Does anyone have a solution to heat gain from our west-facing windows?
Donna Collins
last year
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Low-e vs solar gain vs window treatments
Comments (22)Hi ZIns, Oberon offered professional technical details so I will chime in with homeowner experience. Yes, even with Low-E, there will be fading. Depending on the amount and intensity of exposure and the finish, it is a matter of how much and how soon. In a situation where the sun is very mild and light, by the time fading is noticeable, it may also be time to refinish the floor. My guess is the floor is not receiving year-round exposure, true? The sun is stronger and deeper during some time of the year and weaker and less intense at other times, is that so? We have seasonal sun intensity problem too and solve it with a combination of solution. We use rugs to protect several sections of our floor during mid-Spring through late Summer. The rugs are removed to prevent tripping when we have visitors. The rugs are also removed around Autumn when the sun is low and the exposure is much less intense and shortening each day. We have old furniture in one area by our French doors and my wife made knitted coverings to cover the furniture. As necessary, we remove the covering when appropriate. Outside the French doors, we installed retractable awning so that during extremely hot summer days, the awning extends to provide cover without blocking natural light. Our goal is to not use any window treatment because we enjoy natural light and the views. Hope this helps a bit....See MoreAnyone have a sink NOT facing a window?
Comments (24)I was in Klaff's today -- a very pricey showroom with beautiful stuff -- and I noticed that sinks with lights under the upper cabinets above the sink make it very bright and cheerful. I don't think I'd miss a window if the lighting were bright enough. I've also seen plate racks over sinks that are functional as well as nice-looking. I'm having a really hard time centering my sink and windows because of my layout and was thinking that having to have your sink centered there really removes a lot of flexibility in your planning. As someone mentioned above, putting a prep area under the window might be nicer. Do you really look out the window when you're cleaning up?...See MoreDoes double glazed windows block heat from outside/sunlight?
Comments (3)Solar control is a bit of a Zero Sum Game. When you block some of the summer heat, you do reduce the winter heat gain as well. That said, the winter rays are at an angle that is supposed to still somewhat penetrate the window and provide for some passive solar heating. Where you are in the country and what your climate is should really be the governing idea behind your glazing schedule....See MoreWest-facing windows and afternoon heat buildup
Comments (24)I'm going to relate my experience as a homeowner and not as a professional. When we built our vacation home, we selected a lot where the back would face west. Not the best situation, but due to budget and location issues it was unavoidable. There is an agricultural reserve to the west that precludes any building and preserves our views and privacy. In addition, there were no trees on the property, as is had previously been farmland close to the ocean, which made planting anything a dream! Anyway, I brought up the problem of afternoon sun in the summer (prime time for using the house) to the builder, who brushed off my concerns. The first summer was one of the hottest and driest in years, and the problem was horrendous. We couldn't use the living room or the back deck in the afternoons, and our master bedroom (also facing the views) was a sauna. The short-term solution was to build a roof over the deck, and also plant deciduous trees to block the afternoon sun (long term solution). Upstairs we installed motorized awnings. All three measures have solved the problem. You may counter that the roof makes the living room dark, but not noticeably, as the floor plan is very open and light comes in through all the other windows on the east, north, and south. Also, we don't stay inside much during the summer afternoons, instead preferring the deck and pool areas. I would rather have the sun-blocking items on the outside rather than using shades which close in the house and do nothing for the outside. I have no experience with window film and defer to the experts on this issue....See MoreDonna Collins
last yearfelizlady
last year
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