Bay vs Bow Windows – Which One is Better For You?

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A lot of tending to downplay the important role that windows play in lighting and changing the overall atmosphere of our home. Plus, they also serve a few functional purposes apart from their usual aesthetic function. Plus, our windows, like us and the rest of our house also ages. Of course maintenance and care do go a long way in prolonging our window’s life, but they eventually start becoming too old and need to be replaced by new ones.

New windows are an essential addition for any house, and when done right, new windows can end up becoming really energy efficient as well, and help our HVAC system stay stable, allowing us to save money in our overall heating and cooling bills. Some windows are created with the intention of being energy efficient in mind, and if you are interested in that, you should start looking for companies that offer their services in Denver replacement windows.

There are of course no simple choices when it comes to choosing windows, and one can easily come across various different kinds of windows in different shapes, sizes, and overall designs. For the sake of this article we will be talking about two different kinds of windows, which are bay windows and bow windows. We will do a quick overview of each kind of window so that you can understand which kind of window might work better for you.

A bay window will have three windows which are set at different angles. The window in the middle is comparatively wider than the other two windows on the side. The side windows are usually double-hung whereas the middle window is a picture window. These window styles are usually found in both historic and older house designs as well as modern ones.

Bow windows can be made of 4 to 6 windows that are usually curved. These windows are wider than bay windows in general and are more commonly used in Victorian-style homes. However, they are currently making a comeback and are being used in modern houses as well.

If you are interested in knowing how much light enters each window, then it is safe to say that both window styles, in general, allow for a lot of light to enter into it. However, if we are to compare the two, then the bow style windows hold a greater advantage over bay windows since they are curved and generally wider as well due to the fact that it has more windows in it.

The installation process for both of these windows can get tricky since both of them are bigger and more protruding than other window designs. So, unless you have the experience or the skills of it, it is better not to DIY the installation for these windows and call in the experts and have them go at it. In terms of comparison between the two, bow windows are known to be trickier to install since they happen to be bigger and heavier than bay windows.

Ventilation is great with both kinds of windows, especially if your bow windows come with opening windows. However, the problem with opening windows in a bow style window is that it ends up ruining the finishing look of the entire window since all of the parts are structured together and curve outward. So, the look of the window gets compromised, which is why people recommend getting fixed bow windows. Bay windows with double-hung windows, on the other hand, can easily be opened and closed without really interrupting the look of the window in general.

The most important thing to consider when you are buying any kind of windows is whether or not they are energy efficient. If you upgrade your windows from low-grade energy-efficient windows to higher grade energy efficient windows then it is going to be the same thing. It does not really matter whether or not your windows are large or too many, because you can upgrade them to be energy efficient at the same cost.

Now, the cost of these two windows including installation can vary and will change with depending on your area and how much work needs to be done to install them. For instance, an 8-foot bay window will end up costing more than a 6-foot bow window, however, other factors such as the number of windows you have, the size of your window, whether or not you want an alcove bumping out of your window and so on. Other things like drywall, flooring, costs of labor and a bunch of other things. So, we cannot comment on the cost of the two of them, because different factors will have to weigh in before one can claim that one kind of window style costs more than the other.

 

 

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