Different Styles of Windows

Double- and Single-Hung

• This style window is often associated with Cape Cod and Colonial architecture. They are often, but not always, longer than they are wide, and large panes of glass on both bottom and top often are divided into smaller sections, making the window multi-paned. A double-hung window is opened by pushing the bottom pane up or the top pane down, while a single-hung window can be opened only from the bottom while the top stays stationary.

Casement

• This style window also is called a roll-out or a crank-out window because of the way it opens. This type of window has hinges on the sides and opens out rather than up like a double-hung window. Casement windows protrude from the outside of the house when they are open. They generally are opened by turning a crank, but they also can be pushed open. Casement-style windows are the oldest type of openable window.

Awning

• Awning windows are similar to casement windows. This type of window is hinged at the top rather than at the sides but, like a casement window, opens outward and can be pushed or cranked open. They are called awning windows because when they are open, they block rain from getting into the house much the same way as an awning does. Another type of awning window is called a hopper window. It is hinged at the bottom and opens in rather than out. You often will see hopper windows in basements or above other windows, where they are referred to as transoms.

Sliding

• This style window slides open horizontally rather than vertically like the double-hung window. But, like a double-hung window, both sides can be opened in a double-slide window while in a single-slide window, only one side opens. The other is fixed like that of a single-hung window.

Fixed

• This type of window doesn’t open. Fixed windows can be made to almost any shape and size, and you often see them in A-frame homes and contemporary homes with window walls.