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Window Frame Sizes
Does this window make my frame look fat?- Custom Mullions
- Beige Color
- Internal Colonial Grids
- Low E Glass
Bow Windows
Bow windows, bay windows, replacement windows, grids, picture windowsBay windows have three windows configured together at a specific projection and angle. Usually 45 or 30 degrees on the projections. Bow windows like this one have four or more windows configured together in an arch. Often one can be converted to fewer windows in an opening but as a rule this is how to know if you have a bay or a bow.
- Bow windows are usually constructed on the jobsite with individual windows and custom made mullions for joining them together. Frame sizes can vary and this is a fairly heavy frame style. Many are available that are narrower and provide more glass and less frame. A firm understanding of manufacturers and their products will help define which is the correct replacement window for your situation and taste. Look over our gallery for more bow window pictures, colors and options or call us and let us come help you find the information you're looking for.
- Ultimately as you look at pictures and galleries, read window reviews and do your research notice that the frame thickness is quite heavy on super high performing products unless they use triple glazing and Krypton Gas. In double paned windows most people are partial to a good balance between performance, glass size and frame thickness. Vinyl window mulls (places where two windows meet in the middle) can be as small as 3 1/2" or as heavy as 7 1/2" from some window manufacturers. Finding pictures of things you like is great but make notes and save the ones you hate as well to insure no one brings you that!
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Grids in Windows
Are grids outdated?- Grids between the glass
- Tempered Windows
- Picture Windows
- Half Circle Windows
- Scaffold Installations
To Grid or Not to Grid - That's the question
Grids, internal grids, picture window grids, simulated divided lite gridsThis was a great project and brought up the age old question about grids in windows. Do you need them? Are they important to the home value? Most modern builds will have grids only on the front of the home if at all unless they are 800K or more, and even then 90% have no grids on the sides or rear either. Grids are great for curb appeal but we spend a great deal of money and time in our yards now and the grids can distract from the view of the yard, the pool or the outdoor living area.
- For this reason most remodelers, house flippers and other real estate investors as well as builders almost invariably go gridless in the rear or on the sides of the home. Grids have become a dated look much like green carpet and pink bathrooms.
- Knowing about grids between the glass as opposed to simulated divided lite grids is an important detail to understand as well. Most homes have grids between the two panes of glass if double paned or have true divided lite grids if they are single paned.
- Wood windows get their distictive grid looks from the simulated divided lite grid, that is, a wood, or aluminum grid that is applied to the outside of the glass to give the appearance of several lites of glass in a case where only one piece of glass is used. It is a very distictive look that has only recently been duplicated by vinyl windows.
- Simulated Divided Lite Grids are a considerable upcharge from all window manufacturers while grids between the glass are quite affordable at less than $40 per window from most window suppliers and distributors.
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Converting Windows
Removing horizontal lines- Casement Windows
- Single Hung Aluminum
- Window Design Updates
- Picture Windows
Casement Windows converted from Single Hung Windows
Updating window designs, window types and styles, casement windows, single hung windows, double hung windowsWindows open from the bottom. Case closed. Well maybe from the side sometimes. The rest are picture windows.
- Okay lets get the jargon down on this one. Vertical operators are windows that go up and down. Single Hung means they operate from the bottom and move up for ventilation. Double Hung means they operate from either the top or bottom sash. Sliding windows are windows that go back and forth and are usually referred to as single and double vent windows. Obviously a single vent operates from only one side while a double vent operates from either side. Double hung and double vent windows can have full screens or can have half screens that move up and down as needed for your ventilation needs.
- This project was an update that put in twin casements and removed the horizontal meeting rail that is inherant in vertical operators. This looks cleaner and offers a better view as well as offering double the ventilation as those windows swing on hinges to the outside, revealing an almost completely clear opening when desired. Screens are mounted on the inside of the window and are removed easily and stored if ventilation is off the table. This is a great way to make sure everyone knows you have the coolest windows on the block. Casement windows are a Window Connection favorite for adding value to a home.
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Kitchen Casements
Single Hung or Casement?Casements or Single Hungs and Grids or No Grids
The Grids verses No Grids Competition has gotten hot over the last few years..This is a great before and after shot of a kitchen single hung that was converted to a hinged casement window. The single hung had locks that were hard to reach and the configuration itself is bad for the vertically challenged among us. By using a casement we get all the controls and locks close to the bottom. It also sports a screen that's on the inside. It's pretty hard to see but it does snap off if needed. This window swings from the left side.
- Designers are quick to extole the virtues or removing grids on the sides and rear of a home. This picture is a great example of why that is a great move. We seldom see a remodel or a new build with grids on it anymore.
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Twin Windows
I need a new color window.How fat do the frames have to be to get good performance?
Fat frames seem ugly and how am I going to like it when I loose all that glass?A big discussion among window researchers has to do with the frame thickness and how much glass we'll see with a new window. Modern frames can be up to three and three quarters inches in thickness from the edge of the window to the start of the glass. In Texas that can be way too much frame. Our Mezzo Single Hung A2OA Window has just 2 3/8" of frame and our NT Window Energy Master or Executive Vinyl Windows offer just 2 5/8" frames to allow more glass and more light.
- This can be very important on the very narrow windows we often see in Dallas, Richardson, Plano McKinney and Frisco due to the design of the homes.
- We are also the industry leader in amazingly tough projects including windows up high and transome windows in entrys and foyers. We're very proud that no one has more experience and understanding of repladement windows than The Window Connection.
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Slim Frame Windows
Vinyl Windows with less plasticOur Exclusive Slim Line Vinyl Replacement Windows for More Glass
Bay and Bow Windows with big heavy frames really detract from the look of the home. Is that necessary?One of the big objections to modern vinyl replacement windows is the big thick frames. We have solutions for that. There are some great mid range cost, full performance, vinyl replacement windows out there that last and perform well. You just have to know who makes them and in a case like this with a bow window, it really helps out.
This is our slim line vinyl picture window and we use them on really narrow windows, Bay windows, and Bow windows here in Plano. We have dozens of projects and pride ourselves on doing beautiful work that stands the test of time.
- Home values have skyrocketed and the cheap thing that worked in the 70's and 80's just doesn't measure up to current standards of appearance, design or performance. Cheap windows just don't work anymore. That doesn't mean you have to break the bank with thousand dollar a piece replacement windows though. You can cut electric bills and get value and beauty.
We offer vinyl replacement windows at a great value point somewhere between too cheap and too expensive. On average our windows sell for about a hundred dollars less per window than the average cost of windows while delivering the same great quality of higher end products and the longevity and beauty needed for great resale value.
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To Grid or not to grid
Really? That's the question?Simulated Divided Lite Grids
Here's a learning curve, curve ball. Grids between the glass verses Simulated Divided Lite GridsVinyl Windows have the options of numerous types of grids. Contoured or flat grids between the glass are most common and quite affordable at $30 to $40 per window. Simulated divided lite grids are grids that protrude from the surface of the glass to emmulate numerous panes of glass where there is actually only the one double paned glass unit. This is the modern version of the true divided lite window and has been used since the perfection of the double paned glass package. Simulated divided lite grids also preserve the color of the grids as they are not influenced by the color inherant in Low E Heat Reflective Glass. Heat reflective glass is required by code and there are no variances so color in glass will happen no matter what.
- This approach is beautiful and certainly more desireable than grids between the glass but it's an expensive option. Most manufacturers charge at least $20 per lite for this option and even the small ones in this picture have 12 lites in a window for an upcharge of $240.00. The cool stuff is always a little more money but certainly exactly what we want. It made this very nice lady in Arlington pretty happy. That makes us happy too!
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Grids in Vinyl Windows
Should the new windows have grids?Grids for the new Vinyl Windows or No Grids for the view?
How do you open up a window opening and bring in more of a view and more ventilation when needed?I love doing this when we can. This can be so much more fun to look out of and to look at. It's similar to the look of a wood window but this is all vinyl at its best. These end panels swing out and the screen mounts on the inside. A lever lock and cranking swing mechanism are all warrantied for life and the performance is actually better than a Single hung or a Double hung window. Also by removing the vertical and horizontal bars from the middle of the opening, we make the opening look bigger. This is one of my favorite things about my industry is the ability to make a huge difference in a matter of hours.
It's also pretty cool that it's just a few hundred dollars more to do this stylish update over a typical update with windows that go back in the up and down configuration.
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Changing Up the Windows
If it's changing window colors or styles, sometimes it makes all the difference- Bronze windows become Tan or Beige.
- Casements offer more air and a better view.
- Storm windows just don't do the job anymore.
- Trim makes all the difference in the world.
What will some changes do for your home windows?
Bronze is out, Beige or Tan are in with windows. So is getting a fuller view with a picture window or a casement window.This was an awesome transformation. The back yard has become really important to the living space over time. This one was changed from the dingy bronze to the more updated and brighter tan. Lighter colors make replacement windows look bigger.
We also changed from vertical operators, Single Hung Aluminum windows with storm windows to the more elegant look of vinyl casement and awning style windows to really update the look.
The end panels on the big one swing open for ventilation with the screen mounted on the inside but still removable so it can have that open picture window look. The one by the door opens at the very bottom and swings outward as well so you can have it open even if it's raining and get some air. It also has a screen on the inside.
The cheesy little one by two wood trim was replaced with a great select pine one by four to look more substantial as well.
Knowing where and when to update is the key. Having great input and knowing who to have do the best installs in Dallas is pretty important as well. This is one of the many reasons we're so proud of all of our installations.
No one does better, more detail concious window installations than we do and the end result will look wonderful for decades.
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Better Window Installation Services
All window installations are not the same. Cheap guys have to hurry to make a living. Is fast better or is quality better?- While not the cheap way to do things, there is a best way to do things.
- Quality and performance in replacement windows takes time and effort.
- We do the best work available in North Texas.
Will the window company do everything they can do to fix my problem?
Bronze is out, Beige or Tan are in with windows. So is getting a fuller view with a picture window or a casement window.One of the more interesting things we see in half circle windows and arched or arch top windows is that the builder really never insulates the tops above the arches of the architectural windows. I've seen hundreds of them. They are not insulated 98% of the time
This means that the heat and the cold from the walls can conduct directly through the sheetrock and into your home.
Using a thermal temperature gun we can often see sheetrock that is 20 degrees hotter or colder than the room itself. It's a thermal nightmare. It's creating conduction and convection right into your living area.
This is waging war against your heater or your air conditioner and driving up your utility bills.
When the builders grade window is removed and a new vinyl replacement window is ready to install is the very best time to address this problem. We inspect and use expanding spray foam insulation to fill those gaps and crevaces and provide insulation not just for the window but for the wall around the window as well.
This helps for the short term certainly but also delivers a higher performing home for decades to come. We do things like we would want them on our homes. That's a very high standard in replacement window installation. We're very proud that we do everything that can be done on every opening we work on to deliver the highest performing, most energy efficient home improvements available in Dallas and Fort Worth.
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Design Changes to Update Curb Appeal
When a home hits the market, the potential buyers notice updates more than architecture.- They know what the house looks like from the pictures.
- Buyers look at upgrades to the home to determine where it falls in the range of homes in the neighborhood
Looking at new colors and configurations can make a home look newer and increase home value.
Remodels are a huge incentive to potential buyers and a window upgrade can net $740 per window to the seller.Every year Remodeling Magazine finds remodelers and polls them on the cost of home improvements. Correspondingly, they also poll real estate agents to find out what those remodeling projects net to a home seller at resale. This is the premise in their "Cost verses Value Report".
Published yearly it tells people the best way to upgrade and build home value and it's actually even location based.
You can learn about the Cost verses Value of Replacement Windows from Remodeling Magazine and their "COST VERSES VALUE" report.
There is a reason that we're a company that deals with house flippers regularly. We sell a product that will increase their profit margin.
Home inspectors flag bad windows and often a condition of sale is to repair or replace the windows. This equates to you living with bad windows for a number of years and then having to replace them to sell the home. You get to pay for them eventually but never even got to enjoy them. That just doesn't make sense.
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Darker Colors are "in"
White and Tan are typical colors. Adobe or Clay have become used greatly over the last few years as well.- Updating windows can offer a new curb appeal and a look that is 20 years newer in many cases.
What color windows are best for your home?
White Tan and Clay replacement windows are common and affordableCustom exterior colors are available as well. From blue to green, red and dark brown or bronze. The color choices are plentiful.
Two toned windows will have white or tan interiors and the color of your choosing. In most cases the premium for custom exterior colors is about $150 per window.
We offer three different manufacturers and about 12 different models of potential choices for the two toned replacement windows.
Find out more on our REPLACEMENT WINDOW COLORS page.
To learn about the variations and overall costs of replacement windows check out our page on "THE COST OF WINDOWS"
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Bronze Vinyl Windows
Modern Dark Colored Windows- Single Hung Vinyl
- Two Toned with White Interiors
- Two toned grids
- Half Circle Windows
Modern Bronze Vinyl Replacement Windows
Some homes need the darker colored bronze or dark brown windows to match the color scheme of a homeIn the 80's dark brown (our industry calls them bronze) windows were a mainstay of the building trade. Many color schemes of homes were built around the heavy earthtones. In a modern context, white or tan might not look as good. While the replacement window industry was slow to pick up on this, they now offer two toned vinyl replacement windows with white or tan interiors and a painted exterior to accomodate those homes.
The painted window exterior is warrantied as a rule for ten years but not for the lifetime of the window as in standard colors. Some fading can occour with painted exteriors but the fading is minimal in most cases. The bronze aluminum windows we replace are usually faded to some degree as well. The paint used is a specific type designed for vinyl replacement windows and is applied much like the paint on a car. The window is built in white or tan and then taped off and painted. A bronze colored screen is used (or a color to match the custom paint color).
Getting the color you want is important. We offer several window manufacturers with several different models of windows and have more than a dozen options for your bronze window needs.