Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Choosing Your Windows
Windows (and doors) are probably the single most
expensive building materials you will buy. They
involve an aesthetic decision, too. Careful planning
and purchase of windows could well be the best
investment you make (other than good logs, of
course). Whereas old windows seem to have style and
charm, today's manufacturers can build both beauti-
ful and energy-efficient windows. Be aware that there
are many cheap and/or ugly ones out in the market.
Nothing blows the look of a house like inappropriate
windows.
When making your decision, you have several
choices. You can build your own, which is a difficult,
time-consuming, exacting chore best reserved for spe-
cial windows such as a stained-glass fixed window. Or
buy barn sashes and install in the window frame you
built; then add locks, screens, and storms. You can
also reuse salvaged windows. However, repairs often
make this inefficient and expensive. Finally, you can
buy new, commercial units. These come complete
with screens, insulating panels or storms, pop-out
frames for easy cleaning, locks, opening mechanisms,
and so on. Your budget determines your choice, but
this is no place to skimp. Delay a finishing touch or
conserve on something else so you can put in the best
windows.
Log house builders have always favored small win-
dows, either to save glass or for the more valid reason
that large cuts in a log wall weaken it. So the double-
hung sliding sash has limitations. Also, you ought to
keep in mind that if there is enough space for a wood
sash to slide, there is enough space for drafts to enter.
Modern double-hungs usually run on aluminum or
plastic runners and are draft-free.
A bay window in a log retreat. Such innovations make log interiors
light and cheerful, but there is a great deal of heat loss through this
much glass.
The Barn Sash
The cheapest window you'll find for your house is
called a barn sash. It's just glass and wood, one piece,
with as many panes as you like. I prefer small panes,
which are easier and cheaper to replace, and they look
more traditional in a log house. I swing them on
hinges, against felt-lined stops cut b inch square and
nailed to the window jamb.
Hand-built window on a round-log cabin. These units can have a lot of
character, but require a great deal of time and labor to construct.
