Too many windows?
tammyte
10 years ago
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xc60
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Help Builder saying too many windows for insulation code
Comments (26)While your grand 2 story windows are pretty, you do realize that there will be practical problems? I don't want to beat a dead horse about heating that room... ok well I will. Obviously the r-3 wall (what it will be with windows and the pack of studs in between, is going to be a huge heat loss. Combined with the heat rising, it will be a room that will take the majority of your heating needs. And it isn't just an energy use problem, but it becomes an issue with vastly different loads between this room and the rest of the house. Second, I know that Washington is not sunny NC, but it surely gets sunny at times. A SW facing wall of windows that you can't cover is going to be frustrating from the glare. I have a view wall facing SE and we need sunglasses inside at times but we can close the blinds. It isn't 2 stories either - just 10 ft ceilings with 14 ft wide window bank. Third, again while it isn't as sunny there, when it does get hot and is sunny, you will have a cooling problem. And mind you, it isn't just the energy use, it is the differential in the rooms. You may be turning the stat on 75 but have some rooms at 70 and freezing just to keep that room comfortable. It is very difficult to design a HVAC that can handle such different gains in different rooms. I have a study with a wall of west windows and have planted a tree to deal with the 4-6pm heat up. I rent mountain houses fairly often in the Asheville area and this type of wall is common. But it can be frustrating even just for a few day stay. The last one had tinted the windows and installed an electric awning outside. Blinds and drapes just don't fit well with these walls in the mountains. Honestly - they could be installed but no one wants to because it doesn't fit the "mountain" style. In that house, we had to sleep in double beds downstairs because the king upstairs was too hot from all the gain in the afternoon - and yes the house had a/c. Obviously not the best designed system and you will do better but the challenges are there. I have an oceanfront house (vacation rental) - I understand the need for view without compromise. But the 2 story huge windows you don't really see anything out of except sky and for a large portion of the time you are there, you might be staring at the sun. Yes - they look dramatic. But drama's appeal wears out and practicality does not....See MoreIs there such a thing as too many windows?
Comments (21)Yes there can be too many windows. Too many windows can interfere with upper cabinets. Too large of a window can even preclude placement of lower cabinets. Windows preclude privacy day and night - I hate being on display to neighbors or fisherman on the lake. Glare and/or heat buildup from windows can also be a royal pain. When I am in my kitchen, I'm working. I am not gazing out the window at the vistas. If I want a view, I can take 5 steps over to the dining room and look out the 7' wide window at the lake. When I had a 5' X 5' window in my kitchen, a skylight, and a patio door to boot -- I constantly had them covered just to be able to work in my kitchen due to heat in summer, privacy at night, and glare year round. I had an entire wasted wall where I could have no storage due to windows. I have a small home, so kitchen space is at a premium. Now I have a small window to check on the weather, and 3 times the counter and storage space. You just have to ask yourself who will be using the space and how much external light you want/need....See MoreToo many windows in a house how much utility to expect
Comments (25)I get those things from LG&E constantly. Yes, my utility costs are higher than my neighbors as I'm home all day and do not want the temp at 65 or 85 - neighbors all work all day and leave the thermostat accordingly. I also like to sleep in a refrigerator; in the winter, my upstairs HVAC is rarely even on; in the summer, it is going full blast to keep the room cool for sleeping. I could care less. I can afford the bill and want my house to be comfortable. I have 21 windows in my 1948 brick house. They are Marvin windows which I put in in the past 6-8 years. I have good insulation in my attic - I don't worry about the brick walls as I have large trees in my yard. I'm very tired of those comparisons from LG&E. So long as I pay my utility bill in full and on time, it's really none of their business how I compare to my neighbors. BTW, my neighbors are all much wealthier than I am. Should they have to dispose of some of this? Ridiculous.......See MoreI have way too many windows on all brick home, want to cover window!
Comments (18)From the inside, paneled walls; from the outside, dark rooms: You could panel the interior walls and add a hinged, paneled, hidden "door" over the locations of the windows you want to cover (so you could still access the covered windows, perhaps avoiding problems w/any building/fire/safety codes). You could add matching mini blinds within the window frame of ALL your windows, specifically including the windows to be covered, AND paint (flat black) the side of the paneling that would be visible from the exterior of the home via the covered window(s). Afterthoughts: To add more insulation at the covered windows, you could use insulation board, glued inside the "door" over the hidden windows and paint that flat back.) The doors, which would, of course, open outward into the room, could be kept closed by magnetic cabinet door latches -- the kind you push inward to click them open. ....See Moredekeoboe
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoBrian_Knight
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10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoEpiarch Designs
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10 years agolast modified: 9 years agodekeoboe
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agotammyte
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoEpiarch Designs
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agotammyte
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoEpiarch Designs
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