That Appeal to Interior Style
Improve your interior style with your window selection. Let light into bathroom windows and limit direct viewing angles from outside. In more public areas, decide if you want a larger picture window or various sizes and shapes of windows for interest and more privacy. Imagine a window seat where you can read a book with a view of the backyard.
5. Consider Door and Exterior Style
Curb appeal is more than a perfectly manicured lawn and a freshly painted house. A perfect balance of doors and windows influence how others views your home.
Consider door and exterior style as you select your windows. Cape Cod homes focus on balance with equally sized transom windows and wide doors, the front door at the center. Colonial homes focus more on simplicity with double and single hung windows. Complement your home with a matching window and door style.
6. Use the Sun’s Orientation
Are you designing your home with the help of a contractor or architect? Think about how your home sits in relation to the rising and setting of the sun. Many people prefer western and southern facing windows to provide light for indoor plants and make the most of a beautiful view, despite the sun rising in their eyes in the bedroom every morning. Your decision will also impact your heating and cooling bills.
7. Match Windows to Your House’s Architectural Style
Windows are grouped in twos and threes in Craftsman homes and complement open floor plans and exposed beams. Contemporary homes feature glass in their architectural expression primarily and provide natural light in the home without wasting electricity. Match your windows to your home’s architectural style to enhance curb appeal and more.
8. Use Windows as an Interior Focal Point
Want to take advantage of picturesque views from your property? Consider the use of various window styles, colors, shapes and details to play off your interior and exterior views. Unique styles can bring out the interior personality of your home. Create an experience around this focal point, such as a sitting nook or a dining area in a sunroom.
9. Focus on Energy Efficiency
Heat loss and gain via windows are responsible for 25 to 30 percent heating and cooling energy use in residences, and you can claim up to 10 percent on taxes for qualified energy efficient home improvements. If choosing windows to replace current ones or new construction, select the most energy efficient windows you may afford that function best for your climate.
10. Know Your Preferred Mode of Window Operation
You can open windows both vertically and horizontally. What mode of handling do you prefer? Windows can hang down or up, move inward or outward or transition via sliders in right or left directions.
11. Enhance Your Curb Appeal
Both exterior and interior aesthetics matter when selecting exterior windows. Use these ten tips to choose the right exterior window style for your home to enhance your curb appeal and bring out your home’s personality.
