Work with Your Contractor to Find the Perfect Bay Window
Renovators Place Columnist
Oct 08, 2009
You've decided you'd like to showcase the beauty of the interior and exterior of your home through the addition of a bay window. Your new window will draw more light into your home, and a bay window's three-dimensional construction will expand your view of the outdoors. You?re delighted by this relatively simple home renovation, but you know bay windows come in a variety of styles and sizes. Keep reading to help decide which bests suits your home.
About the Author
Ellen Foster is a freelance writer and teacher. She has taught students aged five to forty-five.
Bay Window Styles
When you picture a bay window, you probably see the angled bay with its 30 or 45 degree slant, but manufacturers also offer box bays which protrude from the house at a 90 degree angle. A greenhouse window or garden bay is a box bay with a glass roof.Bay Window Sizes
The bigger the bay window, the more dramatic design statement you'll make. However, installation is snappier (and about three to five hundred dollars cheaper) if you replace your old window with a bay of the same dimensions. Standard bay windows range from 3'6" to 10'6" wide to 3' to 6'6" high.Materials and Energy Efficiency
New windows come in wood or vinyl. Your options for finishes run from primed wood (requires periodic painting and scraping) or extruded vinyl (some dislike the look) to the more expensive wood clad in low-maintenance vinyl or aluminum. Glazed double-panes are common for bay windows, and you can boost your energy efficiency by adding an inert gas between the panes or low-e glazing.Working with the Contractor
Make sure your contractor has experience installing bay windows. Your contractor should know all about eaves'whether you've got 'em or not and what that means for installation. You can also discuss sash options and whether it makes more sense to support the new window from above with cables or below with braces.About the Author
Ellen Foster is a freelance writer and teacher. She has taught students aged five to forty-five.
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