Shopping for Wood Windows

JLC • JUNE 1994 S H O P P I N G F O R WOOD WINDOWS BY CHARLES WARDELL Windows have come a long way from a single or double pane of glass let into a wood frame. The last decade has seen an explosion of styles and accessories, along with more efficient frames, sashes, and glazings. These advances have made windows the most complex parts of the building shell — and the hardest to specify. To sort through all of the options, we spoke with dozens of window companies, waded through reams of product literature, and surveyed hundreds of contractors about what makes a good window. Here are the results. Glazings Most people want windows that are as energy efficient as possible. The two most