Glass windows and doors can instantly amp up the style factor of your home. Moreover, modern technology allows you to utilise glass windows and doors for energy-efficiency, safety, acoustic insulation, and increased privacy. There is hardly any home lacking a glass window or door. However, choosing according to what suits your style, décor choice, and requirements is imperative to ensure that your home looks like a reflection of your tastes and encompasses all your needs.
Which Framing to Choose?
Glass windows and doors are typically installed in frames that define their appearance and act as pillars of support. While glass itself can be customised in various shades and types, frames add life to windows and doors. Most brands offer frames of steel, aluminium, wood, and uPVC. You must give a careful consideration to each of those before choosing one for your home.
Timber Frames
Nothing says “modern with a traditional twist” quite like wooden frames. Timber frames add a regal look to your home. They are chic, classy and elegant making your home appear warm and comfortable. Most manufacturers offer timber glazing in contemporary and expansive designs. Moreover, wooden frames are easily customisable. You can request unique carvings, different shades, and styles for your wooden-framed windows and doors. Since wood is friendly to paint and stains, it will fit well with whatever colour palette you have in mind for your house. Moreover, it is an excellent insulator and is sturdy.
While natural timber requires extensive care, highly engineered Accoya timber frames used by AIS Windows is exceptionally durable and low-maintenance. Our wooden frames are a perfect mixture of luxury and functionality, for they are UV, termite and water-resistant, naturally insulating and recyclable.
Aluminium Frames
Aluminium has been a popular construction material for ages. It is used in window frames because it is highly functional, operational, and aesthetically pleasant. Aluminium frames are used in both commercial and residential buildings. If you want an aluminium framing for your home windows, you can either go for powder or an anodized finish. Because aluminium is malleable, you can also have it customised in different shapes and sizes. Since aluminium is incredibly robust, its frames can be extremely thin or sash-style. It is also impervious to moisture, insects and termites and can be recycled with ease.
uPVC Frames
uPVC frames are the ultimate modern touches you need in your sleek and trendy home. uPVC frames are practical, multi-functional, and eco-friendly. They also provide optimal thermal insulation, acoustic insulation, and increased structural stability. Their double-sealed mechanism and EPDM gasket offers a shield against erratic weather conditions and also reduces air infiltration. uPVC is termite-resistant and can be constructed with a drainage system consisting of drain slots, raised track rails, and slopes to prevent water stagnation.
Deciding on Windows and Doors
The shape, dimensions and orientation of doors and windows is a decisive factor of the overall look of your home. While choosing a particular window or door type, factors such as security, screening, cost and impact on space must be given due consideration. Finally, it all boils down to your personal needs and preferences.
Window Types
Fixed Glass Windows
Although the traditional purpose of windows is to provide ventilation, the use of glass windows is to gain unobstructed access to the outside view. Fixed glass windows are appropriate for spaces where you need just the view, not the ventilation. As the name suggests, these glass windows cannot be opened once installed. They are not very stylistically flexible but excellent when you need a closed-off or private room with unobstructed views of the surroundings.
Sliding Windows
Sliding glass windows are widespread. They move inside a single frame and can be opened and closed when desired. However, you cannot open both the window panes at the same time. This feature limits the ventilating capacity of sliding windows. They can easily be used in spaces where you do not want your windows to protrude inside or outside your room.
Awning Windows
Awning glass windows open from the base and protrude outside your home. These windows are closed using a winder system or friction stays. The winder system usually comes with attached chains that limit the opening and therefore the ventilating capacity of such windows. Screening on the inner side is conventional for such windows. Awning windows are mostly weather-proof and create a hood from the rain when you open them.
Casement Windows
Casement glass windows are typical windows that open outwards. They are available in a wide variety, and most home-owners customise the size, shape and orientation of casement windows based on their space and style. Even though casement windows are simple, they make your house look sleek and polished.
Louvre Windows
Louvre glass windows provide both stunning views and optimum ventilation. Louvre windows are known to display a balustrade of sorts when installed at full height. However, these windows struggle to meet the impact and opening size of a typical balustrade. Diverse angling of Louvre windows also allows you to have privacy whenever desired. They are more delicate than casement or awning windows.
Frameless Windows
These windows are double-hung with no margin or frame on their moving side. Such window panes slide across from each other on a counterbalance and have a small handle on the window itself. These are excellent options for rooms where you do not want the outside views marred by frames making them extremely favourable for rooms that open up to patios or backyards.
Door Types
Slide-and-Fold Doors
Slide-and-fold doors act like virtual walls in a vast and open space. They are available with wooden, uPVC and aluminium frames. By design, such entries are a combination of several frameworks that have other fixed or moving structures within them. As the name suggests, they slide and fold either outwards or inwards based on your space and choice. Slide-and-fold doors are incredibly secure and have multiple locking points on the frame. They are also low-maintenance and easy to operate.
Casement Doors
Casement doors are identical to casement windows in that they are hinged from the side and can be opened either outward or inward. AIS Windows offers casement doors in wood, aluminium and uPVC. Our casement doors are available in several designs and colours, exude a natural finish and are durable.
Sliding Doors
Best for compact spaces, sliding doors add a unique aesthetic appeal to your home. They are durable, secure and easy to operate. Install sliding doors in back patios and balconies of smaller rooms for the best effect.
French Doors
One of the earliest forms of glass windows and doors, French doors are excellent additions to a stylish and sleek home. French doors can be framed with wall-to-ceiling fixtures that are hinged on the sides and open both inwards and outwards. Perfect for homes built in a colonial architectural fashion, French doors are available in wood, uPVC and aluminium frames.
Determinants for Choosing the Glass Type
Once you have the frame sorted, you will need to decide on the type of glass you want for your windows and doors. Glass solutions are available in virtually all aspects of home designing including insulation, energy-efficiency, noise-cancellation and privacy. Depending on what solution you require, you can choose different types of glass windows. Some of the important determinants to consider are –
Safety and Security
Safety is always a priority in your home. Having regular glass windows might appear the ideal option but regular annealed glass does not provide enough security. Toughened glass windows do not break easily. Even on breaking, they turn into small blunt pebble-like pieces instead of sharp shards capable of causing serious injuries. PVB-laminated and heat-toughened safety glass are some options you can consider for your windows and doors if you want enhanced safety.
Acoustic Insulation
Outside noise can easily infiltrate your home and dampen your peace. Moreover, it hampers your work, and is unhealthy. Acoustic windows consist of a PVB interlayer between two standard glass layers and lend much-needed peace to your home. Acoustic glass can reduce sound disturbances by upto 40 decibels making your house soundproof.
Privacy
Smart glass or switchable glass is the latest innovation that gives you maximum privacy while never obstructing gorgeous views. It is a type of electrically-enhanced glass that turns opaque or transparent on the click of a button. You can adjust opacity levels whenever required to control the flow of light into your room or create a private space instantly. Smart glass windows can fulfil your desires of privacy on-demand.
Energy-Efficiency
Cutting-edge technology enables manufacturers to create glass solutions that are incredibly eco-friendly and control insulation levels. This kind of glass can reduce your energy consumption and dramatically enhance the efficiency of your home. Choose to install energy-efficient glass windows to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature without having to use electrical devices that contribute to high energy consumption and bills.
At AIS Windows, we offer customised window and door solutions for all your requirements. Our products include uPVC, wooden, and aluminium frames. At AIS windows, our experts assist you in everything from design and shopping to the installation and aftercare of your windows. We believe in providing you with only the highest quality products and hassle-free services. Contact us today to adorn your home with choicest glass doors and windows.
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