What to look for when positioning a window?

Based on particular cases, some of the questions below can be ignored, but as a general rule, you want to get all the answers in order to squeeze the most from the situation.

1. How much does the window need to be raised from below?

To make the presence in the room comfortable, the bottom of the window should start at no more than 90 cm from the floor, and end outside the two-meter mark – this layout will open the view to both sitting and standing people. This applies to both vertical and dormer glass. Even if the light in the room is more than enough, the lack of a panoramic view will create an uncomfortable feeling of confinement.

2. How close to the ceiling the top of the window does need to be ?

The upper edge of the window, which is set at a height of over 2 meters, is sufficient from the point of view of providing a good panorama, and in rooms with a standard ceiling height, there are no other requirements. In rooms with high ceilings, it is necessary to emphasize the height of the room with the height of the window. Otherwise, the visual impression will be that the ceilings are lower than they actually are.

The upper edge of the window should be as far away from the ceiling as the lower one is from the floor. If the height of the room is extremely large, you can install two windows one above the other. 

3. How much should the window area be?

The necessary lighting that needs to be achieved (expressed in lux) depends on the purpose of the room and ranges from 60 to 600 lux. It is usually considered that the necessary level of lighting has been achieved if the surface of the window is 1/5 to 1/10 of the surface of the room and if it is glazed with insulated glass. This formula gives approximate, but values quite close to the calculated ones. So, it basically means that in a room of 10 square meters, the windows should occupy an area between 1 and 2 square meters.

When it comes to rooms with high ceilings, proportionality should be kept in mind. The surface of the wall is, logically, larger, the windows are more elongated (as we explained above) and this leads to the conclusion that the surface of the window must be increased in relation to the standards so as not to be too narrow and thus simply ugly.

4. How many windows should be in the room?

Two windows placed at a certain distance illuminate the room better than one that has the same area as the sum of those two. To this general rule, in the case of rooms with high ceilings, there should be added the special need to achieve symmetry in the space, and this can be most easily achieved by installing two or more windows in a row.

5. Tall window opening mechanism

Whether you decide to install casement or slider windows, should be borne in mind that their elongated shape and a large area in the case of rooms with high ceilings is a challenge for the opening mechanism. Bearing in mind that the need for ventilation does not require such an increased area of the windows, you can consider installing a window whose only one part opens (lower, of course) and the rest is fixed. This choice will bring significant savings in money!

6. How important is window insulation?

In the total amount of energy losses of the house, the losses that are realized through the window surfaces have a share of 20 to 30 percent. Therefore, window insulation is very important to achieve the overall energy efficiency of the house.

In houses with high ceilings, the windows take up a proportionally larger area than standard houses, so it follows that window insulation is even more important. Larger window surfaces provide greater benefits of passive heating (if this effect is used wisely) but it should be borne in mind that even the best-insulated window is a less effective insulator than the wall, so you should look for a balance.

7. How important is the strength of the window construction?

The strength of the window construction enables smooth operation, durability, and good sealing. Increasing the dimensions of the window requires the production of higher quality profiles, stronger materials, and thus the price increases.

Some manufacturers produce windows with more vertical and horizontal grilles that split glass into smaller pieces and thus increase the strength of the structure, but this way also blocks the sunlight to a certain extent.

8. What to look for when it comes to window cleaning?

It’s nice to enjoy the oversized and light-filled space, but the windows also need to be cleaned. Keep in mind that tall windows are not only difficult to reach but are also much harder to clean if they do not open the entire surface (this must be done from the outside) and if they are divided into segments.

9. How important is window darkening?

Passive greenhouse heating is desirable during the winter period of the year, and larger windows produce a greater effect, but this effect is negatively reflected in the summer. Only effective blackout can eliminate this negative phenomenon and in houses with high ceilings and appropriate windows, this is even more important. Depending on your budget and creativity, you might come up with a system that darkens segments of windows (e.g. top row), and reduces the total greenhouse effect.

10. Windows orientation

Bearing in mind the greenhouse effect we just mentioned, if possible, you may want to choose a wall or walls to place windows on. For example, northern walls are not directly illuminated by the sunlight, and placing tall windows on this wall would reduce the greenhouse effect, yet provide enough light in the room.