Yay! We got our windows and doors ordered.  This was an epic process to get this done. Windows and doors make up a substantial part of the home building budget and a significant portion of the curb appeal of a home.  We wanted to get this right.  Once we’d decided on WeatherShield’s Premium line of windows, worked with The Window Center‘s Tonya Jones, to get through this process (they also sell Jeld-Wen btw).  It took FOREVER to get the orders in but not because of Tonya, she was fantastic to work with.  Very very knowledgable and very thorough which is a good thing as the level of detail with a window and/or door is much more extreme than one would expect. And you should truly review them all with conscientious decisions for each detail as the expense and impact of poor choices can haunt you.  Tonya and I went through dozens of emails and back and forth proposals till we settled on a winning combination.

Another fantastic resource is the president of The Window Center, Kurt Papp.  Kurt has an encyclopedic knowledge of windows and doors.  We spent a Saturday afternoon with him as he stunned me with all the details available on windows/doors and their manufacture.

I’ve explained my reasons behind choosing WeatherShield Premium in another post but here are things to examine when choosing windows and doors:

anatomy

  • Dimensions – make sure you get this right, or right enough, so that your windows and doors will fit, everything else is based on these measurements of the rough framing opening sizes
    • Rough Opening – The opening in the wall where the window or door is to be installed, slightly larger than the size of the unit to allow squaring and shimming.
    • Jamb (or Side Jamb) – The left and right vertical pieces forming the frame on a window or door.
    • Mull (or Mulling) – The actual piece used to attach two or more window and/or door units together to form a combination. The process of joining the units to each other.
    • Stacked – When two or more window units are joined vertically.
    • Rails – The horizontal framework members of a window sash or door panel.
    • Sash – The fixed or operating portion of the window consisting of top and bottom horizontal rails, left and right vertical stiles, and the glass.
    • Side Jamb – The vertical left and right members of a frame on a window or door.
    • Sill – The horizontal piece forming the bottom of the frame on a window or door.

window-types1

 

  • Style/Shape – Eyebrows, arched, rectangles, ovals, squares, transoms, etc.
    • Eyebrow – A round top window consisting of a partial radius head that’s typically used above a tilt window, casement window or French door.
    • Awning Window – A single-sash window that’s hinged at the top of the sash and uses a handle crank that allows the bottom of the window to swing out towards the exterior of a home.
    • Bay Window – A picture window combination consisting of two or more windows placed at 30-, 45- or 90-degree angles allowing it to extend outside a home’s exterior and create an open space on the interior. The individual units in a bay window usually feature both fixed and operating sash.
    • Casement Window – A single-sash window that’s hinged on one side and uses a handle crank that allows the window to swing open to either the right or the left, towards the exterior of a home.
    • Double Hung Tilt – A window where both the upper and lower sash slide up and down to allow air into the room. The sash are designed to tilt into a room for easy removal or cleaning on both sides from inside a home.
    • French Casement – A casement window featuring two sash hinged at the left and right sides allowing both sash to open and offering a clear center opening with no center mull post to obscure the view.
    • Picture Window – A stationary window used to capture wide views of exterior landscape. Can be combined with other functional windows such as double hungs and casements, and/or topped with direct set or awning windows for enhanced views.
    • Single Hung – A window with two sash, where the bottom sash slides up and down and the top sash is fixed. Many single hung windows also have a tilt-in option on the bottom sash for easy cleaning and removal.
    • Transom – A window stacked above another window or door.
  • Hinges – Both finish and style
  • Operating codes – Are they static (fixed), active (opening via handle), inactive (opening via shoot/flush bolts), inswing (opens toward inside of house), outswing (opens to the outside), etc.
  • Exterior Cladding – Aluminum, vinyl, fiberglass, or wood, roll form or extruded
    • Clad – Refers to the portion of a wood window or door that’s covered with aluminum, fiberglass or vinyl on the exterior side of the frame and/or sash. Weather Shield uses a composite sash construction system where extruded aluminum, pultruded fiberglass or vinyl exteriors are bonded to solid wood interiors by means of a mechanical and chemical interlock system.
  • Interior Wood – Wood species and factory finish or not
  • Paint Finish – AAMA 2605 is the current best standard for non-chalking or fading
  • Exterior/interior colors – Different models have different palette options
  • Brickmould – The casing surrounding windows and doors
    • Brick Mould – The decorative moulding surrounding the exterior of a window or door frame to provide them with the traditional look of a wood window or door.
  • Door panels – Raised, flush, or inset
    • Door Panels – The swinging or sliding portion of a patio door, consisting of the top and bottom horizontal rails, the left and right vertical stiles and the glass.
  • Glass – Double pane, Low-E, Gas Filled, coated, etc.
    • Glazing – The glass portion of a window or door. Also refers to the actual process of installing the glass in a sash, frame or door panel.
    • Pane – A single piece of glass within a window or door.
    • Spacer – An anodized aluminum bar used to separate the panes of glass in an insulating window.
    • Low E Glass – Glass with a microscopic coating applied to one or more surfaces to provide greater energy efficiency and UV protection that helps reduce the fading of artwork, curtains, furniture, rugs and floors in a home.
    • Tempered Glass – Float glass that is heated and then cooled rapidly to make it several times stronger than annealed glass. Standard in all Weather Shield doors, tempered glass is safer than annealed glass because when it is broken it falls into pebble-like pieces without sharp edges.
  • Lite configuration – How do you want your muntin bars to be arranged?

muntins_2

 

  • Lites – Real, simulated, between the glass, etc.
    • Grilles – A decorative pattern on a window or door consisting of horizontal and/or vertical bars that divide the larger sheet of glass into smaller panes. Grille types include simulated divided lites (SDL), true divided lites (TDL), grilles in the airspace (GIA), and wood removable grilles
    • True Divided Lites (TDL) – Individual lites of single glass or insulating glass, separated by muntin bars.
    • Simulated Divided Lites (or SDL) – Windows with grilles adhered to the interior and exterior of the window glass, in a variety of decorative options, to simulate the look of true divided lites.
    • Grilles in the Airspace – Also referred to as airspace grilles or grilles between glass, these are aluminum bars sealed in the insulating airspace between the two panes of glass, making cleaning easier.
  • Munition Bars (SDL Bars) – Width and profile
    • Muntin Bars (or Grilles) – The narrow, horizontal and/or vertical bars that form the decorative grille pattern on a window or door. (Also see Grilles)
  • Hardware – Both finish and style

    • Handle Set – The hardware portion of a door consisting of a core, turning mechanisms, a handle or knob, a strike plate and a lock plate.

    • Hardware – The locks, crank handles and hinges on windows and doors used to operate and secure them.
    • Hinges – The hardware portion of a window or door that allows the window sash or door panel to open.
    • Operator Handle – The piece of window hardware used to crank the sash open on a casement or awning window.
  • Locking mechanisms – Multipoint, tubular, dummy, active
    • Lockset – A door’s complete lock system consisting of the lock mechanism, knobs, keys, plates, strikes and other accessories.
  • Lock styles – Dummy, active, inactive, passive, etc.
  • Screens – We didn’t go with any
    • Screen – The framed, mesh fiberglass exterior piece on a window or door that keeps insects from entering the home.

 

Yes, it’s a crazy long list.  Get after it earlier and keep working with the architect and window sales person to iterate and make sure nothing is overlooked before you pull the trigger.  You don’t want to waste a window or door or have issues with fitment and style later on. It causes unnecessary disappointment and delays.