Three Birds Renovations – How to choose glass for your home

How to choose glass for your home

Design by Three Birds Renovations Think that glass is just glass? Before they started in the reno biz, so did Bonnie, Lana and Erin from Three Birds Renovations. A great home is as much about how it feels as how it looks. And the girls are now experts in the different types of glass you can put in your windows and doors to make your home more comfortable. That’s right – you have a choice. The glass you choose (or don’t choose) is going to play a big role in the way you experience your home in terms of light, temperature and acoustics. Here’s what the girls have learned about choosing glass.

Get more clarity on glass

Design by Three Birds Renovations The average home is made with ordinary glass. At 3mm or 4mm thick, it doesn’t do much more than provide a clear surface for you to look through. And with little insulation, it leaks energy, leaving your home feeling hot in summer and cold in winter. An option to ordinary glass is performance glass – which literally performs better when it comes to energy efficiency, noise control and also the amount and size possible for your windows. To improve insulation over ordinary glass by around a third, the girls choose Viridian SmartGlass™ and love how it can be fit into existing window frames. For maximum insulation, they use the double-glazed LightBridge™. The use of this needs to be planned in advance as specific frames are required.

“It’s basically a see-through wall – that’s how good (LightBridge) insulates”. – Three Birds Renovations

For noise sensitive areas such as bedrooms and studies, the girls love Viridian ComfortHush™ which cuts noise levels by up to 34 per cent compared to ordinary glass. Lana says it’s helped her cope with that darn bus that drives past her master suite at 11:30pm. And for temperature regulation in our harsh Aussie conditions, they recommend solar control glass to filter the light coming into your home. It does double duty – reducing UV rays getting in, while helping to keep your floor and furniture from fading.

Prioritising your needs

Design by Three Birds Renovations Obsessed with natural light, Three Birds Renovations love to use glass everywhere, and know the importance of working with the glass company to specify which glass you want where. Ideally, they suggest installing performance glass in every part of the house for greater comfort throughout the home, and the seasons. But if your budget can’t stretch that far, even prioritising just a few windows or doors for special treatment will make a big difference. Here are some questions you should ask yourself to help you prioritise: Where are the main living spaces in your home? North facing rooms are exposed to direct sunlight. To ensure comfortable living here all year round, consider glass that reduces UV exposure and harsh glare. Where are the bedrooms located? If they’re facing the front near a busy road, or the handy railway track you wanted to be near, acoustic performance glass will help dampen the noise from outside. Do your kids play inside? If, like Bonnie, you have active kids that like to play indoor hockey, you might want to install laminated glass for greater resilience and safety. What areas do your family use least? If you need to prioritise window upgrades, you may like to include rooms like the laundry or bathroom in the next round of renovations. Just remember, you need to know what glass you want early to include it in your builder’s scope of work. So while you can choose your glass, don’t choose to put off your decisions until it’s too late – and you end up with very ordinary glass! See more on these homes from the Three Birds Renovations.