HouseWindows

Standard House Window Size

Standard house window size is not a concept that architects and home-builders seem to grasp. Wouldn't it be easier to shop for windows if they came in a few standard sizes that you could buy off of a shelf? But alas, window size varies for nearly every house, and even among the windows on a single house. That is why precise measuring is so important when ordering each and every window.

Many people seek to buy windows from wholesalers, which can be a real money-saver. These are not made custom to match your home's measurements, and there are often only a few sizes to select from. That said, if the measurements of a window are just a bit off, it can be made to fit a rough opening. Windows do not simply snap into place, so a few tools and a little handiwork can make wholesale windows suit your needs for much less than custom units.

There are some common sizes of popular styles of window, but that is no indication that they will be the proper standard house window size for your home. Manufacturers produce more of these so-called standard sizes, and they can be altered to fit your space. A standard house window size for double-hung windows is 30 in. wide by 60 in. tall. Windows in living rooms and dining rooms tend to be larger, often around 72 in. by 72 in. In bathrooms, a smaller window might be 24 in. by 18 in.

Measuring For New Windows

Do not rely on supposed standard house window size to make purchases for your home. New or replacement windows can be ordered with custom measurements to make installation straightforward. Ordering custom-fit windows can eliminate the need for sanding, sawing and otherwise jimmying the windows to fit in their openings. All of these alterations to come up with the correct size can damage your already costly investment.

To properly measure the rough opening for a new window, you must take six measurements. First, measure from the bottom jamb to the top jamb in three places along the sill: to the far left, in the middle and to the far right. Then do the same on one side, measuring horizontally from inner jamb to inner jamb in three places. Do this for all of the windows in the house.

The smallest height measurement and the smallest width measurement will give you the appropriate size for your new windows. If the difference in measurements for either width or height is more than 1/2 in., you may have to alter the rough opening to allow a standard house window size to fit. This usually involves sanding down one side to level it. You use the smallest measurement because you can add a shim to fill a gap, but you can't easily take away part of the frame to squeeze it into a tight spot.

Determining Standard Size by Style

Standard house window size is often dictated by the architectural style of the house. Classic, traditional styles like Colonial Revival and Cape Cod cottages are characterized by many small, double-hung windows on the front of the home. More modern styles often have specialized styles like picture windows, large, unobstructed panes of glass that can take up whole walls of the house.

Bungalows and other arts and crafts-styles have windows of various size and shape that give the homes exciting visual interest. Some ranch styles are accented with bay or bow windows, three or more tall windows jutting out from the house in a rounded or polygonal formation. Then there are decorative accent windows in circular, rosette and all sorts of shapes imaginable that do not have a standard size.

When building a new home, the builder has a large degree of control over the windows. She can choose a standard house window size commonly sold in stores for easy replacement, or she can set a standard based on other factors. Besides style, one of these factors might be climate.

Homes in cold climates can suffer severe energy loss through large windows. Heat from inside the home seeps through the glass and frame in many ways, including convection, conduction, radiative heat transfer and air leakage. Convection and radiative heat transfer are particularly exacerbated with large windows. The large amount of glass surface area allows heat to flow right through to the outside. Large frames conduct heat, and a large opening allows more space for air leakage.

Energy-efficient glass is an effective way to combat heat loss, but choosing a smaller standard house window size can also limit the loss of energy. This reduces energy bills and your carbon footprint. Standard house window size is something of a myth, but some sizes are more popular than others. It is up to the builder and architect to decide between so-called standard and unconventional.