Hello everyone,
We are in the early stages of planning our house and are currently visiting various model home exhibitions.
We saw a house featuring a window wall about 4 meters (13 feet) wide spanning two floors, which definitely looked very impressive visually. The windows were divided into sections measuring 2 by 2 meters (6.5 by 6.5 feet) each, with two elements stacked vertically.
My online research showed that window costs are not as high as I expected
Of course, installation costs are extra.
Is it easy to combine multiple units like this? In this case, four pieces of 2 x 2 meters (6.5 x 6.5 feet)?
What other drawbacks might I be overlooking? I’m aware of insulation values and cleaning concerns.
Has anyone worked with panoramic windows like these and can share concrete cost examples?
Maybe it will just be a passing idea and we’ll move on from it in a week.
Thanks in advance!
We are in the early stages of planning our house and are currently visiting various model home exhibitions.
We saw a house featuring a window wall about 4 meters (13 feet) wide spanning two floors, which definitely looked very impressive visually. The windows were divided into sections measuring 2 by 2 meters (6.5 by 6.5 feet) each, with two elements stacked vertically.
My online research showed that window costs are not as high as I expected
- Fixed uPVC window – 300 x 260 cm (10 x 8.5 feet) – 750 EUR
Of course, installation costs are extra.
Is it easy to combine multiple units like this? In this case, four pieces of 2 x 2 meters (6.5 x 6.5 feet)?
What other drawbacks might I be overlooking? I’m aware of insulation values and cleaning concerns.
Has anyone worked with panoramic windows like these and can share concrete cost examples?
Maybe it will just be a passing idea and we’ll move on from it in a week.
Thanks in advance!
Additionally, here is another perspective on panoramic windows or large window areas, even on smaller plots. Smaller plots often mean smaller houses with smaller rooms due to floor area ratio and building setbacks. Well-placed, large window surfaces can help open up these spaces and visually bring the garden into the living areas, making smaller rooms feel more spacious. Therefore, I don’t believe that large window areas only make sense on very large plots. To prevent unwanted views, blinds such as venetian blinds are useful—they allow plenty of light in while maintaining privacy. They are also highly recommended for sun protection.
Regarding cold drafts in front of large window surfaces, I want to share another experience. I sit on a couch directly in front of a fully glazed window wall in a south-facing living room. There is no exterior wall, only windows. There is no noticeable draft or cold radiation—I’m known for being very sensitive to cold. Since this is an investment rental property (for now), standard triple-glazed windows were installed. I believe, as is often the case, that it mostly depends on the quality of the window installation rather than the size of the window area itself.
Regarding cold drafts in front of large window surfaces, I want to share another experience. I sit on a couch directly in front of a fully glazed window wall in a south-facing living room. There is no exterior wall, only windows. There is no noticeable draft or cold radiation—I’m known for being very sensitive to cold. Since this is an investment rental property (for now), standard triple-glazed windows were installed. I believe, as is often the case, that it mostly depends on the quality of the window installation rather than the size of the window area itself.
ypg schrieb:
Anyway: I don’t find roller shutters attractive, and venetian blinds will be expensive. If you’re building with a general contractor or even worse, a turnkey builder, I can believe that. If you specify everything yourself, you’ll find that the extra cost may not be that high, if there is any at all. At least that was the case with the general contractors we asked before we ended up with an architect. We quickly had the impression that the “external blinds package” was heavily marked up—similar to the classic example of extra electrical outlets charged by the electrician. Whether that experience applies more generally? Who knows...
((Andreas)) schrieb:
Thank you very much in advance.
I hadn’t considered the cold issue.
The front would face almost exactly west.
The summer heating might be limited because of that, right?
Does anyone have some cost estimates for me? There were a few comments from people who installed such facades. I’ll write to you over the weekend once my wife has cleared the office. We have an approximately 36sqm (390 sq ft) glass facade, which definitely creates a cold and drafty feeling, but the heating costs don’t change significantly.
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((andreas))24 Feb 2018 09:59merlin83 schrieb:
I’ll write to you about it over the weekend once my wife has cleared the office. We have a glass front of about 36m² (390 sq ft) that definitely causes a cold and drafty feeling, but the heating costs do not change significantly.Hello,
In my parents’ house, we have a 15-year-old, 30 sqm (320 sq ft) conservatory with double glazing. I have never noticed any significant cold radiation, nor have our guests ever mentioned it. The glass used back then is also not comparable to today’s standards. Whether it is triple or quadruple glazing is, in my non-expert opinion, less important than the glass quality itself (coated, uncoated, gas-filled, etc.).
We are building ourselves with very large glass areas (>100 sqm (1,080 sq ft)) and have visited several comparable houses designed by our architect beforehand. You shouldn’t skimp on the glass. The extra cost for better U-values is definitely worth considering. However, the frame is actually where the main challenge lies. As mentioned before, stability becomes increasingly problematic with larger windows, although 3 x 2 m (10 x 7 ft) is still manageable. Our experience showed that for some windows, plastic frames were actually not an option, wood only worked with thicker profiles, and aluminum would be the “best” choice—though the prices were exactly the opposite.
You can’t rely on prices found online because they are not comparable—you don’t know the quality of the frame. When we renovated a condominium, we bought “cheap” windows and quickly noticed the differences (ease of opening and closing windows and doors, and so on). In addition, there are many small parts and the installation cost, which can become quite expensive, especially for large windows. For some of our windows, a crane and tracked vehicle will definitely be necessary, since the glass sheets become too heavy to carry by hand at a certain size.
To give you a rough comparison, the cheapest offer we received for a 2.5 m x 3 m (8 x 10 ft) aluminum window including installation was around €4,000 + VAT. The most expensive option was a bit more than double that price.
In my parents’ house, we have a 15-year-old, 30 sqm (320 sq ft) conservatory with double glazing. I have never noticed any significant cold radiation, nor have our guests ever mentioned it. The glass used back then is also not comparable to today’s standards. Whether it is triple or quadruple glazing is, in my non-expert opinion, less important than the glass quality itself (coated, uncoated, gas-filled, etc.).
We are building ourselves with very large glass areas (>100 sqm (1,080 sq ft)) and have visited several comparable houses designed by our architect beforehand. You shouldn’t skimp on the glass. The extra cost for better U-values is definitely worth considering. However, the frame is actually where the main challenge lies. As mentioned before, stability becomes increasingly problematic with larger windows, although 3 x 2 m (10 x 7 ft) is still manageable. Our experience showed that for some windows, plastic frames were actually not an option, wood only worked with thicker profiles, and aluminum would be the “best” choice—though the prices were exactly the opposite.
You can’t rely on prices found online because they are not comparable—you don’t know the quality of the frame. When we renovated a condominium, we bought “cheap” windows and quickly noticed the differences (ease of opening and closing windows and doors, and so on). In addition, there are many small parts and the installation cost, which can become quite expensive, especially for large windows. For some of our windows, a crane and tracked vehicle will definitely be necessary, since the glass sheets become too heavy to carry by hand at a certain size.
To give you a rough comparison, the cheapest offer we received for a 2.5 m x 3 m (8 x 10 ft) aluminum window including installation was around €4,000 + VAT. The most expensive option was a bit more than double that price.
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