In warm climates, bigger glass is better. By Melissa Skinner 

Homeowners are revitalizing tired, outdated spaces with oversized glass enclosures, slider doors, transoms and more to create dramatic spaces that dazzle, combining the indoors and out. Here’s what you need to know about the trend, and how to capitalize.  

The ways in which homeowners are seeking to create dramatic spaces throughout their homes are continuously changing, and forward-thinking builder professionals must remain on-trend to continually satisfy consumer desires. 

To those ends, it’s worth exploring one significant trend that utilizes large-format windows, sliding doors, and transoms to enclose existing outdoor covered spaces to create blended, multi-purpose indoor/outdoor spaces with beautiful views and easy access to the outside. Particularly in the South and West areas like Texas, Colorado and Pacific Northwest, farmhouse-inspired designs are displacing tired Colonial-style elements, and glass and screen enclosures that embrace indoor/outdoor living are replacing traditional covered patios. Such features can enable homeowners to better utilize their patio and porch space, with the ability to throw open large doors and windows in good conditions and close them up during inclement weather or high pollen/dust seasons while still embracing nature. 

Let’s take a closer look at how these design trends are taking shape, and how building professionals can take advantage to grow their businesses. 

Biophilic design: A quick primer 

To best understand how to incorporate large-format windows and glass enclosures in modern home applications, it can be useful to understand one of its biggest drivers: Biophilic design principles.  

Biophilic design is an approach that seeks to connect people with nature by incorporating natural elements into built environments. It’s based on the idea that humans have an innate connection to nature and that integrating nature into design enhances well-being, productivity, and overall quality of life.  

Key elements include natural light, views of nature, and natural ventilation and airflow—elements that can be realized with large-format windows, glass and screen enclosures, windows and doors, skylights, and open spaces that maximize natural daylight and let the outdoors in.  

According to biophilic design advocates, the benefits of such features can be significant and can include reduced stress for occupants and improved mental clarity. The embrace of natural light and ventilation can also reduce the need for artificial lighting and air conditioning, helping homeowners achieve some efficiency gains as well. For builders who want to upsell for their customers, these are some things that are worth keeping in mind. 

The advent of the ‘large-format windows and tall wall patio enclosures’ 

In pursuit of biophilic living, large-format windows and patio doors can be a major contributor. One specialized element that can be utilized here is the ‘large format tall wall patio enclosures,’ glass structures that can rise to the height of two stories and may be used to enclose an existing outdoor space (thus converting it to an indoor/outdoor hybrid) or retrofitted into a home’s wall. It’s an investment for the homeowner, but it can deliver massive home value—both in terms of dollars and aesthetics.  

The tall wall patio enclosure can incorporate both large, unbroken panes of glass as well as operable sliding doors, enabling easy access and airflow into the interior space. Occupants can further enjoy grand views of their property and other surroundings. Sleek lines and natural colors (more on this momentarily) can create a sense of drama and can further contribute to other popular design trends—think ‘modern farmhouse’—while modernizing what may have once been a dated space. 

Embracing modern colors 

Nature-inspired color palettes can further contribute to a biophilic space, helping to further evoke a sense of calm and tranquility. This may typically fall to the responsibility of an interior decorator, but such a mindset can be embraced within glass and window systems, too. 

Black, bronze, and other dark finishings and framing colors can further contribute to the warmth and modernity of large-format glass structures, creating bold lines that accent tremendous views. They provide a sleek, contemporary look that enhances both traditional and modern home styles, adding depth and sophistication to a home’s facade and interior. They can also create an eye-catching contrast, especially in homes with light-colored exteriors or interiors. This contrast highlights the windows as architectural features, adding to the home’s overall design impact. 

Such colors can also be functionally beneficial if a monolithic glass system is used to partially enclose an outdoor space, rather than the entire space. For example, if the space is not fully enclosed, it will be exposed to the pests, yard debris and the elements, including rain and humidity (especially in hotter, Southern climates), and may be more susceptible to dirt, mold or mildew buildup. Dark colors will more effectively mask this kind of unsightly marking versus white frames. 

Don’t forget about performance 

When helping homeowners realize their dreams of indoor/outdoor spaces that take advantage of large-format glass, it’s important that such systems deliver the required thermal performance to ensure interior spaces remain comfortable when the weather isn’t cooperating. 

Windows are, after all, inherently less efficient at insulating an interior space than a solid wall—but today, high-performance options are available that can effectively keep the heat in or cold out. Again, this is especially critical for tall walls or larger-format glass structures. Double- or triple-pane glass with low-e coatings that incorporates efficient spacer systems—which seal argon gas inside the glass units—are a good option here, as are high-performance framing systems that further contribute to thermal efficiency.  

Utilizing large-format glass and tall wall patio enclosures are an increasingly popular way to transform modern homes, and professional builders and remodelers can seize this opportunity. Working with the right suppliers can help you help your customers realize their dream home spaces.   

www.greatdayimprovements.com 

Melissa Skinner is Vice President of Marketing at Great Day Improvements. Headquartered in Twinsburg, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, Great Day Improvements is a vertically integrated, direct-to-consumer provider of premium home improvement products. Great Day has an expanding workforce of 4500 employees across 120 metropolitan markets throughout the United States. The company has been ranked as the fifth-largest home improvement company in the nation according to Qualified Remodeler’s Top 500 list and is among the fastest-growing private companies for a second consecutive year.