Which plastic windows are better to install in a private house?

1. Glazing options in a private house 1.1. Regular and panoramic windows 1.2. Strip glazing 1.3. Corner structures and other non-standard shapes 1.4. Pivot and tilt windows 2. Windows of attics and attics 3. Winter garden 4. Types of frames according to materials 4.1. Wooden frames 4.2. Metal frames 4.3. Plastic 4.4. Combined frames 5. Selecting a quality profile 5.1. Number of cameras 5.2. Profile width 6. Double-glazed windows 7. Selection of fittings 8. Selection depending on climatic conditions and wall material Individual low-rise buildings in the realities of the modern world are becoming increasingly popular. Private houses are being built both within the city and outside it. All related areas are being adjusted to the needs of modern construction. Including the field of window production. But when choosing which windows are best installed in a private home, do not forget that the overall energy efficiency of any room depends on their size, material of manufacture and other parameters. Let's take a closer look at what window options can be used for glazing country houses, what pros and cons they have.

Glazing options in a private house

In addition to standard windows, more daring design options are also used in country houses today. Popular are panoramic glazing and floor-to-ceiling windows, which also serve as an exit to the garden or terrace. Strip glazing, corner, rotary, tilting designs - the choice of windows for country houses is impressive, allowing you to bring any design concept to life.

1.2. Strip glazing

To maximize the penetration of daylight and visually expand the space in the house, you can install several windows in a row. This is the so-called strip glazing, which involves installing glass structures of the same size one after another along the entire perimeter of the room. This technique is most justified when arranging kitchens. But its use in design projects for the design of offices and bedrooms is not excluded.

Rating of PVC profile manufacturers

Russian consumers give preference to German manufacturers. Their products are distinguished by quality and durability.

KBE is a company founded in 1980. The profiles are suitable for our climatic conditions. They retain their appearance for a long time, do not deform, and do not turn yellow. Can be cleaned with soapy water and a soft cloth. Well protected from the cold. This will allow the owner of a country cottage to significantly save on heating costs. KBE is designed to last for 50 years.

Rehau is a popular manufacturer in Russia. It has been manufacturing its products for more than half a century, having accumulated extensive experience during this time. The profiles fit exactly against each other, which ensures warmth and silence in the house. The windows are equipped with fittings that prevent the sashes from loosening. Additional anti-burglary mechanisms are also installed. The assortment includes models for every budget.

Veka traces its history back to 1968. The company is familiar and loved in many European countries. Produces reliable profiles that are easy to care for. High-quality fittings and adherence to production technologies are the key to the durability of products. You can choose a window of almost any shade or make a custom design that suits your interior.

1.3. Corner structures and other non-standard shapes

For rooms with a small area, corner glazing is an excellent option. In fact, these are two double-glazed windows of any size, connected to each other at an angle of 90°. This technique allows you to visually expand the space, provide an effective source of lighting during the day and an excellent overview of the area in the evenings.

In addition to the usual rectangular and square windows in a private house, you can also install quite unusual designs of round, rhombic, trapezoidal, arched and triangular shapes. They are well suited for any room, decorating the house inside and out.

Corner windows as a decoration for the facade of a house

If we talk about trends in modern architecture, houses with large corner windows look especially impressive. And we can notice that there are more and more such projects every year.

Corner glazing, which opens the interior from two sides of the world, is a response to the need to combine interiors with the environment even more than before. Using corner windows in your home is also a great way to illuminate rooms that are in the shade most of the time. With the help of corner panoramic windows you can make the appearance and architecture of any home unique.

The use of corner windows is associated with modern architectural trends. They add lightness to the facade, and their shape contributes to the construction of a modern image of the building, which is usually disrupted by the symmetrical arrangement of parts on the external walls of the house.

Of course, the facade becomes more light if the glazing elements forming such a window are glued together in the corner. Thanks to their design capabilities, they take the form of balcony doors, panoramic windows and interesting strip glazing. These shapes make them often the most attractive element of a home's architecture.

Windows that open rooms on both sides of the world are primarily designed to let in as much daylight as possible. Most often they are placed in those rooms that are located in the north. If you place such windows to the west or east, this will significantly increase the amount of sunlight entering inside.

Corner windows make the rooms of the house more attractive. The absence of a corner in the rooms visually makes the interiors seem larger than they actually are, and the landscape outside the window becomes part of the interior design.

Corner windows can be made at an angle of 90°, 135°, 125° or 45 degrees. Modern models are completely frameless, they do not need steel or concrete partitions, so their entire surface is glazed. The glazing is attached to the frame of the house with a special glue that is resistant to ultraviolet radiation with high mechanical strength. To make the connection look aesthetically pleasing, it is lined on the inside with silicone or ceramic enamel.

Thanks to modern technologies, it is possible to install large, panoramic corner windows in almost any home. There are also solutions for balcony doors in the form of corner windows that can even fill an entire wall.

The strength of the windows is ensured by a thick layer of tempered glass (6 mm thick), which ensures high impact resistance and safety in case of mechanical damage. Tempered glass also provides greater thermal resistance, which is especially important if the window is open on a south or west facing façade, where it will be exposed to particularly intense ultraviolet radiation. In this case, it is worth choosing glazing with additional coating.

1.4. Pivot and tilt windows

Hinged windows are not always appropriate in a private home. In some rooms there is simply no room for their normal functioning. So, in bathrooms and utility rooms, in corridors and less often in the kitchen, it is customary to install rotary and folding structures. Such designs provide a full source of light, allow you to ventilate the room, maintaining the optimal level of moisture in it, which is necessary for a comfortable life in the house.

4.1. Wooden frames

Today, hardwood and laminated veneer lumber are used to produce wooden windows. According to their design, such frames are:

• single, that is, consisting of only one glass;
• separate double, represented by two parts independent of each other;
• paired, in which both doors are bolted together.

Such double-glazed windows are produced in a blind and opening version, and can be supplemented with windows and a vertical sliding mechanism.

Among the advantages of wooden window frames, users note their high environmental friendliness, aesthetic appearance, good thermal insulation, durability and ease of maintenance. They are not without their disadvantages, which include insufficient sound insulation, low fire safety and high cost.

4.2. Metal frames

Window structures made from aluminum were not so long ago the preserve of industrial and work premises. But the wide variety of their options offered by modern manufacturers makes it possible today to install such frames in private homes. There are “cold” and “warm” types of such structures. The former are applicable for balconies and summer buildings, the latter have a wider scope of use. The advantages of metal frames include:

• increased strength;
• resistance to external influences;
• variety of colors;
• operation up to 80 years or more;
• unpretentiousness in maintenance;
• environmental safety.

The disadvantages of such windows include significant heat loss, high cost, and the complexity of combining metal frames with other types.

4.3. Plastic

Windows supplied to the market in the metal-plastic category are the most popular among modern homeowners. Their technical characteristics are optimally combined with an affordable price, variability in the choice of sizes and shapes. Such structures are a PVC profile with galvanized steel reinforcement inside. The glass unit is placed between the frames. For greater convenience and functionality, windows are equipped with all kinds of fittings.

PVC windows can have one, two or three sashes and be supplemented with a window. According to the method of opening they are:

• shtulpovy (swing);
• folding;
• pendulum;
• sliding;
• rotary;
• foldable;
• transom.

In addition to affordable cost and increased strength, the advantages of plastic windows include a high level of sound and heat insulation, resistance to moisture, ease of operation and maintenance. Another advantage of such structures is their tightness, but this is also the only drawback of PVC windows. Lack of adequate air exchange can lead to the appearance of mold that affects all surfaces in the room.

Selecting the opening method

Window designs differ on this basis:

• Deaf - installed in rooms that do not need ventilation, or combined with opening doors.
• Pivot - allow the doors to open in one direction.
• Tilt-and-turn - have two ways of opening: they turn inward, and can also recline, which is important when there is a small child in the apartment or the window sill is filled with flowers. This is a rational option for a kitchen that requires regular air exchange. With a combination of folding and rotating mechanisms, it is convenient to ventilate the room at any time of the year.
• Rotating around its axis - this type is good for large windows; it is equally easy to wash the outer and inner window surfaces.

Expert advice: in a wide window there is no need to make all the sashes openable. The price of such a window will be unreasonably high. Usually one moving element is enough.

Let's look at an example of balcony glazing. A tilt and turn door costs 12,500 rubles, a tilt and turn door costs 11,200 rubles, a swing window costs 10,750 rubles, and a blind window costs 5,900 rubles. If the inner window and two outer ones are rotary, and two more outer ones are tilt-and-turn, you will have to pay 67,150 rubles for everything. And if you make an internal window and three external ones blind, and only one external one - tilt-and-turn, full glazing of the balcony will cost much less - only 44,900 rubles.

4.4. Combined frames

The combination of several materials in the production of window frames allows us to achieve better energy saving indicators. The most common combinations are wood + aluminum and wood + metal-plastic.

The combination of wood and aluminum involves partial covering of wooden elements with a metal profile. Most often, beech, ash and oak are used for production. Such structures are characterized by increased strength, aesthetics and excellent energy-saving properties. Their production uses Finnish, German or Swedish technology.

The combination of natural wood with PVC produces structures whose appearance is almost indistinguishable from windows made from timber. But they have a significant advantage - a lower price.

Veka

Windows from the manufacturer Veka are also highly rated in 2021. Among their advantages:

• Increased service life;
• Excellent noise and thermal insulation;
• Guaranteed tightness;
• Latitude of lines offered;
• A rubber version of the seal is used - resistant to low temperatures.

But these windows also have a drawback - they come with a very high price.

5.1. Number of cameras

The number of chambers in a double-glazed window is the main indicator of their thermal insulation properties. When choosing this option, the purpose of the room where the windows will be installed is taken into account. For example:

• structures with one chamber are usually installed on balconies, loggias, and in summer buildings;
• double-glazed windows have become more widely used, their installation is in demand not only in private houses, but also in apartments;
• Double-glazed windows with three chambers are installed quite rarely, since they are distinguished by their large mass, which not every wall can withstand.

The effect of "crying" windows

In order to avoid suddenly finding excessive sweat or heavily frozen glass on your windows on winter days, which subsequently begin to thaw and “cry,” certain conditions must be met, namely:

• Install windows carefully. Think through all the points, carefully consider the installation process;
• use energy-saving glass;
• do not forget about ventilating the room;

These are, of course, only the most general tips, but even they will help you avoid unpleasant surprises in the future.

Double-glazed windows

When choosing double-glazed windows, you need to take into account a number of their characteristics, which affect the operational parameters of the structure. For example:

• the minimum distance between glasses in good double-glazed windows is 16 mm;
• the thickness of the internal panels should be within 4-6 mm, and the external ones - about 10 mm;
• Acceptable chamber fillers are krypton, dried air, and argon.

In order not to make a mistake with your choice, before purchasing you need to carefully study the entire range of the offered market, read reviews about certain types of structures. It is advisable to consult with specialists who understand all the intricacies of this issue at a professional level.

Selection of accessories

In addition to the number of cameras, the width of the glass unit and other technical parameters of the window itself, an important criterion for choosing a design is the quality of its fittings. Good fittings should:

• assume a minimum of 10,000 cycles of uninterrupted opening and closing;
• be easy to maintain, repair and replace;
• be easy to use;
• have additional protection against corrosion.

Popular and time-tested brands of window fittings include Winkhaus, Roto and Maco.

Choice depending on climatic conditions and wall material

The climate and materials from which the walls of the house are built are the main indicators when choosing double-glazed windows. Aluminum structures are the lightest in weight, but their energy-saving properties are not suitable for glazing residential off-season premises in cold climates. Wooden windows have the best thermal insulation parameters, but they cannot guarantee durability and protection from harsh Russian winters. Therefore, metal-plastic double-glazed windows are the best option. The level of their protection from cold and wind depends on the number of cameras in the double-glazed window.

A special approach to window decoration with curtains

A wooden house outside the city is a pleasant place for a city dweller, where you want to return and spend the whole weekend. Wooden walls and natural curtains convey the feeling of nature and the freshness of the forest. The design of the house sets the mood for relaxation, and the decor of the window opening also plays an important role. The color of the curtains will organically combine with textiles or furniture upholstery. For decoration, you can take fringe, tassels, bows, and tiebacks.

Rules for decorating windows with curtains in a wooden house:

1. Roller blinds are used independently in a laconic interior, and they can also be supplemented with curtains to create an interior in any style.
2. Short curtains look original and give the interior a special look.
3. Translucent tulle can be folded in half, this design will be functional.
4. Curtains look good with garters, and the most suitable type of fastening is braid or rings.
5. When decorating a window with a lambrequin, you need to take into account the color of the walls and not make it too lush.
6. Cafe curtains, tulle and blinds are suitable for decorating a kitchen window in a wooden house.

It is important to choose natural materials for curtains, observe a sense of proportion when choosing decor, correctly combine light options with thick curtains, and select curtains that are lighter or darker than the walls.