How to make the most of your New Zealand home windows

When you're building in New Zealand, insulation, orientation and quality materials are among the most important factors you need to consider. Making sure your window frames your backyard view perfectly is another important aspect of creating a home. 

So what do you need to consider to make your windows a feature of your New Zealand home?

Make your home window a feature

To bring out the best aspects of your house and make the most of your NZ home windows, the type of window you choose is critical. The three key considerations to keep in mind when designing, planning and building are setting, quality and style: 

1. Setting

Orientating your home well on your property is one of the first decisions you make when building. The same goes for determining where your windows will go. As you plan the design of your house, consider where the light comes from throughout the day.

Are you a late riser? Then you might not want to be woken by the sun glimmering through a wall of glass. Similarly, if you have a view on a river, beach or mountain, you might consider framing the landscape with a bifold window solution.

2. Style

From horizontal sliding windows that allow for the ultimate indoor-outdoor flow right through to curved specialty windows that are shaped to the individual architectural lines of your home - choosing a style of window that compliments the design of your home is a key decision. 

For example, skylights may offer privacy when the neighbours are close but you still want to take advantage of natural light flowing in. Or, when most of your wall space is filled with artwork, clerestory windows (located close to the roofline) serve as both a design feature and practical solution.

3. Quality

Until 1987, houses didn't have to be insulated and double glazed windows were not all that common. Kiwis will know that a lack of insulation can lead to some serious condensation on windows, making the house feel a bit nippy as soon as summer is over. 

The quality of the windows you choose is therefore important when it comes to protecting your home from both heat loss and furniture fading due to UV light. Installing double glazed windows is critical at this stage.

Picking a window suite like the Pacific Thermal system, which is Energy Star qualified, is another great way to ensure the quality of your home windows is up to snuff and can keep up with the New Zealand climate.

New Zealand's landscape lends itself to great window features. That is why choosing the right windows is so essential to making the most of it. Get in touch with your local Fabricator, or our team at Altus Window Systems, to talk about your options.