I'm a mechanical engineer who is constantly drawing and designing my own custom home. I am looking at possibly building my own home in the next few years but am finding it hard to get some general pricing on what storefront windows or exterior window-walls would cost. Would it be best to approach a window maker with my sketches and ask them for a general quote or is there a rule of thumb on what large scale windows cost per sq ft? I am not out to make the "greenest" home possible, I would consider price over thermal efficiency. any help would be greatly appreciated!
The overall energy performance of your home will likely be dictated, to one degree or another, by the jurisdictional building codes in your area. (I don't know what type of ME you practice, but if you are experienced in HVAC design, you are probably familiar with some of these issues.) In any event, there may be limitations on glazing area, especially on Southern or Western building faces if you will be building in hot climate, and possible design trade-offs (e.g. wall or roof/ceiling insulation greater than proscribed minimums) that would allow greater glazing area.
If your general concern at this point is a rough budget, then I think you could gain some insight (ballpark cost per S.F.) from local glazing contractors who are experienced in the installation of types of systems you are considering. (And perhaps some pointers about local code issues as well, if you find the right expertise.)
However, if your time frame for construction is a couple of years off, any hard pricing in the short term will be meaningless by the time you actually bid the construction of the project.
when estimating glazing costs, you cant just go by sq footage alone. A 4'x4' window will cost much less than a 2'x8' window even though they are both 16 sq ft. This is due to manufacturing, transport, install, etc
Feb 18, 12 1:14 am ·
·
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.
large pane windows
Hello all,
I'm a mechanical engineer who is constantly drawing and designing my own custom home. I am looking at possibly building my own home in the next few years but am finding it hard to get some general pricing on what storefront windows or exterior window-walls would cost. Would it be best to approach a window maker with my sketches and ask them for a general quote or is there a rule of thumb on what large scale windows cost per sq ft? I am not out to make the "greenest" home possible, I would consider price over thermal efficiency. any help would be greatly appreciated!
The overall energy performance of your home will likely be dictated, to one degree or another, by the jurisdictional building codes in your area. (I don't know what type of ME you practice, but if you are experienced in HVAC design, you are probably familiar with some of these issues.) In any event, there may be limitations on glazing area, especially on Southern or Western building faces if you will be building in hot climate, and possible design trade-offs (e.g. wall or roof/ceiling insulation greater than proscribed minimums) that would allow greater glazing area.
If your general concern at this point is a rough budget, then I think you could gain some insight (ballpark cost per S.F.) from local glazing contractors who are experienced in the installation of types of systems you are considering. (And perhaps some pointers about local code issues as well, if you find the right expertise.)
However, if your time frame for construction is a couple of years off, any hard pricing in the short term will be meaningless by the time you actually bid the construction of the project.
Good luck!
when estimating glazing costs, you cant just go by sq footage alone. A 4'x4' window will cost much less than a 2'x8' window even though they are both 16 sq ft. This is due to manufacturing, transport, install, etc
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.