Windows: The Part of Your House That Costs Too Much and Does Too Much

Windows are sold on metrics that sound like an engineering elective. U-value is heat transfer. SHGC is solar heat gain. Together they tell you whether the glass will work in your climate or just look expensive while the air-con does overtime.

In most of Australia, double glazing is the sensible default for replacements. Triple glazing is for alpine nights or people who enjoy invoices. Match glass to orientation: west sun is a different problem to a shaded south wall.

Frame material is a maintenance contract. Aluminium is slim and strong. Thermally broken aluminium behaves better. uPVC is low-maintenance. Timber is beautiful and a commitment. Do not pick a frame because it photographed well in a Scandinavian loft that does not have your western sun.

Installation is where windows fail. A perfect unit in a crooked opening, with the flashings in the wrong order, will leak air and then water and then trust. Sill flashing first, then sides, then head. Reverse that order and you have built a funnel.

Order early. Custom windows are often 6–12 weeks. A carpenter standing around waiting is on your tab. Measure twice, confirm the reveal, and check the delivery against the order before anyone signs the docket.

Bigger is not always better. More glass is more heat, more glare, and sometimes more of the neighbour's recycling. Placement and shading do as much work as the specification sheet. A smaller window in the right wall beats a cinema screen in the wrong one.

Safety glass, egress, and bushfire ratings are not style choices. If a bedroom needs a window you can climb out of, the opening size is a rule, not a vibe. Check your local code and the certifier. This is orientation, not a compliance certificate.

Budget the flashings, reveals, architraves, and making-good. The unit price in the brochure is not the installed price. Do not buy a window because the salesperson said 'it will pay for itself' without asking in which decade.