One of the first decisions we made when planning our tiny house was to have lots of windows and natural light. I felt like larger windows would be key to make our tiny house feel like a real home opposed to a dark box. The windows on our prints were pretty small so we had to adjust them to accommodate larger windows.
Since our house will be portable and potentially driving down highways, we knew that tempered glass was a smart idea. We had also learned that capillary tubes are a good idea as the house may be transitioning between varying altitudes.
When Jeff attended the Tumbleweed workshop in Vancouver they also talked about how metal clad or wood windows were recommended with vinyl being the less favourable option. The two most notable reasons metal clad is fawned over are; the interior has a beautiful wood finish, and the exterior will never need to be painted. While wood windows have a nice interior finish, the exteriors need to be repainted periodically. Vinyl windows never need to be painted, but the finish is less aesthetically desirable on the interior. With metal clad you don't have to compromise your interior or exterior (however you will most likely be compromised on your budget!).
When we put all of these specifications together for our first window quote we were a bit discouraged when we saw how expensive it would be.
I set out trying to find used windows for cheaper on kijiji and started collecting them. We hadn’t actually chosen our specific window sizes at this point so whenever I saw an ad for free or cheap windows I jumped on it.
While I collected quite a few, we only ended up being able to use three of the used windows (which still saved us a significant amount of money). We have 13 windows (including two skylights) all together.
Since our house will be portable and potentially driving down highways, we knew that tempered glass was a smart idea. We had also learned that capillary tubes are a good idea as the house may be transitioning between varying altitudes.
When Jeff attended the Tumbleweed workshop in Vancouver they also talked about how metal clad or wood windows were recommended with vinyl being the less favourable option. The two most notable reasons metal clad is fawned over are; the interior has a beautiful wood finish, and the exterior will never need to be painted. While wood windows have a nice interior finish, the exteriors need to be repainted periodically. Vinyl windows never need to be painted, but the finish is less aesthetically desirable on the interior. With metal clad you don't have to compromise your interior or exterior (however you will most likely be compromised on your budget!).
When we put all of these specifications together for our first window quote we were a bit discouraged when we saw how expensive it would be.
I set out trying to find used windows for cheaper on kijiji and started collecting them. We hadn’t actually chosen our specific window sizes at this point so whenever I saw an ad for free or cheap windows I jumped on it.
While I collected quite a few, we only ended up being able to use three of the used windows (which still saved us a significant amount of money). We have 13 windows (including two skylights) all together.
Once we had finished wrapping our house with Tyvek, we were eager to get our windows in. After a lot of hemming hawing and making variations to our window order we bit the bullet and ordered the remaining windows.
While the order was more costly than we would have hoped, we are so happy with them! Now that they are installed we can see how much the natural light makes a difference in our little space!
While the order was more costly than we would have hoped, we are so happy with them! Now that they are installed we can see how much the natural light makes a difference in our little space!
If I could do it all over again I probably would have made sure to select the window sizes early on and allowed enough time to scavenge more secondhand windows that could be replaced down the road if need be.
Part of our decision to splurge on new windows stemmed from our desire to keep moving forward with the build. Time is of the essence!
Part of our decision to splurge on new windows stemmed from our desire to keep moving forward with the build. Time is of the essence!