What are Double Hung Windows? – Part One

Los Gatos, CA replacement windows come in a variety of types that can seem overwhelming to choose from. However, when you understand how each type of window functions and the advantages it offers, making your final selection becomes much easier.

Most homes constructed before 1990 have single hung windows installed. Single hung windows have a stationary sash at the top and a moving sash at the bottom. While there is nothing inherently wrong with single hung windows, they provided less flexibility in function and in the ability to clean them.

Because the top sash could not be moved, ventilation was limited to the using the bottom sash. Single hung windows also posed a potential safety hazard when used in windows above the ground floor of a home. Toddlers and small children could reach the part of the window that was open (the bottom) and accidently push out the screen window and fall out of the window. Additionally, cleaning single hung windows meant cleaning them inside first, then going outside, getting a ladder, removing the screen window and cleaning the outside of the window.

Double hung windows offer many advantages over single hung windows.

Double hung windows are one of the most popular choices for homeowners when they are getting replacement windows (the average lifespan of windows is typically 15-20 years).

Because both the top and bottom sashes move in double hung windows, ventilation can be optimized by opening both sashes so that air comes in from the top and the bottom.

Additionally, double hung windows offer more security and safety on non-ground floor windows, because the bottom sash can remain closed while the top sash is opened for ventilation. This eliminates the danger of toddlers or small children accidently falling out of second and third-story windows.

Double hung windows are also more energy efficient than single hung windows. With additional options like low-emissivity (Low-E) coatings and other energy efficient treatments, double hung windows can greatly increase the comfort of your home all year long, while significantly reducing your energy costs.

Cleaning double hung windows is much easier than cleaning single hung windows. Instead of having to clean the inside of the windows inside the house and the outside of the windows outside the house, you can clean both sides of double hung windows from inside your home. This is because you are able to tilt both of the sashes inside. This is not only simpler, but also takes less time and is much safer.

Double hung windows have been around for a long time, but the first ones, used in the early 1700’s, were not as easy to use and clean as double hung windows are now. Before double hung windows began to be the primary type of windows used in new home construction in the last decade of the 20th century, their primary use was in manufacturing facilities.

Trussed Concrete Steel Co. made the first industrial-grade double hung windows in 1912. They allowed significantly more light into factories and warehouses, which reduced energy costs and provided a maximum amount of daylight, which meant more productivity and effectiveness for manufacturing facilities to produce and ship goods.

To learn more double hung windows as Los Gatos, CA replacement windows, you can talk with our expert team at California Custom Creations. You can call us at (408) 316-6293 to make an appointment for a free in-home consultation.