Window Styles

Modern window styles allow for greater freedom in form and function. While the options available to the less popular aluminium are more limited, UPVC and timber frames can be adapted through a range of mechanisms that allow you to use your window to suit your needs. Modern windows are designed for easier cleaning and to create more space whilst retaining their security, glazing, insulation, and in the case of hardwood, traditional appearance.

Now, consumers are not limited to just a replacement window; you can get an upgrade. Below are highlighted some of the main styles of modern windows to give you an idea of how they can work for your home.

Sliding Sash

Also known in the US as single or double hung windows, these open vertically and traditionally had one sash sliding up to let the air in. On double sashes both parts of the window can slide. If there are young children about, this can be beneficial as the lower part can remained locked to prevent accidents.

Other advantages include the fact that you can have a large window space without taking up any interior or exterior room; therefore they are a good choice for locations by human traffic or by doors. The further development of the horizontal sliding sash or Yorkshire sash means that the sashes can be tilted to allow for easier window washing. You won't even have to go outside. It also allows for maximum airflow.

Sliding sash windows are the traditional English style, and these can often be found on period homes and listed buildings usually made from hardwood. The modern alternative is available in UPVC, which although it is cheaper than the hardwood version, sliding sash is always a more expensive option than commonplace casements.

Generally speaking, traditionally made wood sash windows are operated by weights with a pulley and cord. Modern conventions, particularly in the newer UPVC styles, utilise combinations of springs and spiral balancers and can support sash weights of up to 40kg designed to lift with ease. That said, timber sash frames have also advanced in design and can incorporate modern mechanisms whilst retaining a traditional aesthetic. With wood, a joiner can be commissioned to replicate any grandiose design of your dreams, provided of course that your property allows it.

Top Hung

As the name suggests, top hung windows have a hinge at the top and open outward from the bottom. In the US these are also called awning windows. Installing a top hung frame means that the window can remain open in the event of light rain, making it perfect for muggy summer showers or for ventilating cooking smells. You will be able to feel a breeze from any direction, and can let in some fresh air whilst retaining your privacy.

Top hung windows are a popular choice for commercial premises as they act a means of fire escape, and can be installed in rows or columns creating cast spaces of light in an office or classroom. Often a practical choice rather than visual, top hung windows nevertheless create an attractive wall of daylight.

Casement

On casement windows the hinging is located at the side of the frame so it opens outward to the right or left, this gives you clear views from top to bottom as well as side to side. Fully open, they can catch the breeze and improve the room's ventilation. It also makes them easier to clean.

Casement windows are one of the most common styles seen on UK homes due not only to their practicality, but the fact that they suit almost any kind of property.

Fixed Pane

Fixed or picture windows are an immovable frame designed to be installed with another window style. They are a set feature, put in place to compliment an attached window structure and provide further views where ventilation is not an issue. They bring more light into your home without the extra cost of window mechanisms. A common decorative fixed pane is the circle head seen above front doors.

Bay or Bow

Using a combination of three plus windows, bay windows create an exterior projection on the chosen room thus creating an impression of a bigger interior and actually giving you some further nominal space. Due to the gentle extension and the number of windows used, much more light is drawn into the room. The bay will alter the appearance of the front of home giving it a distinct and appealing look, though it is subtle enough to be suited to most properties.Bow windows are a more engineered version of bay designs. They combine four or more windows joined at equal angles to create a smooth curve. Both bay and bow windows are a suitable choice for living rooms and bedrooms and can be utilised as the room's centrepiece.

Tilt & Turn

These are the most recent developments in window manufacturing and are currently not very common in UK homes. Tilt and turn windows can open inward on a side hinge so that they can be easily cleaned, and also to provide fire escape access. For everyday ventilation they still open inward, but from the bottom hinge.

These are a fairly unique and practical window, although they do impose on interior space. Tilt and turns are best suited to smaller windows in squarer frames for easy mobility.

Roof Window/Skylight

Roof windows are usually installed in loft conversions where the roof's slope makes installing a normal window impossible. They allow for light and ventilation whilst preventing gentle rain from entering.

Skylights are sometimes a fixed, non opening feature designed just to let more light into the room. They are often installed in bathrooms and kitchens.

Within the above choices of window styles, it is possible to select additional decorative features such as a Georgian bar effect. This vertical and horizontal line design divides the window into segments in replication of the traditional Georgian style leaded windows. These are available in wood, UPVC and aluminium.