Our windows arrived in early March. We were a little nervous about what they’d look like, because we switched the frame color on them late in the game. Originally we were going with a deep flat red (“cranberry”) as an accent color to the green siding we picked.
Unfortunately, we realized that green siding, cranberry window frames, taupe trim and a stained wooden garage door/front door would be more than a little busy. After some last minute consultations with our designer we jettisoned the cranberry windows and switched to a deeper green, hoping for a tone-on-tone effect.
Turns out the forced choice was a good change, in that the deep green window trim looks more elegant up against the green siding.
It’s interesting how installing the windows changes the look of the house from the street, making it look much more like a finished product. In fact, every element we’ve been adding since the basic framing was completed is softening the curbside view. Which is a good thing!
The house is also markedly quieter inside now that it’s pretty much sealed up. The special sound-deadening windows on the front of the house help, too. Turns out you can significantly reduce the amount of sound passing through a double-paned window by making the two panes have slightly different thicknesses. Same total mass of glass, so essentially identical thermal/energy performance. But the different thicknesses break the acoustic coupling that normally transfers most of the exterior noise into the house.
