For something as seemingly simple as glass in a frame, windows are incredibly diverse. From transoms located above a window or door, gable windows under a roof or single hung windows in former British colonies, you could fill a book with the construction types, opening types, designs and purposes. But let's not go quite that far. Instead, read more below about the most common designs today including their uses and benefits.
The Three Main Categories: Location, Opening Style and Design
There are easily dozens of different window types from casement to arched to transom. However, to better clarify the differences, it is useful to divide them into three groups: windows named for their location, those based on opening style and names based on design. Nevertheless, these three can and do overlap as shown in examples below.
Window Types Named for their Location
A number of window types are named simply for the installation location. Consider front doors, side doors and back doors. The name denotes nothing more than location leaving the opening style, material and design open. Neuffer offers a wide range of specialized windows including:
- Balcony Windows
- Dormer Windows
- Gable Windows
- Kitchen Windows
- Roof Windows
- Skylights
- Transom Windows
Each of these examples can be customized with different sizes and opening styles such as tilt, pivot and casement. However, in these cases the location usually plays a large role in determining the window's performance needs as well as available options in terms of security, insulation, opening mechanism and more. Therefore, they are often discussed as a category to themselves.