Window Decor For New Home & Addition Construction

Part 2    Part 3

If you are contemplating the design of a new home or addition one item that is often overlooked is how you will finish the windows on the interior (Figure 1).  Windows are chosen for their energy savings and their physical aesthetic value.  They should also be chosen based on what window decor or coverings you will desire to use.

Figure 1 - Wood blinds with 1" slats housed within window frame

Selection of window coverings

It should be noted that many of the 3D software packages will allow you to see your home or addition in its finished state, complete with window coverings.  If you are building a new home or adding an addition the 3D software packages are a worthwhile investment.

Architects are generally not interior designers and there choice of windows is generally based on the aesthetic value, when viewing the home from the outside and when viewing the room from the inside, without window coverings.

Because architects are not an interior designers they seldom consider how the windows will be covered when doing their architectural plans.  Window decor is something that happens after homeowners take possession of their new house.

There is a host of different internal window coverings.  Homeowners can choose from horizontal and vertical blinds, to shutters, drapery and shades and each of those comes in a variety of shapes and physical attributes. 

Many require that window frames be of certain depths in order to mount them properly.

Without proper consideration it is easy to invest a lot of money in windows for your new home and yet still have windows that are difficult to cover or limit the types and styles of window coverings that can be implemented.

Depth Of Inside Window Frame:

The depth of the window, as shown in Figure 2, the measurement from the outside of the window frame to the inner window frame,  determines whether or not you can mount any specific window treatment within the window frame.

It is best if the window depth at its narrowest point is a minimum of 2½".  This will allow for the installation of shutters and 2" plantation blinds on the inside of the window frame, which is the accepted practice for that style of window covering, without having them protrude into the room.

As Figure 2 illustrates, both single and double hung windows have a narrow bottom depth and a wide upper depth.  It is the narrowest depth that determines what window covering can be installed properly.

If you desired to install a 4" plantation shutter you would need to have a depth of 4½" at the narrowest point of the window for the shutter to hang properly.

You should use a minimum window depth that is calculated on the depth of the window covering plus a ½" clearance between the inside of the window covering and the inside frame of the window.

If you want to place vertical blinds on the inside of a sliding glass door, as some homeowners do not like the appearance of vertical blinds mounted outside the door frame, as shown in Figure 3, the window frame will have to have an available depth of at least 4" plus the amount, if any, that the sliding glass door handle protrudes into the room.

Continued......