What Window is Best for Me?

ByAlan Soucy

What Window is Best for Me?

Are casement or double-hung windows better?

Perhaps this will get your attention: casement windows(as shown on the right), on average, cost twice as much as double-hung. If you’re redoing a house, you’ll likely need around twenty windows, and that can add up fast. Because of the way they operate, casement windows do not work with window-mounted air-conditioning units.

The average of casement windows, however, is that they tend to seal better when closed, they don’t move around much when open, and when you look out of them you are looking though a single, unbroken pane of glass. At the same time, f you like the way it looks, you can order casement window broken into panes.

Meanwhile, double hung windows are great for most houses—they work well and look lovely, and the price is right. There are also real advantages to double-hung windows. They open up and down, so they don’t take up any space when open.

Trick of the trade: Please remember that you cannot crack open a casement window. When you open it, you are opening it on three sides of the sash. If you live in a cold place and like to have your windows open just a smidge to get in air but keep the cold out, consider double-hung windows.

Some window-purchasing tips

When ordering your windows, think about ordering screens and window safety guards at the same time. They don’t come with the window, but they’ll work better if they’re made by the same company as the windows themselves. Also, take into account the window treatment—meaning the blinds, shades, curtains, and the like—that you are intended to use, and make sure the kind of window you order is compatible with the window treatment you want.

For example, if you want to use blinds inside your house, don’t order a casement window that opens inward—that just won’t work. If you have exterior shutters, you’ll have the same problem with a window that opens outward.

How to fix a window that’s stuck

This issue likely to come up in a house with wooden windows that you are just moving into or in a room that hasn’t been used for a long time. Sometimes, windows just stick. The usual culprit here is old paint that has sealed the sash to the frame or built up to the point where the sash sticks.

If this happened, do not under any circumstances try to force it open either by applying lots of pressure or by banding the window around. Why? There’s glass in them there panes, and you don’t want to break it, because that would mean replacing the entire window.

Before going any further, make sure the window is unlocked. If it isn’t unlocked, you have a real problem. Take a hammer and a small block of wood. Hold the wood up to the window and lightly tap around the window sash and frame, using the wood to protect the window from hammer damage. That might loosen the sash. You can also take a utility or spackle knife and score the perimeter of the window where the sash meets the frame.

If that doesn’t work, check to see if there is paint between the sash and the frame. If there is, you can try running a utility knife or a pizza cutter between the sash and the frame to break the seal. If you have a mental-frame double-hung window that’s sticking, try removing the sashes from the frame and adding some lubricant to the channels. If you have a wooden window, you may need to remove the stop and take the sash out and lubricate. If all of that fails, you may need professional help.