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As a general contractor who has shifted to specializing in repairing, reproducing, and building new windows and doors, I’ve taken an interest in the history and production of German-style, tilt-and-turn windows. While this style of window is common in Germany, Austria, and Italy, and in some high-performance homes in North America, it has not yet gained widespread adoption in the housing market here, so it has been an interesting journey to familiarize myself with the history, working principles, and production of these forward-thinking windows.
This style of window is not terribly common in the Minneapolis area where I work, and since I’m still familiarizing myself with window construction in general, I’ve been traveling to Colorado at least once a year to attend classes at the Alpine Technical Workshop. With small numbers of students and specific, hands-on training, these classes have been invaluable in advancing my understanding of the fundamental construction, fabrication, and function of tilt-and-turn windows.
In addition to the obvious performance advantages that tilt-and-turn windows offer, I’m particularly interested in the “quality of life” improvements they offer to the craftspeople who install and maintain them. For instance, their in-swing sash makes it much easier to service or remove the sash from within the home, as opposed to reaching out a finished frame or working from a ladder, as would be required by a more common out-swinging casement window.
For many GBA readers, tilt-and-turn windows are a well-known option, and perhaps much of what I’m going to share here will not be surprising or new. But in the broader U.S. residential construction industry, they’re still a relatively unknown option. This article is intended for the designer,…
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21 Comments
Who are the best manufacturers of tilt and turn windows in the US? Are there any budget friendly or are these for people with unlimited budgets?
We like Pinnacle / Logic up here in Maine.
Zola is another one I've heard about from builders in my circles but I've never used them, myself.
Tom,
Thanks for what is a great write-up. Apart from price, the only downside I can see is illustrated by the first photo: The windows opening inward makes the circulation path in that room unusable.
True, although seemingly the tilt function should be adequate for most ventilation needs and would only encroach a few inches. They're certainly not commonplace, however I've come across tilt and slide windows which would mitigate that issue, googling is only turning up the patio door versions like this ttps://dencoeuropeanwindows.com/products/tilt-slide-patio-doors?variant=37981971153070
bcade,
I don’t want to hijack the discussion, but somewhere along the way toward more energy efficiency, windows lost something fundamental. Their function of mediating between the house and its surroundings became subsumed by other concerns.
Have you ever seen the 1953 movie Mr. Hulot’s Holiday? When he wakes up, he opens two tall windows inward that fit into the deep surround of the walls. Then throws open the shutters, and leans out over the window box of flowers below, embracing the sights, smells and sounds of the city. The is something intensely human about it that gets lost when we only think about fenestration as having the aims of efficiency, and try and make it a wall you can see through.
That’s enough out of me.
Malcolm,
I looked up the movie and totally get the appeal of simpler times when designs had fewer constraints, but I don't see energy codes going away any time soon. On the flipside, as someone living in a similar beachside location to the movie, I’d love to have modern windows that can properly seal out the city noise and smell of the nearby sea lion colony when closed. Ultimately I dont think performance and connectedness to the outdoors are mutually exclusive, so long as you have the budget for it. C'est la vie.
Taking this conversation back to tilt turns, you could always mount them as innies and get them opened ~170 degrees, or like the movie, have a french configuration and a deep projection that gives a good place for the sashes to tuck away when opened. I’d like to think that constraints provide the opportunity to find more elegant solutions, even if they are a compromise.
Malcolm, I completely agree that the loss of regionally-defined, vernacular architecture is a shame. When everyplace looks the same, it doesn't matter where you are.
Most people who have tilt/turn windows rarely open them as shown; it's far more common to engage the tilt function, and/or use air conditioning instead of letting the outdoor air inside. (Another loss in some ways, not so much in others...) I find that if my clients have not experienced tilt/turn windows, often by spending time in Europe, they can't be convinced of their benefit vs. a slightly lower-performing casement or awning window.
Back to aesthetics: we used an exterior shot of the home in the original photo in our Pretty Good House book. I've loved it since I first saw it in the pages of Fine Homebuilding. I'd argue that it's far more appropriate for coastal Maine than almost all homes being built today, even if they have locally-traditional windows: https://www.gologic.us/1000-model.
Michael,
Go Logic does very nice work.
My complaints about current windows aren't confined to tilt & turn. Probably the worse at creating a barrier between inside and out are casements and awning with cranks and insect screens.
This is one of the most popular case studies we've published in my time at FHB:
https://www.finehomebuilding.com/project-guides/energy-retrofit/build-like-this
That's a good primer on tilt and turn. They definitely have their merits.
Other considerations:
- In hyper-regulated Massachusetts, insect screen is required by code on all operable windows. If a rolling screen is added as an option, I imagine it would add a fair amount to the cost.
- Curtains or blinds? For my affordable rental units, I can find surprisingly reliable mini-blinds for something like $10 at the Home Center -I have them in my house too. What are the options for tilt and turn?
https://www.mass.gov/doc/105-cmr-410-minimum-standards-of-fitness-for-human-habitation-state-sanitary-code-chapter-ii/download
I'm an American living in France. A product that is very common here is to have a roll down shutter integrated into the header of the window. It can be lowered part way, to cut only some light. It can be rolled down all the way, but with just thin slats of light coming through, and then it can be rolled down entirely to block out all light.
These are standard on new houses. Personally, I think they look hideous, but they're practical.
Here's a link to one of the "Big Box" stores, showing a few different models.
https://www.leroymerlin.fr/produits/menuiserie/fenetre-et-porte-fenetre/fenetre-pvc/fenetre-pvc-avec-volet-roulant/
Are they interior or exterior? In Southern Italy they have exterior mounted ones. I didn't think they were hideous, but now that you've pointed it out, 😭. That being said, they cut down on afternoon heat so well, I've looked into getting them for our West facing windows here in Colorado, but can't find any. That might actually be a benefit I hadn't considered for tilt and turn!
I'm an American living in France, where tilt-turn windows are the norm in new construction. They have obvious advantages, as the article points out well.
But I'm also with Malcolm Taylor on his point about Mr. Hulot's Holiday (by Jacques Tati).
As our homes become more and more engineered I see less and less of that quality that makes a house a home. I really hope we don't end up with "machines for living in". (See Jacques Tati's "Playtime" and "Mon Oncle.) But that's the direction things appear to be going. So much has to do with mass production and machine processes, and of course the concentrations of capital that it takes to finance all that machinery.
I live in a corner of France that has a distinct regional style of architecture and frankly, that has effectively disappeared, with every home built after the 1960s completely lacking in any of the qualities that define the architectural spirit of this place.
Sorry if I sound like a downer. It's late and I probably should have gone to bed an hour ago.
JSSG,
It's beyond the remit of GBA to deal with questions of architectural style, but like you I've watched the demise of the coastal vernacular here in coastal BC with sadness. It has been an opportunity lost.
Malcolm,
What specifically are your complaints about casement windows? Or maybe you can link to information. I'm considering casements to replace all my double-hung windows, which I despise. Thank you.
JeffS1,
Nothing to do with their functionality. I specify a combination of casements and awnings for every project I do. My complaints are part of a larger general argument against the erosion of the function windows have mediating the relationship between the inside and surrounding landscape - which probably isn’t something you need to be worrying about when choosing replacement windows.
Malcolm, I misunderstood your comment #4 to be about style and tradition. I fully agree that our homes are becoming more detached from our outdoor environment. In some ways that's good--we can better deal with wildfire smoke and weather events--but the loss of contact with and connection to nature is bad for everyone.
The article mentions roll-down screens. Any recommendations for good ones? My web searching brings up mostly cheap ones that would leave gaps or have a loose appearance, or screens that are meant to be kind of temporary.
Full disclosure, I'm a veterinarian. I was all in on tilt and turn and then was at a professional conference in Europe and excitedly shared my rough ADU Sketches with a fellow attendee. Then my European colleagues described a syndrome in cats being injured or worse, killed, when the windows were in the tilt position. I don't recall the exact name but, cats being cats: windows left open at night: the cats tried to climb over and get to the screen and then got squished and trapped between the casement and sash.
I asked if there were safety amendments, they knew of none. I still find it hard to believe it's common: otherwise 40 percent of European cars would be killed annually, which of course is not the case!
Have you heard of certain installations or features that make this more or less likely?
Before someone writes this off as insanity, cat owners are a *very*vocal group and you're going to start getting this question as these windows become more popular!
Thanks for sharing, I hadn't heard of this before but it makes sense. FWIW it is discussed more here along with a "cat gateway" product that mitigates the risk https://www.yummypets.com/mag/2014/07/29/42465/tilting-windows-are-death-traps-for-cats
Oh! That looks very logical. I'll ask my colleagues about them. I'm hoping someone can start plans for 3d printed versions. Thanks for the link.
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