RealityCalling I don’t know, every builder grade home I’ve purchased in the US has garbage windows, poorly insulated, and ends up costing more in the long run than doing it right in the first place.
RealityCalling I’m in Virginia and when it gets about freezing here... you can feel the cold coming through the crap windows and the seals. Many a winter I have to put shrink film around the frames to keep this out.
@Johnny Ericsson Representing Slovakia, the triple glazing is such a negligible price hike, almost everybody goes for it. As an example, on my parents' house, 12 windows, 2 to 3 panes of glass difference was ~8% extra. That said, I don't see why would anyone need triple glazing in Texas ;)
@Johnny Ericsson Indirectly. The building regulations (forced upon us by EU - which, in this case, is good) only state the overall energy effectiveness of the building as a whole. In order to achieve it you can go crazy on insulation elsewhere, and lack on windows, which does not make sense. Voluntary standards like the passive house, explicitly state the minimum R value of the glazing (achievable only via 3 and more panes) and of the frames separately.
@RealityCalling It's not forced, and if you don't get good windows up front then pay extra for energy cost. Also, those same countries produce their own windows so the price is much lower due to lower cost labor.
+Joe McMillan, American homes are built to last around 150 years. That is the target. Beyond that, neighborhoods are rebuilt and reused. Of course, you can make a home last longer, but that is how long it will be around with relatively little maintenance.
+F ST, I have no idea what a few houses in Florida or California are designed to do, I'm not from there. What I can say is that in my area, the average house is around 100 years old, with many close to 150 years old. I live in Ohio. Of course, the Northern Half of the US has much higher building standards than the South due to our extreme weather conditions. Also, California with their seismic issues must meet code to survive earthquakes, and Florida's homes need to withstand hurricanes, and many do. That is more extreme than any weather in Europe. The reality is that American homes are just fine, and except for a few unscrupulous builders and certain areas with weak building codes, American homes are just fine. I've never seen one fall down. Maybe the difference is expectations. In the US, you are expected to do periodic maintenance on your home. Change the roof every 20-30 years. Occasionally replace drywall during a remodel, etc. Even still, I live in a newer home that is "only" 60 years old, and it's in great condition, without ever having had serious repairs done. All wood and steel structure, like most American houses.
Before anyone comes here and says "Big money... swiss bla bla" I should say that just because Matt visited this Swiss manufacturer of windows, this is the STANDARD in all of Europe for the most part. There is no particular big manufacturer like in the US you have Andersen or Pella, but instead in Europe and from my personal experience windows are built from smaller workshops. In my country alone there are probably dozens upon dozens of shops that make these windows (and Portugal is a small country at 10M population). The windows are "cheap". Depending in what country you are on, I would say the normal tilt and turn window/pateo door is maybe around 300$ ? Again the standard window in Europe is usually much bigger than a standard window builder grade in the US - 56/60x36'' .... a normal window in Europe I would say is about 6-7 ft high x 5-6 ft as well? At least in newer construction. Older homes, apartments mostly, windows might be a little smaller. If I had to say a price per sq ft... Around 8-15$ per sq ft and in some cases already includes installation. Glass is also different. Glass panes are usually laminated which helps tremendously in sound. I just installed a new double pane window in my US home from single glass with storm windows, and I thought the sound was going to be improved by a lot. I was expecting a sound improvement like I am used to in Europe where even living near an airport where planes go through the house at around maybe 700 ft high, I can barely hear anything, and this my new window in the US I can hear even street cars. After further digging, it's because in europe the windows are laminated glass as standard giving it a much higher STC rating vs the STC of 35 to a double pane US window - mine is low E, tempered 3/8'' glass
@Will Roberts probably older. My grandmother's house is from the 60s and the hardware is about the same and the locking mechanism is very similar, however its only single glass pane because it was never renovated yet.
European window manufacturers may be smaller but they have very expensive automated equipment and they buy components from a few very large companies: not only locking hardware but vinyl extrusions. The sound deadening comes from the different glass layers having different thicknesses, especially the outer laminated layer.
Marvin Windows & Doors has made Tilt-,Turn windows for a long time, and laminated glass is an option in many of their styles. Americans either don't need the STC it don't want to pay for it.
Because they are both intellectually curious; they are fascinated by all the little details in the products they look at and they are enthusiastic about innovation in construction. I like watching their channel too.
I know a retired architect in Victoria Canada who 22 years ago built a solid ICF house that uses German Windows just like that. the house is over 22 years old and still more advanced than the majority of homes in Victoria.
Building codes are developed jointly by the countries that need them to keep from freezing and the manufacturers. It's not difficult to come up with systems that work as well or better. I built a passive solar ski chalet in 1978. Now I design houses for Climate Change in southern California and some of what I'm doing requires that I fight local codes in court, because code is inadequate, incomplete or sometimes backwards. Additionally the bureaucratic overhead is out of control for a variety of unnatural reasons, like employee fear or political pressure. Codes are moving away from common sense.
@@refusoagaino6824 Welcome to Russia! There is a code, but you do not have to follow it if you do'n want to. No inspections for residential buildings here!
@@Buksterr No need for compliance legislation if repairs for resulting problems are all the responsibility of the home owner. Resale value would be greatly enhanced if you can prove you followed code. A photographic record of construction is cheaper than permits and inspections. Maybe that's why Russians all seem to have dash cams in their cars.
Isn't much of building code in the USA written as:"you need to do this" or "you need to use that"?Instead of "you need to achieve this" or "you need to prevent that"? (made-up) example:you need to have a wall that uses at 4 inch wooden support beamsinstead of:the wall needs to be strong enough so it doesn't get damaged by the weight above.
When filming in Europe you need to set the flicker filter on your cameras to 50Hz. This is likely why you have the bad flickering in the factory footage.
Mains power in Europe is alternating current at 50Hz while in the U.S. it is 60Hz. Subsequently, fluorescent lighting will be flickering at 60Hz in the U.S. and 50Hz in Europe. The original video appears to be at 24 fps and most video cameras feature a "rolling shutter" where the image is captured not all at once, but line-by-line sequentially. This means that each frame of video will be capturing different segments of the fluorescent lighting's flicker cycle, so you may have overall brightness differing from one frame to next and even within each frame some sections may be brighter than others due to the rolling shutter and the top of the image being older than the bottom of the image. Cameras will often employ an algorithm (a flicker filter) to compensate for this and eliminate the flicker, but you have to tell the filter which frequency you're trying to eliminate.
@@DrunkenHamster69, as for the other reply. Yes, but the flicker rate is “obviously” double that of the the mains. So 120 Hz in US (Canada, parts of Japan, and a few other places as well), and 100 Hz in Europe (and most of the world, including parts of Japan, as their east and west coasts have indeed separate and mutually incompatible with each other electricity networks). In addition to causing the brightness shifts, the flicker also messes up with the white balance (as some lamps become redder during the dimmer parts of the cycle, etc.)
@@hoppingrabbit9849 We have too, around 50% more in percentage of land area. USA is not special... just greedy and not fair to the people. And most people are blind to it.
If you are so enthusiastic about windows, then go to a shop that sells good front doors! If such doors appear in American movies, then the policeman who tries to kick the door in is in the hospital with a broken leg..Ha..Ha.
Really interesting series from your time in Europe. One quick technical videography production suggestion: If you are still in Europe, switch your cameras to shoot with a frame rate of 1/50 sec rather that whatever you have it on - this will eliminate the "flicker" / "strobe" effect that I've noticed (particularly in some of your darker shots) in this video and others. European power is delivered at 50Hz, vs North American which is 60Hz. The result is when you are under LED lights, most often they are actually strobing at the same frequency as the power mains. Changing your camera to match the mains frequency (1/50th sec vs 1/60th sec frame rate) will eliminate this flicker. Keep the content coming!
Since most cameras have a rolling shutter you can still end up with brightness variations down the image even shooting at 50fps. I suspect a 1/50 sec shutter speed here is more important than the frame rate. Also, many cameras have built-in flicker filters designed to specifically eliminate 50 or 60 Hz flicker.
@@DrunkenHamster69, yes with rolling shutter, it is indeed about the exposure time and not just frame rate. But it does not need to be 1/50 s shutter speed. 1/100 s works equally well (as 50 Hz sine has two power peaks per full cycle). Thus, using the videographic convention of 50% shutter time 50 FPS will work perfectly well (with 1/100 exposure). Though, so should 60 FPS with a 60% shutter (keeping the shutter time at 1/100 seconds, obviously - some might also call it bumping up from the usual 1/125 seconds used with 60 FPS). The 60% shutter will obviously increase the amount of motion blur (by a tiny amount), but I think solving the flicker-problem is more important.
@DrunkenHamster69 - Cellphone and still cameras where video capture is a "bonus", sure. Real (professional / "prosumer") video cameras, no. And as long as the shutter speed is a multiple of the mains frequency, that will greatly reduce the chances of flickering even with a rolling shutter.
I grew up visiting my grandmother in Europe every summer... in the 70s and 80s, and the windows and terrace doors were just like this... tilting and multi-point locking... very solid. Europeans have been using these windows for many decades.
I was stationed in Germany back in 1992-95, so I was able to see the incredible windows and doors that were in the old and new barracks, local apartments and houses too.
Lived in Germany in the early seventies, and I was astounded that the windows there were the best I had ever seen. The windows sealed so well that if you closed them too fast it made your ears pop. The hardware was put together with precision and I never had a stuck widow or any problem with them.
Well, that's the one positive side of regulations. The authorities dictate new rules again and again and the whole industry is forced to invent things over and over. Kinda like in Formula 1, where they change the rules every year and then you need to construct a new car.
Hi Matt - I really love this Swiss series you guys did. I'm a Brit and have lived here (Switzerland) for 30 years and just built my own house. From earlier times I know how we build in the UK but seeing a Swiss house built is just AMAZING. No wonder people say "you build for 100 years" here. So many aspects are well thought out and well designed and implemented. There's no "build down to a price" mentality - it's "build up to a quality standard" mentality. So much is worth seeing - from windows, doors (my front door is 5" thick solid wood, metal faced with steel frame and security bolts all the way round) to heating (air heat exchanger & under-floor heating) insulation (6"-8" closed cell foam on the outside of the house then rendered) and the finish on plumbing is out of this world and so-on.... Great series! All the best, Rob
Built a 6-story residential house in Berlin in 2007 with a group of other people, and the garden side has a facade completely made of windows. Due to building codes it had to meet energy efficiency standards, and I am still amazed what modern windows do. First of all, the sound insulation is amazing. You close the windows or window doors, and the noise levels go down by a level that you can sleep even when people are partying outside, and any traffic noise basically disappears. Then the glass is coated with invisible infrared reflecting coating that works two ways: Even when it is extremely cold outside, you don't feel it even when you stand directly at these windows, and when in the summer the sun shines in you don't get baked at all. No need for shades. You also don't need air conditioning, just keep the windows closed during the day and it stays pleasantly cool inside. And when you return in the winter from a three week holiday, even with freezing temperatures outside and heating switched off, temperatures inside are around 15 degrees Celsius. I have also using the heating in bedroom only once in ten years after I left the window open the whole day with freezing temperatures outside. the And then the glass seems almost unbreakable. When you throw a large stone at it, it just bounces of, and you can't get in even with a hammer. I love old buildings, but it just blew me away what modern building technology can do. The whole building also wasn't very expensive at that time, around 1500 Euros per square meter.
Well this is weird. I'm from UK, lived in Houston for 3 years. I was always baffled by how shitty the front doors were and the fact they have so many bolt on security products. I was always thinking to myself, has no one told them we've had cam locking doors and windows since like forever? All these 'security' concerns when they could just buy a better door.
25 years ago I worked a job where they installed Tischler windows from Germany similar to these. It was an expensive home on the ocean in Easthampton NY. They actually flew in their own installers from Germany. The spacers in the glass were even anodized the color of the exterior trim. Cost was not a concern on this job. In the USA energy costs have historically been lower compared to Europe. Obviously this has impacted our building methods in regard to energy efficiency. Recently however there has been a shift toward conservation and environmentalism. We are realizing that despite our low energy costs it would be better to pump less pollutants into the atmosphere and conserve resources. Hopefully Western Europe will forgive us for our languorous modernization of building methods. 🙂
Why Western Europe? Polish triple and quadruple glazed windows are being more and more exported to UK for their absolute quality. I live in UK for over a decade now in few British houses. Next one build one with Polish project and imported materials as UK houses are a joke. Poor quality and technology from 90'.
Only their high-end houses and buildings are usually nice. Houses for conmon people are often crap, even worse than what we have in the US. Windows are one of the few "better" things they might have.
@@bigpjohnson I beg to differ. Poor people tend to live in old houses which, of course, will be of lesser quality than more recently built homes. However, keep in mind that a significant portion of those buildings actually reach ages of around 100 years and are still habitable. So, yes, they may compare well to a cheap, modern built house in the US - but you'd really have to compare them to houses of at least 70-100 years of age. Do those even exist at all in the US? Owned and inhabited by average people?
I lived in Switzerland for two years and the windows and doors were amazing, if only they would install bug screens. The buildings you saw were not one-offs, every home I was in, etc was built with the same attention to detail and quality that you are showing. They build their homes for 100's of years and to pass down from generation to generation. They also have to put up sticks showing the outlines of their homes so if any neighbors sight lines will be changed, they can appeal to the building council.
The "sausage-like" insulation is polyethane (not polyurethane) like joga mats. In Europe builders are starting to favor it over the polyurethane spay. Because: 1. it has closed cell structure, meaning it does not absorb water, like polyurethane does (and then there would be this wet sponge next to wood) 2. it has much better sound proofing qualities as where polyurethane has NONE. 3. Faster and easier to install, no mess, no cleaning, no waiting for it to dry. 4. Almost 0 waste, as compared to spray cans other garbage produced by Polyurethane install. Cons are: - it not glue so it does not add structural integrity - more expensive as material but not really as saving in install and cleanup costs make it up - can leave gaps is installed badly
We are Aussies here. Bought a stone house in the Adelaide hills before 2000. Very windy there! The original windows and doors were terrible. Single glazed and leaking on every window and door. Heating and cooling was very expensive and not working because the air was leaking everywhere. Looked for better windows and doors, hardly any good windows in here back then, found the best in EU. Bought them from a supplier who buys them from Germany and over time replaced every window and door, there was more than 60 windows and doors in the house. We sealed the house, insulated the stone walls and ceilings with Gutex and installed the Zehnder ventilation system and Siga tape on every job. Made a massive change to the house. It's not only the US who don't know how to build a good insulated and efficient house.
Another Aussie: I lived in Germany for close to two years and ever since I have loathed the terrible windows we have in Australian houses. Friends from Europe are generally shocked at how cold it gets in our houses because we imagine that we're a warm climate but our insulation is worthless given single pane glass windows. And the extra noise! Building codes should reflect best practices.
It's about time someone reviewed those windows. I saw them in Germany in 2013 and thought why don't we have those here. They are wonderful. Talk about sound proof and keeping the cold weather out. I love them, the down side is they are going to be very expensive here I afraid.
I'm guessing they would be much more expensive in the US initially, but when you get the right machines/tools which is probably mostly automatic it will probably be a lot closer in price depending on what profits the window companies in the US are looking to get. US companies aren't taxed as much as European companies so I could see a European company at some point wanting to potentially expand to the US.
readeh exactly. But you could start with importing them with sea containers. My family owns a realy old window manufacture in Germany. My Dad and my Uncle calculated it would be worth it to import and get some German Master Craftsman (Meister) to educate American craftsman on our installation standards. They are also trained to run whole companies, so it wouldnt be a problem to leave the US operations to them if they are willing to do so.
They are you would be surprised how many windows in the us I find that can just be pushed in locked no one cares here you my as well not even put a lock on your door
Tilt and turn windows. Been in Europe for 40+ years. Good windows are a dream in Australia. Europeans wouldn’t use Australia windows in their chicken coupe.
But tiltable windows are not used everywhere in Europe. I just can't figure out why the window couldn't be opened just a little bit to ventilate like we do it here in the cold north but perhaps there's some reason for that. Why is there this third option which seems to make the windows just more complex?
@@McSlobo I think the reason is simply that your window can't open wider or close when it's tilted. If you want to just open your window a little bit it'll only take a few minutes until the wind either makes the window open completely or shuts it. When you tilt it, it stays in that position and can't move ^^
There's a style of window (Swedish?) that opens in a horizontal 360 degree flip. Very easy to clean, and as it never intrudes into the building while flipping, it's also great for conserving space inside your home. Because typical German and Swiss windows swing inside, so you will have to take that into consideration when you put in furniture.
Thea Hunt theese are danish. They are also completely flush on the outside. Reason theese are used traditionally at the coasts of Europe is the very high wind pressures. Opening to the outside makes more sense, since the wind will press it tight when closed. But I’m sure modern German window are working there fine now as well.
I love the fact that you guys are over their learning from other perspectives! Just imagine... If companies in the states we're humble enough to learn from other countries!? How far we would be able to go... And obviously vice-versa with other countries learning from us.
I can guarantee that these windows were standard in the early 70's in Switzerland. We bought an appartement in a condo close to Lugano. It was designed and planned in 1970, the final construction took until 1973 due to financing problems of the developer. When we bought it in 1980 all the windows were of this style, including the patio doors.
Well in mechanical aspects they have the same style of opening but in matters of airtightnes and thermal insulation these modern windows are more than three times better than windows from the seventies.
In America, they tell us we have all kinds of freedom of choice, but it's really not true. When I go other places, there may not be twenty kinds of toothpaste, but there are always very cool, useful things I can't get at home, sometimes even made by American companies.
That's how the world is kids. America does many things better than other places. America does some things worse than other places. Everyone thinks everyone else is an asshole. In reality, all modern countries are pretty much the same, with a few ups and downs each.
@@catlover1986 How come the US has so many downs? Slow internet, Data caps, poor house construction, large prison population, high crime rate, mass shotings, expensive health care, corrupt government, pathetic political system, 100 times more expensive collage and a stupidly expensive court system (-.-") Then only good thing about america is lower taxes, everything else is shit. Literally.
+The Esseboy, well the simple answer is that you don't know what you're talking about. The long answer is that the answer is complicated, like all important matters. The US does not have "slow internet". It doesn't have the fastest internet in the world (well it does, but not everywhere), because the US is a huge country, larger than continental Europe. We have half the population. We can't afford to build the same infrastructure as Europe, with half the population to pay for it. Same reason we use cars instead of mass transit. It doesn't make sense to build that kind of infrastructure here. The US is a huge country, the countries with faster internet than us are those who are smaller so the infrastructure is cheaper. Still, my home internet is fast enough to stream 3 or 4 UHD streams at a time, and I have basic internet in the Midwest. It's plenty fast. We have great home construction. Or cheaper home construction. Depending on what YOU WANT TO PAY FOR. We believe in freedom in the US, not standardizing one solution for everyone. In the US, it's not uncommon to be able to buy a decently sized home, for 2 years of your pay, that will last generations. Where I live, the majority of homes in our urban areas are 100+ years old. They are doing fine. We have a large prison population, because we actually enforce our laws, unlike most nations. Murders get executed or life imprisonment, not 8 years like in the UK and other EU countries. We have harsh justice, because we want ACTUAL justice. Crime does not pay, in the USA. On that point, we do not have high crime rates. We have low crime rates, that are a third of what they were 25 years ago. We are one of the best countries on the planet for low crime, actually. Mass shootings are rarer than being hit by lightning. It's not a serious cause of death, it just seems scary. It's like your risk of dying in a plane crash, it's very small but scary, so every plane crash and mass shooting makes it on the news. We do have expensive health care. We are also forced to subsidize most of the world, paying nearly all global R&D costs through our prescription coverage. The US is the ONLY country on the planet that pulls its own weight, and everyone else's when it comes to R&D costs in medicine. Our government isn't "corrupt", just contested. As far as actual corruption, we're average for a modern liberal democracy in the Western world. Arguably a little better. Our political system is not pathetic. It's a brilliant system devised by the greatest geniuses in the history of government. Probably why we're the oldest continuous democratic government in the world, and the 2nd oldest government in the world. Our court system isn't "stupidly expensive". It's very efficient actually. Less than 1% of government expenditures. College prices are paid by the user, unlike some socialist countries. That said, it's not "100 times as expensive" as most countries. For instance, My large public university cost me roughly $8,000 a year. Did you only pay $80 a year? Basically, what you're saying is you don't like the US for your own personal reasons, and based on misinformation because you don't know what you're talking about. Anymore questions?
+The Esseboy, basically, the US is the world's greatest superpower. If you think we're that messed up, how do you think we became the rulers of the world?
I like how Jordan is impressed with the machine that makes grooves. I can't blame him seeing how the U.S. has a small number of machine shops, I mean small, so he wouldn't be exposed to this environment as most people wouldn't. I grew up with an uncle who was a mechanical engineer and a brother who used to be a machinist. What I saw as a boy brought the same kind of excitement Jordan experienced.
Love this design and will consider them when I change my windows. For all you America bashes consider one reason we have higher energy usage isn't because we build things cheaply. It's because heating a home here is very inexpensive when compared to Europe. Remember a liter of gas (that is a quart in freedom units) costs $3 in Europe less than $0.50 here. On average they build things better because they will live in the home forever when we build we stay an average of 7 years and move on. I am planning on staying in my home a very long time and want the best of everything so I will spend more but no one will buy it because they can go down the street and get nearly the same house for less.
Jay,Still not a good reason to waste energy cuz you pay less for it,however, even when you buy a "cheap" wooden home,if your home is well built and has good features, when you sell it to move on, you still have an highier return value...when you sell an house in triple AAA class you are actually selling a different kind of animal,.They don't are actually buying "nearly" the same house,just "an" house...Think about our XLam wooden house,a solid 12 inches wall of cross-laminated boards,with the material we actually build an house in Europe,in terms of cubic inches,you can actually framming 3 houses the same size in USA,our layering consists of 6-8 inches of graphite styrene on the exterior,plastered with a plastic mortar,12" of Xlam as main wall or bearing wall and a counterwall in galvanized steel framing about 2" insulated with 2" of high density mineral whool and a double drywall plated overlapped...put some beast window like these and think about what you have...cheers
Agree fully. I've lived on both sides as well. Energy is cheap here, and most of the climate is MUCH warmer. A super insulated house doesn't make much sense when you are cooling for 6 months. We also move a LOT for better jobs and areas. Europeans tend to stick in one place for far longer. My family here has lived in multiple states and houses, we made them nice, bur we'll sell them in a flash if needed.
@@bigpjohnson That is not entirely correct. It dosn't make sense when you are just not heating, but when you start cooling insulation cuts your cost on AC. Not only your electrical bill is lower you can also use smaller AC-units.
Um, not true. I live in a super-insulated home my wife and I built in Canada. Not only are our heating bills tiny but the home stays cool even in 35C weather (that's about 95F). Insulation is not sexy, the neighbours won't ooh and ahh over it, but it's the best money you'll ever spend.
I was living in Germany in the late 80s and loved being able to open the window entirely or just tipping the top for airflow. The airflow tip is also great on rainy days since the rain won't get in but air will. The other window thing I loved was the roladen, the slatted shutters on tracks outside the window. It, too, could be opened in various ways including just a small opening at the top for airflow. The shutters where completely blackout when closed all the way. When I was sick, I woke up from a nap at 2 in the afternoon and thought it had to be 2am 'cause it was so dark. The windows and those shutters are the two things I would love to have on a home in Canada or the US. (I currently live in Canada as a US citizen).
Tilt and turn window have been the standard in Europe for at least 30 years now. you may choose between pvc (cheaper) and aluminum. The latter can be updated /enhanced by using an insulation gasket among the exterior and interior, so no unwanted thermal transfers from either part. Being from Spain, and been several times in the USA (loving it everytime) and find most american construction very cheap, cost effective but cheap and incomplete, relying too much on proven methods without innovate and the cheap HVAC power prices.
I, as a european, watch your videos to see what is different to europe. Now that you are in europe, it is great top see what is good. But i'd also love to see what you didn't like.
You guys are amazing and are my favorite builders in America. I love your passion for doing "good work" and your unending quest for understanding and delivering the highest-quality sustainable environments.
I'm 25, and I've never lived in a place that doesn't have these types of windows. If I dig deep, I can think of some single glazed windows at friends houses, that stem from the 60s or 70s, but most of those have the same principle as the window you showed here. Also, you missed a third seal on the window, there's also a seal on the moving part of the window. You can see it at 1:32 on the closed section of the window, which also opens.
This windows are only in newer buildings (80s+) because you can't just put it on your flat in building from 1890 so in centers of european cities there are mostly still classic old windows.
I am from Russia and we use similar windows since 90's. They are indeed far superior to what is used in the States. Much more energy efficient, easy to fully open or go to ventilation mode. I find American windows very hard to slide. Here are some prices for these nice European windows (REHAU). A 32''x59'' single panel, triple-pane window, with an opening mechanism similar to what is shown in this video (can be fully opened or vertically vented), the price is $120-260 with installation. Even for $120 the quality is actually quite good. I bet not as good as what is normal in Switzerland, but way better than in the States.
The standard double-hung windows used here in the US are inefficient by design...casements are a simpler design that happens to be far better at sealing. Also, you get what you pay for...there are definitely some quality windows being made in the US, but don't expect to find them at Home Depot for $200
I have this style of Windows, bought locally in spain from a large national DIY store. 8 double glazed Windows 1.2x1m high, 2 opening panels each, tilt and turn in brown simulated wood. 280 euros each. Plus 3 large opening panels, 2.4x2.1m high, each with a similar tilt and turn door and fixed window panels either side. All 3 openings totalled 2400euros. All in cost under 5k. A local installer wanted to charge 12k excluding labour and delivery. One of the best buys I have ever made.
Standard European window and has been for many decades. The interesting part is: lousy windows in the US cost about the same and have a horrible insulation value due to lack of proper seals. But then, energy is dirt cheap in the US so it doesn't matter to Americans and companies have a much bigger margin selling crappy windows for the same price. Keep in mind: those double, triple or quadruple glasses are not glued together with a double sided tape like it is in the US - they are actually "welded" together and usually either nitrogen filled or just a vacuum. Those windows last 50 years without any problems. My parent's house was built in the 60ies - just sold it and the windows are still original 60ies (double pane - so the new owner has to upgrade them to be legal).
It's all about what you want. I have had triple pane, nitrogen filled windows as my main front window (4 feet by 8 feet) in my home for 30 years. But it cost thousands of dollars. Many times more than cheap double paned, which would offer most of the benefits.
@@catlover1986 That was my point. If you want quality in the US you have to pay a lot more for something that's building code in other countries. Energy is just too cheap in the US. Here in CA everyone raves about saving the planet with their electric vehicles unaware that their house loses more energy a week than their electric car saves a month.
@@jaylast1958 Well, they also force you to install solar (at your own expense) when you need to replace your heating system. It has it's pro's but of course also it's cons. That's what an almost socialist government gives you. On the plus side you get a lot of government benefits for your money - like a pension, healthcare, almost unlimited unemployment pay, free education including college/university etc. etc. Personally I'd like something in-between since capitalism isn't nice either because in the US it's often the corporations that mess with you and not the government. (by the end of the day the little guy is always the one who's screwed.)
@@uweschroeder the states have the best balance in the world imo, though already too socialist in many ways in a misguided attempt to combat problems with unregulated corporations.
Thanks for doing these videos. I find it really interesting to see how other countries are doing things differently, and in some cases a vastly superior different! Plenty of take aways, and a lot to admire in Swiss building techniques.
Hey guys. I deal with a weird phenomenon here on Big Island of Hawaii. We have anywhere from 2,000-5,000 earthquakes every year. This sometimes breaks the seals on the double glazed window. Where I live gets average 250-300” of rain every year also. This creates white mold between the panels of glass that grows. It’s the indicator to a fault in the window. Other than the mold you would never know. Oh yeah...plus our houses are built on post-and-pier. Shear wall corners are required but most houses foundation starts multiple feet off the ground. With posts and knee braces off grade. Zero basements. Sounds like a place to come next, while guys are traveling the world and such. Big Aloha from Big Island. Love the channel.
I don't see what the big deal is with "tilt and turn" windows. They're unnecessarily complex. If I want to open my sliding window or sliding door a crack, I can. I can even use a stop to make sure that it can only be opened a few inches. But I never want to. Typically if I want a window or door open at all I want it fully opened and screened. When it's either hot or cold out I want it closed tight to keep the heat or A/C in. I have vented exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathroom to remove most smelly air. Replacement air comes in around the front door, but if my apartment was completely airtight the replacement air would come in through a properly designed inlet to the HVAC system. When there's a cooking accident and something burns I want all the windows and doors fully open for a short time to get a complete change of air as quickly as possible. I never once in my life have ever wished for a window that tilts just a little bit to let in some air but stay mostly closed. I know that there are people who like to sleep with their bedroom window open a crack. I'm not one of them. But American windows work just fine for them too. The traditional American double hung windows I grew up with allowed people to open them a crack at either the top or the bottom, or both. Open it at the top if you don't want to feel a draft, open it at the bottom if you do. By the way, American window manufacturers offer triple glazed windows too. They're not necessary here in California, but I imagine I might want them in Northern states.
@@dlwatib Tilting is nice for our climate. It doesn't get to hot here. Max is around 35° C during the summer. We don't have air conditioner. So during the spring, summer and autumn it's nice to have it tilted to get some air circulation. Most people don't use them during the winter because it would waste to much energy. Short period of time with all windows open works much better for fresh air. I agree that the tilting function is not to important. I guess our windows only have it because it's not a lot of trouble to implement it and it's still nice to have. The good part about those windows is that they are very airtight because they have bolts all around the window. They anyway need a mechanism which goes all around the frame, with or without the tilting mechanism. I think that Americans just talk about this mechanism because they have never seen it before. most people dont realize how well built/isolated a window is.
@@dlwatib Sliding windows will never be as tight as windows you turn to open in my opinion. At least I don't see any way you can have a very tight seal against a rubber surface, and still make that surface gliding. The good part about turning windows is you press the window against the seal (both seals, there are two running around the window typically), and both don't have to move in respect to each other ever. so they can be very tight. There are ways to actually get sliding stuff tight. My door to the garden is a sliding door. But this mechanism is complicated and consists of lifting the whole door, having it run on rails at the top, and a mechanism which pressed the door to the vertical frame and closing the gap on top (while the weight of the door itself presses to the seal below). Still this isn't as tight as the windows. I would also imagine that this would be a too expensive mechanism to install on each and every window. I also can't think of any easy way of locking a sliding window like a turning one. My windows have 8 locking points all around the window, as well as detection if the window is open or tilted (wired to an alarm system) and safety glass that doesn't break. You can surely have triple glased safety glass on a sliding window, but I don't see how you make it is strong as a turning one? (the tilt feature is just a necessity because like you said, some people want that, and you cannot easily open a turning window "just a bit" without a tilt mechanism. So that's not a "cool feature", more like a necessity if you have a turning window. Although I never had one window where this "complicated" mechanism actually broke. Spoiler, it's actually not that complicated :) ). As for screens, my windows have removable screens set into the frame. No issues there. The window turns inside anyway, so you just fix them on the outside.
Fun Fact: that closing mechanism around the edge is over 50 years old. As far as I know windows using this mechanism allready appeared in the 60's or 70's. At least those I had to exchange to modern windows are dated back to the 70's ^^
because the costs would be higher and neither customer nor manufacturer would like that... (free market...) it's working in europe because the governments enforces this kind of quality
@@Loki-wx9tu Not necessary. In Romania, after the fall of communism in 1989 everyone has started to upgrade to this kind of windows despite the fact that there weren't any laws in place to force us to do it, because those windows are so good. The heating bill has dropped with around 45-50% just by changing the windows. With the old windows I could literally fell the wind in the back of my neck. Now I can't imagine living in a house/apartment without these windows.
Grew up in German. Left in 1989 and that was the standard window style. 30 years later and Americans are still using crappy windows. Picture window is close but only crank out.
I'm in switzerland and I just checked my windows and i've double not triple windows. In my appartment most of them can be tilt but not all of them. They have usualy 3 locks on the left side and one on the right. But its true that big windows are a thing here. Around 90 percent of the length of the walls are covered with windows. I'm in a house, in a city, from the 70/80's so maybe this is a factor. Nice videos, i like them. But i've the feeling that they cover more rural regions and are focused on wood use in switzerland. I was surprised how they used wood for insulating in the first video. On construction sites in citys you usally see insulating wall panel with a net for plastering. I never saw insulations with wood also for smaller/family houses.
Time for you to visit your hero Tedd Benson's shop in Walpole and/or Keene NH. I'm sitting in the house that Unity Homes built us and that style window is all we have here. Plenty of SIGA tape too. And Steico sheathing. Glad you're in Switzerland, a lot of it's being done in NH too!
@@buildshow Be sure to check out last week's Ask This Old House (S17 E09) where Tedd gives a quick tour of the new Unity Homes (his Bensonwood "sister company") facility in Keene NH. Our home, while certainly not the first Unity home, was one of the first to be made in that facility! I also hope when to went to Germany you visited the Steico plant!
What we also have are windows where the frame on the outside is aluminum and the inside is wood, so you get maintenance free windows as in not having to retreat/repaint the wood on the outside every two decades or so it you're living like near the sea where moist sea air can be tough. And there are sound insulating windows where one layer of glass is a different thickness, this minimizes the transferal of sound vibrations from glass to glass which means better sound dampening.
Lots of comments here is how great euro windows vs American made windows. Yes, euro windows are better, but why ? Part of it is a higher electicity and natural gas prices in Europe vs US prices. They been pushed to build high end windows for their market. I lived in Europe for 22 years, moved to US in the late 90's, and I can tell that US is pretty cheap and affordable country compare to the most European country's. So, my point is, those windows is not a luxury, they are must have for Europe.
Very much agree. Much of the US also has a warmer or milder climate. We need more cooling than heating in many areas, which meant designing houses that breathe and ventilate naturally centuries ago. That design philosophy has stuck around. Concrete houses work for cold climates, not so much for warm areas.
I keep hearing this from American commenters. But millions of Americans live in Maine, New York, Minnesota, Montana...….some of these places get more winter than I do in Canada. Building better insulated homes makes for better living in most parts of the U.S. unless you live in such a temperate place that neither heating or cooling is required.
@@MrMaltavius That is true, but not always worth the cost. I live in some very hot and humid areas in Texas and Louisiana. Running the A/C 9 months of the year is $100-200 a month for a big house. Spending tens of thousands on insulation to cut down on those costs has a very long payoff period. I renovated my current house and did a ton of upgrades to make it easier and cheaper to cool and warm.
this is how the place i work for made windows 15 years ago, its much more modern now and most people opt for windows with hidden hinges and they are held together by dowels and painted before assembly for faster production
You'll see a lot of similarity in Germany as compared to France, Spain or the UK where there are elements of what you see in Switzerland but less so than Germany. Are you going anywhere else?
Will Roberts Some people call the inswing casements. The Marvin tilt turn hopper works exactly like what they show in this video. It’s the same hardware. Marvin imports the hardware. Made by Hoppe, I think.
@@ashIibabbitt1111 The cost factor needs to be offset by the heating and cooling costs which add to the running costs of the building. A modest extra cost up front that give immediate savings. Plus if they were standard then the cost would come down drastically, if they were standard you would not even comment on them. The average or poor person are the ones that need to live most cost effective lives but often get the shoddy goods that end up costing more.
The laminated glass would also prevent fire from breaking through a window, which can happen here in the US both with wildfires and with structural fires in adjacent buildings. For that matter, fire hoses can break normal glass windows in an adjacent building.
Can you please say more in future videos about the building code in Switzerland? I've lived in Switzerland and the US, and the striking difference, at least for someone who knows nothing about the details of construction, is that things in Switzerland are very clearly built to a higher standard. The materials are superior and all the minor technical features, like the double-hinged windows (which have been ubiquitous in Switzerland since at least the 80s as far as I can remember), actually work. But the Swiss are no smarter or wealthier, and I'd be cautious about spurious claims that Swiss culture somehow values quality more than other places or some other such silly argument. I suspect it has something to do with building practices and training, as well as the construction industry and its financing, along with the code issues, that together help make virtually everything extremely high quality and durable, but also very expensive. I'd love to hear what your hosts have to say. Can you put the questions to them point blank and let them answer? I'm quite sure they can reply in near-perfect idiomatic English. In this light, it's perhaps worth noting that only 35% of households own their homes in Switzerland, which, as I understand it, is an effect of the very high cost of a home and very strict finance (no ARM's or NINJA loans here or any other funny business). Ultimately, that means a fairly small number of people end up being a property owning class, while the rest are forced to rent. I guess there are tradeoffs for achieving exceptional quality and safety. But I'm still curious about the building codes. So I'd like to press you to ask your hosts more questions about why they build as they do. Thanks!
i think its also the consumer profile. In my country at least, even a lower class family, would not be happy with a not so nice craftmanship. I have visited high end homes or at least expensive homes in a few markets in the US, and the attention to detail and craftmanship is appaling. Things that even my unitrained eye catch it and would refuse delivery. When I question my wife for example - even in our own home - usually the reply is "oh what's the big deal?" .Over there if craftmanship is poor it can lower the resale value of your house. Here, in the US, it seems that is not taken into account as much - again that's my personal experience which might be completely wrong.
@@NoRoads2AllRoadsOne of the reason why flipping houses is a huge thing in the states. Buy the house cheap, buy cheap materials, get uneducated labor to put the house together and sell it for huge profits. That's usually how a house flip works here in the US, and without the buyer having any clue about the quality of material or what renovation practices were used. As a European who has been looking for a house in Texas for around two years I've only had bad experiences with housesellers/realtors lying about what was updated/renovated in their houses. Decided to rent instead.
+Max Woodworth, in Switzerland and most of Europe, the energy costs are high. Being efficient when you have to import energy from the Near-East/Russia, is a no-brainer, like when gas costs $8 a gallon. But when you have cheap energy, the math makes a lot less sense. In the US, it may take 20 years to break-even on triple pane, vs. double pane windows, due to the high cost of higher end windows, and the relatively modest energy savings, coupled with low energy costs. Also, much of the US doesn't really have a harsh climate anyway, so savings are less. The reality is that building codes in the US focus on safety, first and foremost. US buildings ARE safe. But when it comes to this other stuff, it's really up to the individual owner, as long as you are using moderately modern tech.
@@catlover1986 Interesting points, Bret. As you say, long-run average energy costs must play a big role. It's also fascinating how cheap energy ripples throughout the US economy, touching even the calculus for window selection/standards. I agree US buildings are very safe overall. In my city the inspectors aren't joking around when it comes to meeting code. Or at least that's what I've heard from people who know better than I (again, not a builder myself).
The training builders go through before becoming certified is very cool, they have a school system that basically filters University students from Technical and trade students at the age of 14-15. So if you are more geared towards trade work you will go through a “trade school” at a young age, setting you up to be in a trades world where there are high standards
I've been keeping up with the Switzerland video sires , and I like their wood framing methods and the fact that triple pane glass is a standard. I feel like a lot of this thing even though the upfront cost might be high , its worth it down the line , because when you think about it if you going to live in a house for the rest of your life and eventually pass it down to your children or family member i think its worth it.
These windows are probably fine for Switzerland, where the number of days they need to be fully opened is probably lower, but I wouldn't really appreciate the way they intrude into the interior space. The triple panes , with a laminated layer, would be a welcome improvement for noise reduction, even in places where they don't pay for themselves, but I'd still want it to open outward, with screens on the inside. As for the triple seals and multiple locking points, they make sense only if you are going to add heat recovery ventilators; it makes no sense to make the house so tight that you end up leaving the windows ajar to clear the air. Here in Massachussets, we require blower tests, but some towns require the bathroom ventilators to run non-stop to relieve indoor air pollution, with the fans fighting whatever tightness is required. We also have dryers and some heating devices that require some leakage, so the triple seals and tight locks would be useless unless we went all the way with our other household infrastructure.
Zero energy buildings in Europe are built with HVAC systems that filter and climatize the air that you need for keeping a healthy interior, whicile also recuperating the energy from the air that is being released (be it cool or heat). Way less need to open windows.
Over here, the builders need to calculate ventilation requirements up front, and then add ventilation panels or HVAC systems as needed. I have sliding ventilation panels over most of my windows - the type in the video, but with an added grill over the window that can be closed if it's freezing too much.
The first home I purchased in 2003 was built in 1949 in Sherman Oaks, Ca. It had wood framed sliding windows in the bedrooms and double hung windows in the living room. I installed new vinyl dual glazed windows on the exterior wall to cut down the noise from the driveway that was 5ft away. They had a very small effect in Reducing the STC levels. After that I found a local Glass company that manufactured laminated glass with air space and another piece of glass! It was sealed with a rubberized material. I hired a guy to come in and remove the old glass and replace it with a triple glazed glass. It only provided a smaller amount of reduced STC that’s because what I didn’t know then that I understand now! the vinyl window would never be able to provide a lower sound transmission because of the poor build quality of the vinyl window!
(insert comment here about how far behind the US is, while completely ignoring that different people/countries have different needs) Thanks for the video Matt. Always cool to see what other cultures are doing so both cultures can improve.
Julian Knödler The U.S. comprises a much larger land mass, and thus a much more diverse climate than small countries in Europe. Not to mention that’s only talking about one point out of the three I mentioned.
If I remember my several trips to Europe over the last 25 years, there is usually no air conditioning, so the venting mode was important. In the US, we would never use that mode.
Louis Emery Why wouldn't you want to occasionally open windows and get some fresh air through your home? There must be days when it's pleasant outside and a fresh breeze would be appreciated, but it's not hot enough to bother with aircon. It's healthier, cheaper, greener and better for the fabric of your home just to open a couple of windows.
Love watching this series. I have to laugh when you bring up USA standards. I'm not a builder but i look for quality with everything i buy. If i had to purchase a house now, the building date wouldn't go past the 1970's......that seems to be the turning point where our standards for everything to do with building goes down in a shit hole. From private homes to apartment buildings.....cardboard crap ! USA seems to have a new motto....if it last only a couple years, Great ! Anything of quality, government or the "big-boys" will shut you down.
One other thing about tilt-in or tilt&turn windows; they are known for killing small curious animals in sometimes gruesome ways, so if you have a cat, you might want to avoid making an escape through a tilted widow readily available. The screens most Americans would add might make this a non-issue, at least for relatively docile cats.
yeah and how much do they cost? thousands... a tilt and turn in Europe, if it's a standard window is like a normal vinyl Lowes window at 200$-300 a pop.
There is a 4th position of lock system inside the window. Turn the handle at 75° and it will be slightly open.. just a tiny liiiitle bit. Usually it's called a winter ventilation. Just so you get some fresh air in yet the room temperature doesn't drop
These windows are also available in North America. I know of at least one place in Eganville, Ontario, Canada that makes these. (Bonnechere Valley Windows) Well, the owner are (were? original ones retired?) German, so go figure where they got the ideas. And my cottage has these windows that are more than 10 years old and it turns out that these were not made by the same people in Eganville. I think ours were made in Toronto. So there seems to be multiple window makers even in Ontario who makes these "tilt and turn" windows
@Brad Viviviyal , first "North America" is not the same as "US". Second, "you can easily get" is a relative term. There is shipping and there is tariff. So if they have to be shipped from Europe to US, vs Canada to US (where so far there is a free trade agreement) it's not going to be the same price. I am just pointing out that these types of windows are manufactured in North America. But I agree it's consumers' choice at the end when they choose inferior products.
not as many as in US no. And you can always have the screens built afterwards. They sell at the local hardware stores rolling shades made out of bug screen which anyone can install if there is a need for it.
Even my Front door has 3 layers of seals around it to make it airtight, watching US doors, where you almost see through the bottom always made me cringe. The house im living has almost 2foot thick walls, and insulation of 5 inches on the outside, built around 100years ago...
As a European living in the US the front door with a gap has been my biggest issue by far. Having no sealed frame around the door just doesn't make any sense to me. My parents in-laws has a 1cm gap below the door where cold air and warm air comes in, but not even that.. All kinds of bugs/cockroaches also use it as their own front door.. It's crazy.
Yup, the doors I installed on my home are crap. I couldn't find a single door anywhere in Canada or the U.S. that was well built. Stylish, yes, but well designed to keep the cold out? Nope. High priced and low performance. One day I'll custom make my own replacement doors.
@@paulmaxwell8851 I have seen residential doors that have a steel jamb. It's rare, but you see it. I would imagine that those are some of the best as they feel a lot more solid than the doors with wood jambs. Where is the air loss you are experiencing through your doors? My doors aren't the best but they are air tight. However, I am not the biggest fan of Menard's Mastercraft doors. I think the jambs are laminated or particle, not solid wood like other manufacturers. Maybe their windows are the same way, I'm not sure.
@@paulmaxwell8851 On our house, the door is about three inches of solid wood, you'll need a tractor to force that open. And it was 300 dollars (accounted for inflation and currency change) I believe. Tripple seals, made in 1988.
In Austria, the verb for opening the window at the top (what Matt called "venting") is "kippen", which also means "to tip" as in "tip over". That should tell you how old this technology is.
The down side of triple glazed windows is that they are heavy, so that kind of limits the size. This matters if you want something like a sliding door to your patio. Also they are thick, so, as the video points out, you can't always use them for renovation.
1:35 you may missed the main scurety feature! it is that the moving part from the window locking mechanism goes UNDER the fixing part so that it is not able to wench? out the window of the frame and its impossible for a thief to get into without breaking the glas! In German we call that an "Plizzapfen" whitch will translate into mushroom pins cause of the apperance. 6:00 thats comon since about the 1980´s. Just shows how far behind American Construction is, realy poor... NO OFFENCE yust reality.
I am still shaking my head at Californians who think double pane windows are only for cold places...... because apparently it never gets above 90 degrees here.... and insulation only keeps heat inside....
newest soundprotection "triple pane" windows in germany : double layer outside glass , single middle glass and double layer inside , along with a gas filling inbetween the 2 stages and a sound protection foil . so more or less 6 glass units ;)
Love those "tilt and turn" windows and in fact, the very same design has been manufactured in Canada by Polytech Windows in Nova Scotia for over 25 years. Love your show!!
This is just one out of many examples where Europe is miles ahead of USA. Europeans are well travelled and have been for centuries (Americans tend to travel mostly in their own big backyard, only about 35% of every US citizen even have a passport). It's in our DNA to learn from others who are doing things better than us, take it with us and use it ourselves or even improve on it. I guess in a sense we are more open to change, and re-invent us every now and then.
Markets generally drives innovation or need for more energy efficient homes. After gasoline became super expensive, car manufacturers started producing fuel efficient cars. Here in Idaho, electricity is really cheap. The building standards aren't so uptight. But in California, it's in your best interest to build the most efficient home possible (expensive energy, extreme summer heat, etc). We're still using the 2012 energy code here.
Europe does windows and doors well, but they suck at a lot of everything else. Masonry and concrete construction lasts, but it can also move moisture like no tomorrow. Most housing for regular people there isnt any better than over here.
@@gvi341984 and on the other hand my job here in belgium is in danger cuz of the steel tax trump imposed. our plant is in danger of being shut down. so this thing works both ways
Swedish immigrant living in states. Traveling in Europe is the same as traveling in one state here. It may be cheaper but you have further to go to get anywhere. To fly to another state can be 300-600 where a trip from Stockholm to Paris can be below 100. Most Americans are stuck in poverty but not by their own design. Passport is expensive and then to leave the country a overseas ticket starts at 1,800 to 2,500 which most Americans don’t have. I know it’s easy to feel superior but that’s a terrible way to think. They are born into a system here that is hard to get out of. Many Americans would love to travel but it will probably never happen for them. In Europe you can take a weekend trip to another culture. Or vacations. Most Americans when they take vacation time they can only afford to stay home. And if by chance you save money that doesn’t mean you can go on a 2-4 wk vacation (even if you have that much saved up ) because employers don’t want you gone for mire than a week. Last time I went to Sweden I had to quit my job because there was no such thing as 4 weeks off.
Here in Scotland I believe this type of window came into popular fashion about 25 to 35 years ago. They started with Metal frames but typically its Double glazed PVC windows and doors which are popular in Scotland. You have to remember that European homes are often very much smaller than American homes with differences in room and landing layouts. American homes often have large open spaces with no real boundaries on rooms while typical UK and EU homes are very much split room to room by doors and hallways.
Before everyone continues trashing American windows. Just remember these windows likely are not cheap and Switzerland isnt a cheap place to live. You can get windows like this in the US too but its not mandated here like it is in Europe. We all know Europe has an obnoxious obsession with being green and progressive so im sure this has something to do with the building codes you see. If the US required R30 exterior walls for every new building I guarantee you wouldn't see our stick frame and CMU construction ever again.
@@NicholasLittlejohn I'm in construction, our codes are fine. You want to spend more of your money to make your house better? go for it. Odd that you think we all should do it your way.
@@MW-gh1mo People have been saying "our codes are fine" for 60 years...have they always been? Or just now?? I guarantee you, in 30 years people will laugh at your silly statement.
Generally in Europe we know that windows, doors and sealing is the area what leaks the most. Hence those are parts that get most money put in them. Then comes the outer walls, floor and finally interior walls. This enables to save lots of money when it comes to heating and in city built houses mechanical ventilation system can clean polluted air, so air quality inside goes up. Required insulation values is Europe have not removed stick frames or CMU construction. Those have just evolved over the years and new innovations have made, where USA is still nailing together cheap crap that gets demolished rather quickly. Also in Europe you wont be seeing poison like pressure treated lumber put into into construction where it will vent gasses into room air.. but hey who cares about cancer being epidemic when you can build cheap low life spawn houses.
A good part of my living as a house painter in south / central Oklahoma was restoring ancient,, wood sash, double hung, metal bar weighted, single pane windows. Adding copper weather stripping usually was not asked for. Customers liked the charm of these old windows and were more focused on restoration than upgrading to a modern looking window.
Great stuff American manufactures should try to emulate. Having traveled to Germany in ‘90’s and seeing those windows made me question what American manufactures were doing back then to produce more efficient products. Plumbing is another as well as other things you have exposed. It’s not about who is better, but who is advancing the quality and efficiency for the consumer. You should also speak to the economics of their work force and the consistency of their processes as well as the expectation of the workers and results. Everybody gains when everyone participates; is accountable in the economics of production.
A prime example of why international trade is a good idea. Triple glazing does depend on your local climate though; UK research suggests its not much better than double glazed, as it reduces solar gain which counteracts most of the insulation benefit. In colder climates, its definitely worth the extra cost. In hotter climates, IR reflective coating is cheaper.
I'm Irish. Have double glazing in my home here and had new triple glazing Austrian made tilt and turn windows when I lived in Germany last year. There is no comparison whatsoever in the quite frankly crap double glazed windows on sale here and the UK to triple glazed German/Austrian/Swiss low u-value, energy efficient windows. Not in design, not in manufacture, not in performance. Sound proofing is way better for start, something immediately noticeable. They weight a tonne but so easy to open and ventilate with the top open. They are like night and day if you look at the build quality and how well they heat and insulate a room. No condensation, no going out of alignment after a few years like my ones. They're marvels of engineering. Architects here in Ireland advise going for triple glazing in new builds as the advantages outweigh the slight (and it is slight) reduction in solar gain.
Like everythings else,, america keeps falling behind because of corporate greed.. We pay good money for shit windows.. I bet those windows cost about the same as a pella or andersen and those are triple pane and made alot better..
Complete BS. Americans can't think past their own nose. "I buy at Walmart 'cause it's cheap" say the same people who complain about jobs being shipped overseas. And no, those $wiss windows don't cost the same as Anderson, but then again, you won't be replacing those Swiss windows in your lifetime.
Custom size 960 mm wide by 1200 mm high (37.8 inch by 47.2 inch)(size of the window in my office), same standard as shown in the video ordered online in Germany is at 650€ including shipping and VAT .
in most of modern widows when you set the handle in half way form full open and "only top" open position the window goes unsealed so you can ventilate the room while window look like fully closed :) it's weird that it's so different for you guys when i know these windows from first day in this world :P
Sorry but what you say is not correct, absolutely. In fact a proper windows and wall insulation keep your house fresh in summer helping u to don't waste are condition and in winter just with a small amount of LPG you keep your house worn setting up the temperature inipendently in each room using Honeywell thermostatic valvles applayed on each eater
@@riccardoman1973 Much of the US has long summers and spends a lot more time cooling than heating. Large regions are also humid as hell. We need houses that can dry out and stay cool far more than we need to stay warm in the winter. Neither is "better", it's just better suited for it's location.
Lots of companies who do triple pane windows here in Canada and a few in the Northern States as well. What you didn't mention was the obvious price difference and cost comparisons for same or similar products between the US and Sweden.
Interesting how (according to you guys as well as commenters) Europe seems ahead in construction techniques. Maybe it's because it's a relatively boring kind of innovation that requires continuously working on small improvements, while Americans prefer big steps forward (disruption! building the new big idea, etc.), which might be helpful in other industries, but not construction.
This makes no sense. The reality is that the average US house is built like crap, because you want it to last a few years and the average european house is supposed to be a house your children and grandchildren can still live in.
probably related to different drivers of building innovation: in EU it seems to be driven by the need of construction companies to beat competition, in US, this innovation seems to be driven more to offer cheaper equivalent product to cut construction cost. Also, different market: in EU, custom build is much more common, more government incentives for improved efficiency, renting is much more available, is of better quality and it is ok to rent for longer.
Bullshit, there's no real disruption or huge technological steps forward, it's always small improvements. Take a "revolutionizing" product like the iPhone for example, all Apple did was improve the touchscreen, there were more powerful and capable phones before the iPhone, it's just the touchscreen that made it successful ...
I don't think there's that kind of difference in mentality. The real reasons are construction and energy cost, as well as regulations. I live in Germany and I'm planning to build a house within the next few years. Energy costs are 60 € per 100 Liter oil and 30 Eurocents per kWh. If I'm not mistaken, that's between twice and thrice as much as in the US. When I do the math between different technologies like traditional heating and insulation and getting a heatpump and non-mandatory special insulation and I want to hit ROI within 20 years, I can spend an additional 60,000 €, just on heating. A normal sized plot, where I live, costs between 1 and 1.5 million Euro. Without the house. So actually the price of the house is almost insignificant. If I build cheap, I could get a house for 250,000 €. And a nice, very modern city villa costs 400,000 €. So let's say I get my lot for 1.3 million, then the difference is just between (with regulatory extra costs) 1.7 million and 1.87 million. That's only a 10% difference between the cheap house and the expensive city villa. And that's the reason why no one builds cheap here. Another reason is regulations. The quality threshold of what's mandatory is pretty high and constantly evolving and changing. This forces companies to always develop their product anew. You also get really cheap, subsidized loans, if you build to certain optional standards that will only be mandatory a decade from now.
+P8qzxnxfP85xZ2H3wDRV, as an American economist, I can say you hit the nail on the head. It's all about energy costs when it comes to cars and construction. Also about overall wages, and the cost of land. In the US, you can buy land cheaply, and housing can be had cheaply, and energy can be had cheaply. That means the incremental costs make a HUGE difference in the overall price and affordability. In Europe, if you pay a million Euros for a house, who cares about windows? But in the US, you may only be paying the equivalent to 20,000 Euros for the land, and $70,000 for the structure. That makes the cost of windows extravagant, especially when energy break-even is 40 years down the pipeline.
thats not true, the swiss are only wealthy when they travel to other countries, with there salary, but when you live in switzerland, a swiss salary doesn't bring you very far because of how much obligatory things, like health insurances and taxes cost. for example in geneva the minimum your health insurance will cost is 400 swiss francs, witch is about the same in dollars, and renting where you live is pretty standard, because most people can't afford to buy and that costs about 1500-2000 a month at a minimum for a 2-3 bedroom appartement. so just think about that before making such statements
5 лет назад
Yes its wonderful! The money just falls out of the sky!
@Hannah Ridgeway ASMR youd be wrong then. Go check any construction site in Spain or even Portugal for example. These windows are cheap and standard for the past 20+ years
Most of Europe is latitude of Canada and north. With northern Europe leading the way they have products available. People aren't nearly as mobile as Americans so houses that generations of families live in are much more common. What is surprising is the level of amazement expressed when weather and societal differences are so different.
hi! I love your tours of European builders! I'm Canadian - (currently in Manitoba - north or North Dakota). Here for new window installs we only have triple 'glaze' windows here. That's the standard at the moment and for the last 10 + years I believe (probably longer actually). We call them triple pane. They are typically filled with argon gas between. However, the actual frames still aren't insulated like in the EU. That's something that should also be standard here in my opinion. We have screens on all our windows - Even older double pane windows. But we have a lot of bugs to keep out. We also have the crank function in general for opening. And they typically open outwards. I'd love to build a home and ship German or Swill windows. have a WONDERFUL WEEK! ~Jj
