Window options

[Viking]

In our future house renovation (post corona), we will change positions of some of our windows. We only have sliding windows now but I am thinking of maybe installing a different type to increase the openings for ventilation, like casement, awning or louver style.

What kind of windows do you have in your places? Are you happy with them? Would you choose the same style again if you had to replace them? Positive and negative feedback from your type of windows would be appreciated.

Inward or outward opening?

We also want to have mosquito net and probably saftybars installed.

Doubleglazed windows, are they worth the extra expense and difficulty to find? I am mostly thinking of keeping the heat out, not so much the sound.

[hk blues]

We have sliders - single pane aluminum. We have 1 louvre in the dirty kitchen but for security and numerous other reasons I'd not recommend them throughout a house. They do their job and don't leak but of course poor noise/heat efficiency.

I know double-glazed units can be bought here - our SM has a coupe of stores that have them but how reliable is the supply, fitting and maintenance? Throw in the additional cost and, unless noise is a driver, I'm not sure they'd pay their way. I'm sure cranking up/down the A/C would also reduce the heat levels.

We installed good quality sliding insect frames and it was well worth doing.

[Viking]

1 hour ago, hk blues said:

 We have 1 louvre in the dirty kitchen but for security and numerous other reasons I'd not recommend them throughout a house. They do their job and don't leak but of course poor noise/heat efficiency.

 

Can you tell me more about the other reasons? I am curious to learn.

Security can be fixed with safetybars and noise is not a big consern at our location. 

Thnx in advance

[Joey G]

Whatever you get... get screens to match.

[carbpow]

I got vertical sliding windows, single pane. We did put 6 mil security film on the inside of the window glass prior to final assembly. This was for UV and typhoon wind purposes. The 6 mil stuff is really tough. I really wanted double pane but could not find proper supplier. We did put security bars on the inside with hinged security bars on the second floor so escape is possible in case of fire. Once the house was finished we had an installer measure, make and install sliding insect screens. 

In retrospect I wish I had put hinged glass windows. The sliding windows don't allow much airflow. You can only open half the window but at the time I was concerned about finding someone who could make 3 hinge windows and I was in a hurry. Foolish me...never get in a hurry here, or most places for that matter.

In a perfect world I would have put in double pane insulated hinged windows with the 6 mil security film. But I cannot afford a perfect world :)

[Jollygoodfellow]

4 hours ago, Viking said:

Security can be fixed with safetybars

Just make sure you can escape in a hurry . Many deaths from fire and no way to get out here.

[Dave Hounddriver]

7 hours ago, Viking said:

What kind of windows do you have in your places? Are you happy with them? Would you choose the same style again if you had to replace them?

With reference to places I lived in the Philippines:  I was very happy with jalousies when I lived in a place that got high winds and typhoons.  The windows allowed the house to "breathe" during the storm whereas solid windows in other houses would shatter.  In another area where the winds were very mild I installed the kind of windows that open like doors.  That allowed the full space of the window opening to admit fresh air but I could close them when the aircon was on.  In yet another house I had sliders behind bars.  The area was not secure so bars were needed to keep thieves from entering.  In two other places I rented there were huge windows that did not open.  I suppose the idea was to let in a lot of light, cheaply.  Those also let in so much heat that I had them covered with heavy curtains and had a 1.5 HP aircon keeping the place cool.  My electric bill was as high as the rent.

[Viking]

2 hours ago, carbpow said:

I got vertical sliding windows, single pane. We did put 6 mil security film on the inside of the window glass prior to final assembly. This was for UV and typhoon wind purposes. The 6 mil stuff is really tough. I really wanted double pane but could not find proper supplier. We did put security bars on the inside with hinged security bars on the second floor so escape is possible in case of fire. Once the house was finished we had an installer measure, make and install sliding insect screens. 

In retrospect I wish I had put hinged glass windows. The sliding windows don't allow much airflow. You can only open half the window but at the time I was concerned about finding someone who could make 3 hinge windows and I was in a hurry. Foolish me...never get in a hurry here, or most places for that matter.

In a perfect world I would have put in double pane insulated hinged windows with the 6 mil security film. But I cannot afford a perfect world :)

Thats exactly why I am considering other types of windows 

Was it difficult to find that security film and does it do a good job keeping the heat out?

 

1 hour ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Just make sure you can escape in a hurry . Many deaths from fire and no way to get out here.

Yes, I need to solve that. We just have a small house but it´s important to have a fast escape way in case something happens.

 

1 hour ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

With reference to places I lived in the Philippines:  I was very happy with jalousies when I lived in a place that got high winds and typhoons.  The windows allowed the house to "breathe" during the storm whereas solid windows in other houses would shatter.  In another area where the winds were very mild I installed the kind of windows that open like doors.  That allowed the full space of the window opening to admit fresh air but I could close them when the aircon was on.  In yet another house I had sliders behind bars.  The area was not secure so bars were needed to keep thieves from entering.  In two other places I rented there were huge windows that did not open.  I suppose the idea was to let in a lot of light, cheaply.  Those also let in so much heat that I had them covered with heavy curtains and had a 1.5 HP aircon keeping the place cool.  My electric bill was as high as the rent.

One consern I have about jalousies is that they probably dont keep the cold air from the aircon, inside the room, as good as the other types of windows? Apart from that, I like them. Our place is usually not exposed to strong winds so that is not a big issue for us. We just want to maximise the airflow and keep the cold air inside when the aircon is used.

Edited July 19, 2020 by Viking
spelling

[carbpow]

12 minutes ago, Viking said:

Was it difficult to find that security film and does it do a good job keeping the heat out?

 

I sent it in a balikbayan box from the USA but later found it is available here. It is not that difficult to put on but make sure you put it on the glass before it is put in the frame. You need a break-off razor knife to cut it as the 6 mil film is thick and dulls blades quickly. Break-off blades are easy to find here. Use a LOT of water on both the film and glass. Squeegee  the bubbles out, let it dry and then install. The film supplier should be happy to help with instructions. Does it keep a lot of heat out? Yes. Makes a noticeable difference. Is it it as good as double pane? No. But it's worth the effort. I went thru a Cat 5 Hurricane in Florida. I had storm shutters on most windows and 6 mil film on the others. The storm shutters protected the windows well, the 6 mil film? The windows broke but the wind and rain did not come in. Part of the roof flew off and a garage door blew in but that's another story. ;)

[Mike J]

We have windows that swing inside.  Mahogany that has been treated to prevent termites.  I built matching screens to keep out the critters.  The glass in the windows is 6 mm thick so quite strong.  They look nice and provide lots of ventilation (48 x 48 inch square).  No security grills but we do have outside watch dogs.