Benefits of Installing Protective Window Shrouds
Modern residential design is consistently becoming more innovative and better at balancing functionality, practicality and aesthetics to create a more comfortable environment and a feeling of pride in your home. Protective window shrouds live within this category because while they protect windows from the elements and debris, they also add a beautiful dose of visual appeal to your home’s exterior.
With suitable material produced by a renowned manufacturer that can enhance window shroud detail, they are a foolproof, well-rounded feature that provides many great benefits without downsides. Here, our team at KNS Metals explores what you can expect from installing protective window shrouds.
Visual Appeal
Having a visually appealing home is a goal for most homeowners – being proud of your asset and increasing its value is a no-brainer. Window shrouds are a cost-effective way to improve the visual appearance of the building, thanks to their simple and elegant design elevating just about any other design feature.
Depth is a cornerstone of architecture and design, and window shrouds installed on exterior walls deliver both physical and design depth. They extend out from the exterior windows in various sizes and styles, so you can customise them to add the type of character you seek. Most window shroud manufacturers in Australia will produce protective window shrouds with a powder coating to amplify their features, which can come in many colours so that you can tie them perfectly into your colour scheme.
Sun Protection
Much like the skin on our bodies, the interior of your home doesn’t like excessive sunlight either. For practical reasons, too much light can make it challenging to do the things we use our home for – relaxing, enjoying a book or cooking while it’s warmer outside. As window shrouds have beams that protrude out, they act as sun visors that shade part of the window from the sun.
When less sunlight comes in, your home remains at a more stable temperature and reduces the need to cool it down with air conditioning. It’ll also reduce glare in your rooms, making it more of the sanctuary you desire in a home. Over time, the sun can also fade the materials in your interior, like your carpet or walls, so a window shroud has a knock-on protective effect.
Privacy
Windows are your gateway to the outside world, and they’re paramount for lighting up your space and offering an openness that’s important for comfort. But this transparency can come with privacy concerns, especially for homeowners living in inner city areas or on ground level. It’s not always the intrusion of people peeping in that can limit your privacy; if you have bedrooms or living rooms that face the street, the ongoing foot traffic can feel intrusive.
Window shrouds offer another great privacy benefit because they limit the range of view to the inside of your home. If installed on floors above ground level, the protruding steel window shroud prevents the direct view from street level to the room inside. You and your family will enjoy a much more comfortable and relaxing experience with the privacy of these features.
Protection from the Elements
Glass is one of the most brittle and weakest materials in your home construction. While it serves well as a window to allow light and openness into your home, it can wreak havoc in harsh conditions. The concerns of windows in bad weather range widely – from sun damage over time and water staining to heavy winds blowing items into them and cracking the glass. If the window sealant is compromised during a heavy downpour, it can leak into your interior and damage your wall finishings.
Window flashing and shrouds mitigate damage from intrusive and hazardous weather by blocking a lot of the contact between the glass and the elements. Rainwater typically hits the above steel window shroud and trickles down the sides and the side metal blocks wind and sunlight from angles.
Lower Your Energy Bills
While window shrouds offer a rounded benefit in terms of protecting the materials of your home and increasing its value, it also provides a direct return in the form of reduced energy costs. Energy bills in Australia are known to be high throughout the year – we have big homes and experience some of the warmest climates worldwide, calling for some serious air conditioning. The first step in keeping our homes comfortable temperature is stopping them from changing temperature in the first place.
Window shrouds do precisely that. Their protruding metal shields the window from a substantial amount of sunlight, meaning less heat enters your home and stays cooler for longer. This reduction in heat transfer translates to a reduced need to cool your house through energy, and your bills will be lower.
The right manufacturer can design shrouds with this purpose in mind, shading more of your home from the blistering Australian sun. Moreover, you’ll also be doing our climate and earth a favour while lowering your energy bills.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of installing protective window shrouds, please contact us at KNS Metals.