How to select windows and doors to suit your home

When choosing windows and doors for a building, it’s not just what you like or what you can afford that counts… There are many other indicators that need to be considered.

First of all there’s the crucial question of where the block is located, how it’s positioned, and which way you want to have the doors and windows facing. Some people use basic compass readings for this while others rely on Fung Shui methods, which are explained below:

“A good Feng Shui house is a house that attracts good Feng Shui energy, nourishes it and channels it throughout the whole house. From good quality air to a strong Feng Shui front door, there are several basic requirements for good Feng Shui in any house”.

Dominique Vorillon

Feng Shi is the art or practice of positioning objects, especially building entries, based on a belief in patterns of yin and yang and the flow of Chi… The main entry door of a Feng Shui house should be designed to welcome, strengthen and channel incoming energy throughout an entire building. Believers say this will nourish a home and create good fortune for its occupants.

Believe in this practise or not, placement strategy of doors and windows — in a new or a renovated building — on particular walls can determine the kind of natural light that enters a home, and even the temperature inside. So it’s a really important decision.

Climate definitely plays a role, and doors and windows facing south will receive sunrays from morning to night, (south and west where the sun shines in the hottest part of the day receive the most heat). Glass doors and windows facing south or west should have overhangs to protect them from the harshest weather.

With windows, those that are south facing receive the most winter sun, while north facing windows are better suited to warmer climates with subdued inducted light and heat. Reflective surfaces and shading glass options as well as energy efficient factors should be considered to aid in year-round comfort.