We're in an
era where glazing seemingly takes priority over everything in the mind of the
architect. All of the contemporary home magazines seem to feature those
properties which look as though they are constructed entirely out of glass -
with this supposedly being the definition of modern architecture.
We're not
going to disagree with the last sentence - glazing is modern
and in most cases, it looks fantastic.
Unfortunately,
there are drawbacks to this method of construction. For all of the benefits
that they bring, large windows can bring a few problems to properties. They
range from thermal issues, to sound problems, right the way to privacy. However,
with the correct set of window treatments installed, it's possible to eradicate
all of these issues.
Let's start with the thermal
problems. Any window is going to worsen the energy efficiency of a building, so
it goes without saying that the bigger they are the worse hit they are as well.
This is where the insulated blind comes into play, with this helping to retain
a building’s heat and allow it to prosper from an energy efficiency
perspective. Alternatively, for those properties built in warmer climates, the
solar shade can stop all of those hot UV rays filtering through and cool your
house down in the process.
If we move
onto the topic of sound, it’s pretty much been addressed in the previous
paragraph. As well as being an excellent insulator for heat, it should go
without saying that insulated blinds can work wonders from a soundproofing
perspective as well. Particularly if you opt for one of the thicker solutions,
you can limit the amount of sound penetrating your glazing tremendously and
quickly eradicate another of the renowned problems of
large windows.
Privacy is
even simpler to resolve and also easier if you don’t need to tamper with your
building’s thermal or acoustic efficiency. In other words, all you need is a
blind that’s capable of blocking out prying eyes when the need arises. For
particularly large windows vertical blinds
are probably one of the cheapest options that can manage this, although if you want to
spend a little more wood Venetians can be manipulated to filter varying amounts
of light through the slats.
Of course,
every instance is going to be different and as you’ve probably gathered, large
windows in cold country are going to be treated much differently to the same
sized windows which are situated in a warm environment. On the other side of
the coin, some rural homes might not have privacy high on their agenda, which
again provides them with much more flexibility when it comes to choosing their
window treatment.
Regardless
of your situation, the rules remain the same though. Large windows can open
your house up and even improve it from a thermal perspective and through the
aid of window treatments, you can cast aside all of the drawbacks that some
industry experts like to focus on.
