Publication Date:
Sun, 1899-12-31 18:00
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Standard window sizes don't have to mean ordinary in remodeling and new construction. Here's how you can create a custom, upscale look with little additional cost.
| Operating awnings are topped with fixed casements to create a beautiful windowscape. Photo courtesy: Hurd Millwork Co. Inc., Medford, Wis.
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Thousands of standard sizes in all types of windows - including double hung, sliding, casement, awning and others, give you and your customer the freedom to design creativity, simply, in the homes you build. Divided lights, rectangular, half round, round, oval, skylights and more freshen exterior architecture while creating visual excitement and a new look to interiors.
In doors as well, off-the-shelf options can simply and effectively adorn an opening. There's so many ways to spice up an entryway or patio door. Sidelights and transoms are the obvious, but also consider decorative glass and you've added another custom twist to the mix.
| Here's how to get started in creating a custom look 1. Ask your local supplier for design assistance. A slight dimension change may enable you to take advantage of a standard size window, rather than a custom product, and your distributor can prove invaluable here. 2. Do your homework. Ask for literature on the different types and sizes of windows and doors available. Check out other designs builders have created using stock products. 3. Remember to pay attention to loads in the design and to consult building codes before commiting to a particular window design. Manufacturer specifications as well, will keep the design process running smoothly. With a little advance planning, you'll see a world of difference in your window and door designs. Express your individuality in the homes you build. Both you and your customers will be glad you did. |
You're a craftsman at heart, so why not let your clients know it? Not only will they appreciate a design with curb appeal, but they will also gain confidence in your expertise and ability to build a home that's a reflection of their personality and taste.
Using standard products in unusual combinations, or pairing them in ways you may not have thought of before, you can design a home with a whole new look. In fact, you may be able to obtain the same or similar look as a custom, made-to-order window or door, without too much additional cost other than the price for the additional product and some mulling charges if windows are joined together prior to shipment.
Advance Planning
| Operating awnings are topped with fixed casements to create a beautiful windowscape. Photo courtesy: Hurd Millwork Co. Inc., Medford, Wis.
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All it takes is a little foresight and advance planning. Many wood window and door manufacturers have special catalogs, guidebooks and other materials that illustrate different ways in which standard products can be enhanced. This literature or information from your wholesale-retail supplier can be a valuable resource, suggesting simple techniques you can use to build upon windows and doors, adding more and different shapes to evolve to a design that fits your client's needs. (See diagrams.)
The advantage, of course, is that the custom look is now an affordable option for everyone. This gives the builder flexibility and offers a cost-effective alternative for creating a custom window look.
Builder Tandem Inc., Telluride, Colo., relies on its distributor to add window and door creativity to the custom-luxury homes it builds, according to Nancy Hild, who co-owns the company with husband Tim. "Our local distributor is so helpful. He'll come out to the job site with suggestions, and help in the ordering process. This makes our job easier, and helps maintain the high quality Tandem's customers demand." (See related Design Profile in this special section on a home built by Tandem Inc., with Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co. Inc., Wausau, Wis., windows and doors.)
Manufacturers agree that fewer and fewer windows are being distributed as single units, with more mulled together before shipment or field-mulled, all in an effort to shape windows into a truly individual design. Customers simply want more windows, and walls of glass - creating a term now known as windowscaping. Used in combination, standard windows can create that look, at less expense and without increasing the order lead time for such products.
More windows and glass and certain architectural styles have emerged as popular trends. The Prairie style and Frank Lloyd Wright designs are effecting the shapes of windows and doors. For example, rectangular shapes are becoming more popular, as opposed to circle or arch heads, which still maintain a strong following. Rectangular transoms over patio doors are popular, as are awning windows under casements, both proof of prairie-style influence. Putting windows on opposite walls has also evolved into putting windows into corners to create an additional glass expanse.
In addition, doors are experiencing a "coming out" in design. The front door is a crucial design element because it makes the transition between indoors and out. Sidelights, with different types of glass and etchings, are popular pairings with entry doors. In addition, rectangular and elliptical transoms are being used to crown these products, as well as patio doors, making a creation all their own.
