Decorative glass clear choice for efficient new windows

Dear Jim: I went on a recent new-home tour and I saw some very attractive decorative windows. Some were exterior windows and others between rooms. Is it possible to get replacement windows with the decorative glass? – Karen A.

Dear Karen: Adding just a few decorative windows can significantly enhance the appearance of your house from both outdoors and indoors as well as provide some privacy. Although you can stand near the glass and look outdoors clearly, the view looking in from a distance will be obscured.

Many replacement and new-window manufacturers now offer a nearly endless array of efficient decorative glass types: beveled, leading (caming), stained, sandblasted, multifaceted jewel, carved, glue chip, hammered, granite and many colored contemporary and natural outdoor scenes.

Replacement windows with decorative glass are as efficient, and often more, than regular replacement windows. Many use the same low-emissivity coatings and inert gas in the gaps between the panes. Some sandwich the decorative pane between two outer protective panes, creating an extra insulating air gap.

Since decorative glass obviously costs more than standard glass, you may only want to use it in several lites of a window. A very efficient and attractive option for a wide replacement window is to have a fixed center section with decorative glass in casement sections on each end.

There are new replacement windows for old sliders that both slide open and rotate in like a casement. Decorative glass can be used in any or all of the glass panels. Rotating them in provides better ventilation in the summer, easy cleaning and extra room for emergency escape during a fire.

Some window manufacturers offer add-on decorative glass panel kits that snap over existing windows. These kits come with all the components including wooden trim strips to hide the clip fasteners. When it is time to clean the windows, the decorative panel easily snaps off for access to the window glass.

Decorative windows also are often used between rooms in a house. At night, enough light will pass through from the lighted room to act as a beautiful night light for the other room without using additional lights.

In most cases, these are small fixed windows that do not open. Many of the arch styles (Gothic, full, equal-leg and unequal-leg) are small and simple to install in an interior wall. Octagonal windows are also attractive.

These small windows are also available in efficient venting models for use in an exterior wall. Located high on a wall, they can be opened to vent out hot air in the summer. They are beautiful when the sun shines through them.