In this article we cover:
- Reasons for window choices
- Room by room design
- Front door choice
- Top tips when it comes to window choices
- Suppliers and images
Anna Bougharbel of Iaorana House in Co Cork explains how she went about choosing her aluclad windows and hardwood front door.
When it came to designing our home, windows were one of the most important considerations from day one. Because the house features so much glazing, choosing the right windows was essential to ensuring the design worked both aesthetically and practically. We carefully considered everything from the size of the glazing and the frame colour to the window specifications and performance.
Our goal was to maximise natural light and make the most of the surrounding landscape. The house sits in an elevated position overlooking the countryside, which gives us beautiful views but also leaves us quite exposed to the elements. We therefore knew that investing in high-quality glazing would be crucial for both comfort and energy efficiency.
Windows represented a significant portion of our overall build budget, accounting for close to 15 per cent of the total investment in the house.
Room by room
In the living room, we installed two large sliding doors measuring almost four metres each. Because the views are such a defining feature of the house, we wanted the glazing to disappear as much as possible and minimise visible framing.
For the remainder of the house, we selected aluclad windows. One decision that often surprises people is that many of our windows are fixed rather than opening. While this can seem controversial, there are several areas of the house where opening windows simply weren’t necessary.
For example, above the kitchen sink we opted for a large picture window overlooking the front garden rather than an opening window. The house benefits from excellent airflow, and when we want additional ventilation, opening the large sliders and one of the entrance doors creates a natural cross-breeze throughout the space.
One piece of advice that proved particularly valuable came from our engineer. To help manage costs, he suggested a combination of double and triple glazing throughout the house.
We installed double glazing on the front elevation, where there is a larger concentration of windows, and triple glazing on the rear elevation. This approach reduced the overall cost significantly while maintaining our BER rating and energy performance targets. It’s something that isn’t always discussed, but it can be worth exploring with your engineer or energy consultant, as triple glazing isn’t necessarily required everywhere.
Four years on, we’re still extremely happy with the choices we made. The aluclad windows have performed exceptionally well, and nothing has moved or caused any issues over time. The same can be said for the sliding doors, which continue to operate smoothly and feel as solid as the day they were installed.
Looking back, investing in high-quality glazing was absolutely the right decision for our home, and it’s one of the aspects of the build that we remain most satisfied with today.
Door
Our boot room door was supplied as part of the window package. Our main entrance door was custom made in Accoya timber by a local joinery company, while the utility room door is also timber.
Throughout the process, we worked closely with our engineer to ensure that all doors met the required standards for airtightness and energy performance. Maintaining the overall efficiency of the building envelope was always a key priority.
Measure twice. One of the biggest lessons we learned was the importance of checking measurements and specifications at every stage. Even with experienced suppliers and contractors involved, mistakes can happen.
Be there if possible. I would strongly recommend being present when measurements are being taken or ensuring that your contractor is on site to verify everything.
Check the installation. It’s also worth thoroughly inspecting all windows and doors on the day of delivery and installation. Small details can make a huge difference to the final result, and the clearer you are about exactly what you want, the better the outcome is likely to be.
Suppliers
- Windows supplier for the project
- Teroco in Cork
- Aluminium sliding doors
- manufacturer
- Reynaers
- Aluclad windows manufacturer
- Velfac 2000
