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Construction Technology 2
This research paper is all about windows and doors. It spans to the types, functions,
components, and hardware of the various windows are doors. Installation procedures and
terminologies used in the installation processes of both were also integrated within this project.
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Table of Contents
WINDOWS................................................................................................................................4
Types of Windows..................................................................................................................5
Fixed Light Windows ...........................................................................................................5
Side Hung Casement ............................................................................................................6
Top Hung Casement (Awning) .............................................................................................6
Hopper Windows .................................................................................................................7
Pivoted Windows .................................................................................................................7
Double Hung Sliding Sash ...................................................................................................8
Louvered Windows ..............................................................................................................8
Window Configurations ........................................................................................................9
Mullioned window ...............................................................................................................9
Bow window ........................................................................................................................9
Bay window ....................................................................................................................... 10
Oriel window ..................................................................................................................... 10
Combination of Window Systems ....................................................................................... 11
Components of a Window ................................................................................................... 12
Window Hardware (Ironmongery) ..................................................................................... 13
General Installation of a Window ....................................................................................... 14
DOORS .................................................................................................................................... 18
Choice of door type .............................................................................................................. 18
Different types of doors ....................................................................................................... 19
Ledged and braced doors.................................................................................................... 19
Bound lining doors............................................................................................................. 20
Flush panel doors ............................................................................................................... 21
Panelled doors.................................................................................................................... 22
Pressed Panel Doors ........................................................................................................... 25
Pocket Doors...................................................................................................................... 25
15 Pane Doors .................................................................................................................... 26
Metal doors ........................................................................................................................ 27
Revolving doors ................................................................................................................. 28
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WINDOWS
Windows, allegedly called the “eye” of a building or home, are frameworks of that contains a
glass or translucent windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to chiefly admit light but also air
(ventilation) and views to the outdoors. However, windows should serve to exclude wind and
rain, and act as a blockade to extreme transfer of heat, sound and spread of fire in much the same
way that the surrounding wall or roof does. All windows have one thing in common – glazing.
Windows are made from a variety of materials, in a variety of types and in a variety of
configurations: Materials – wood, plastics and metals; Types – casement, sash and case, pivot
and sliding (gliding); Configurations – plain, mullioned, oriel, bay, bow, etc.
functional requirements of a
window)
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Windows made of plastics, particularly uPVC, may be white or coloured and even
impressed with a timber ‘grain’. The sections are hollow and may be of a single skin or more
likely with internal ribs. Metals such as steel and aluminium are being be used to make
windows. Aluminium windows are now made using extruded hollow sections. Some sections
may be of a single skin construction or may have internal ribs. Metal windows can also be self
finished, coated with plastics. Timber windows can be plastic coated. Here the timber is
machined to shape and a thin skin of PVC is drawn over the section prior to fabrication.
There are several basic types of windows: fixed light, side hung casement, top hung
casement (awning window), hopper, pivoted (center: vertically or horizontally pivoted), double
Types of Windows
The fixed light window, also known as the picture window, is the
light but keeping out the elements. Because it doesn't open and has no
moving parts (hence, it’s “fixed”), the picture window offers excellent
simplicity maximizes your view of the outdoors. If combined with patio doors or open-and-close
windows, picture windows bring the perfect balance of light and ventilation. Cons to this kind of
window are the large expanse of glass that makes them vulnerable to breakage, and that they are
generally for looks only and won’t help with ventilation on their own. Since picture windows
have no moving parts and are generally left untouched, they are a fairly durable window option.
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Basically, casement windows are hinged on the side and swing outward
like a door to the right or left. Though they’re no longer the most popular
casement window embrace the fact that no other window type can open
as far. They open easily for better ventilation, and close securely for
casement windows are opened outward, which makes them more exposed
to the elements, and certain sections can become weather-worn quickly. Most casements come
with mechanical parts prone to breakage. With screens on the inside, casements tend to sustain
more damage than windows with screens on the outside. Casement windows on the whole can
be very durable if the mechanical pieces are kept in good working order.
next to windows, arranged in columns, or placed above patio doors and fixed light windows.
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Screens for awning windows are set on the inside, so you may end up with some dirt on your
floors. Awnings that are within reach from the exterior ground of the home can pose a security
risk. If installing an awning high up, consider self-cleaning glass for the exterior surface.
Hopper Windows
are very used in basements, but not only. They are popular, and
Pivoted Windows
inside for cleaning. They are especially suitable for those larger applications where open-out
windows would be oversized. Pivot windows are suitable for both domestic & commercial
The name "double hung" refers to a special window type, the two
halves of. A double hung window has two sashes (the part of the
frame: an upper sash and a lower sash, positioned one over the
traditional to contemporary. They don’t take up any exterior space, making them ideal windows
for walkways, porches and patios. Many of today’s double hung styles make for easy cleaning,
weatherproofing and caulking repair. On the other hand, the sliding sashes on some double hung
windows are difficult to seal. Double hung windows allow for air leakage and are not the most
energy efficient window option. Since they can only be opened halfway, airflow is more
restricted. Double hung windows are durable and require minimal maintenance.
Single Hung Sliding Sash windows have one movable sash (usually the bottom one) and the
other fixed. This is the earlier form of sliding sash window, and is also cheaper.
Horizontal Sliding Sash windows have two or more sashes that overlap slightly but slide
Louvered Windows
Louvered Windows are made of glass slats (aslo available in wood and plastic slats) set in metal
clips that can be opened and closed in unison; also called jalousie. This type of window is
manually rotated to open or close the overlapping panels as required, and can be opened by
degrees to control how much air or light passes through. Louvered windows are extremely
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cool breezes indoors while still shielding your home from rain
they’re impractical for cooler climates. For areas where storms are common,these windows
aren’t the best for weather protection’ and because they can't seal, they pose a security risk as
well.
Window Configurations
TYPE PICTURE
Mullioned window - Mullioned windows
are windows which are divided into adjacent
panes with the use of mullions, which are
vertical elements used to break up a space.
Mullions are especially associated with
Gothic design, and some very fine examples
of mullioned doors and windows can be
seen in Gothic cathedrals and homes.
TYPE PICTURE
(Diagrams illustrat-
ing additional
shapes or features
that may be
incorporated in the
window design)
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Below are some examples of combination of one or more types of window to create a window:
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Components of a Window
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Timber Windows - wide range of ironmongery available which can be factory fitted or supplied
Metal Windows - ironmongery usually supplied with and factory fitted to the windows.
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Measure the width of the rough opening at the top, middle, and bottom and the height at
If the difference between the three width measurements or the three height measurements
of the rough opening is more than 1 inch, cut tapered filler strips from stud stock and nail
them to the sides of the opening that are out of level or out of plumb.
Make sure the outside dimensions of the window are at least ¾-inch narrower and ½-inch
shorter than the smallest width and height measurements, respectively. If they're not,
strip of 15-pound builder's felt) 18 to 24 inches longer than the window's width. Center
the membrane under the rough opening and adhere it to the existing builder's felt or house
wrap. Make sure its top edge doesn't extend above the edge of the opening.
Cut two more strips of membrane (or felt) 1 foot longer than the height of the opening.
Center and attach them along each side of the opening, overlapping the strip under the
window.
Cut another strip of membrane (or felt) 1 foot longer than the window is wide; center and
attach it across the top of the rough opening so that it overlaps the two side strips.
TIP: When applying flashing, layer the material so that any water running down the wall
Fold out the window unit's nailing fins so they are perpendicular to the sides of the
window frame. Then set the window's sill into the bottom of the rough opening, and tip
the frame into the opening until all the nailing fins are tight against the wall.
Have an assistant stand inside and tell you when the gaps between the sides of the
window and the jack studs are equal on both sides. Tack the nailing fin to the sheathing at
one upper corner with a 1 ½-inch roofing nail, but do not drive it all the way in.
Place a 2-foot level on the windowsill, and note its high side. Then hold a 4-foot level
against the window jamb on that side, and shift the sill left or right until the level shows
the jamb is plumb. Tack a nail into the fin at the lower corner on the same side as the first
nail.
Next, lay a 2-foot level on the sill, and adjust the free bottom corner up until the sill is
Double-check that the window is square by measuring the frame diagonally from corner
to corner. Measurements should be within 1/16 inch. If not, recheck the frame's side for
plumb and the sill for level. You may have to pull out the last two temporary nails and
When the sill is level and the frame square, drive home the nails at each corner. If the
windowsill is level and corner-to-corner diagonal measurements are identical, the sides of
Holding a tape measure horizontally, measure the width of the window at several places
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to make sure the side jambs aren't bowed. If they are, push the frame in or out at the
center of the bow and nail the fin at that point. Then nail the sides, top, and bottom of the
nailing fin or casing, driving one nail through every other prepunched hole.
Cut a strip of 6-inch-wide waterproof membrane 1 foot longer than the window is wide.
Center it under the window and adhere it to the wall so it covers the bottom nailing fin.
Cut two more strips of membrane 1 foot longer than the height of the window and repeat
the above process on both sides of the window. Make sure each strip's lower end overlaps
If the manufacturer has supplied snap-in metal flashing to cover the top of the window
frame, apply a bead of caulk to the top edge of the window casing, then press the flashing
in place.
If no flashing has been supplied, cut and bend a piece of metal flashing so it overhangs
the front and sides of the casing by 1/4 inch and extends 3 inches up the wall. Fasten the
top edge of the flashing to the wall with 1 ½-inch roofing nails and cover it with a strip of
waterproof membrane long enough to cover the top ends of the two side strips.
Inside the house, apply a single thin bead of minimally expanding polyurethane foam to
the gap between the window and the framing. Allow the bead to expand and cure for one
hour before adding more. Repeat until the cavity is completely filled.
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When using fiberglass insulation, cut unfaced batting a little larger than the space
between the window and the framing, and push the batting in with a putty knife. To
If the gap is too narrow for either foam or fiberglass insulation, seal it with a bead of
caulk.
TIP: Do not fill the gap between jamb and framing with too much foam too quickly.
Otherwise, the jamb could bow and thereby bind the sash.
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DOORS
A door is usually a swinging or sliding barrier by which an entry is closed and opened (a means
of access and egress); also: a similar part of a piece of furniture, vehicles, cupboards, cages, etc.
Doors can be grouped as: external doors and internal doors. They can be further grouped as:
entrance doors and pass doors – doors allowing passage from one compartment of a building to
another. They can also be grouped as: doors with a specific resistance to fire and doors with no
particular resistance to fire. Means of access is the operating characteristics of a door. To serve
this function, it depends on the weight of the door itself and the hardware such as hinges and
locks and fitments such as closers fixed to the door and frame. Other functional requirements of
doors are to maintain continuity of wall function when closed: include strength and shape
stability, privacy, security, thermal insulation, sound insulation, and exclusion of wind and rain.
No matter what the construction of the doors, they are always hung in a frame; on hinges;
with a latch or lock to keep the door closed, with stops against which the door closes; sometimes
with weather stripping or draught proofing round the edges; architraves to cover the joint
between frame and wall; handles or ‘furniture’ with which to operate the latch and open and
close the door; and more often than not now, a threshold plate or a weather bar.
In addition to providing access, doors are intended to permit natural light or views; it
incorporates glass, a French door or glass slider, for example. If ventilation is important, the door
2. Properties required: fire resistant, glazed to provide for borrowed light or vision through,
etc.
Pocket doors
15 pane doors
Metal doors
Revolving doors
The face of this door is made from tongued and grooved boarding nailed vertically to at
least three rails, the ledges, and with two diagonal braces toe jointed into the rails. These doors
are only suitable for sheds, outhouses, garden wall gates and ancillary buildings with minimal
security requirements.
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Bound lining doors look to the uninitiated much like ledged and braced doors, but there
A frame is used all round the outside edge of the door (separate from the frame that
The t&g boarding is 10–12 mm thick and is always V-jointed or similarly shaped, and
The edge frame is generally made of 38–45 mm thick timber and diagonal braces are
set between the three horizontal ‘rails’ which form part of the frame.
The braces are morticed into the top, middle and bottom rails rather than plain toe
jointed.
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These are much more robust doors and with good ironmongery will fulfill many requirements
These doors are made from two sheets of principally plywood or hardboard (although any
sheet material can be used) separated by a core. Cores can be solid or cellular. Solid cores are
made of timber strip or sheets of particle board, various densities being used. Cellular cores are
made from an ‘egg box’ construction of timber strips or cardboard. They can also be made from
sheets of particle board which have holes running the height of the door.
The flush panels are glued only to the core material. Wire staples are occasionally used in
the core but never in the panel face material. Cellular cores make the lightest doors but offer
little security and can only be used as pass doors (another term for an internal door, generally
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without any security arrangements). Solid cores make the heaviest doors, which do offer
security and are used for external doors if the glues used are weatherproof.
Panelled doors
inside which thinner layers of timber, plywood or veneered particle board or even glass or mirror
are set into grooves cut in the inside edge of the frame. Most usually the edges of the frame,
where the panels are let in, are moulded to improve the appearance of the door. The most
splayed rebate. The back of the panel can be left plain or can be shaped differently from or in the
same way as the face. It is not uncommon to have the upper panel(s) glazed and the lower
Types of Panels
TYPES DESCRIPTION
Bevel Raised and Field the panel, with the flat surface (field),
field.
whole
Bevel Raise
is rectangular.
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Pressed panel doors are similar to flush panel doors in that they have a S/w ‘frame’, to
each side of which is glued a sheet of hardboard which has been hot pressed (mechanically) into
the shape of a four or six panel door. The ‘frame’ is generally just large enough to accommodate
the screws for the hinges. Lock blocks are fitted, though not necessarily both sides, with the
Pocket Doors
A pocket door is a sliding door that slides along its length and hides, when open, into a
compartment in the adjacent wall. Pocket doors are used for architectural effect, or when there is
no room for the swing of a hinged door. They usually travel on rollers suspended from an
overhead track, although some also feature tracks or guides along the floor. Both single- and
pocket door)
15 Pane Doors
15 pane doors comprise a frame of two stiles, a bottom rail and a top rail, the space inside
that frame being divided into 15 equal panes, 5 × 3, by the use of astragals or glazing bars. The
section tenons and let into mortices cut into the stiles and rails. The mouldings on the astragals
match those on the stiles and rails and these are mitred at the morticed and tenoned joints.
Junctions of astragals are generally half checked, with the mouldings mitred.
Metal doors
These doors generally are constructed in one of three ways: cast as a single unit or
separate frame and panel pieces; metal frame covered with sheet metal; and sheet metal over a
wood or other type of insulating core. Cast-metal doors are relatively high-priced. They are used
principally for monumental structures. Hollow metal doors may be of flush or panel design, with
steel faces. Flush doors incorporate steel stiffeners; or an insulation core. Panel doors may be of
Revolving doors
This type of door is generally selected for entranceways carrying a continuous flow of
traffic without very high peaks. They offer the advantage of keeping interchange of inside and
outside air to a relatively small amount compared with other types of doors. They usually are
used in combination with swinging doors because of the inability to handle large groups of
people in a short period of time. Revolving doors consist of four leaves that rotate about a
vertical axis inside a cylindrical enclosure. Diameter of the enclosure generally is at least 6 ft 6
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in, and the opening to the enclosure usually is between 4 and 5 ft. Revolving doors are mostly
recommended for some types of occupancies; including, for theaters, churches, and stadiums,
because of the limited traffic flow in emergencies. Where they are permitted as exits, revolving
doors have limitations imposed on them by building codes. (Below: Diagrams of a revolving
door).
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Door Lining
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Door Frames
Door frames are available for all standard external doors and can be obtained with a fixed
solid or glazed panel above a door height transom. Door frames are available for doors opening
inwards or outwards. Most door frames are made to the recommendations set out in BS 4787:
Door Ironmongeries are available in a wide variety of materials, styles and finisher's but will
Hinges or Butts: these are used to fix the door to its frame or lining and to enable it to
pivot about its hanging edge.
Locks, Latches and Bolts: the means of keeping the door in its closed position and
providing the required degree of security. The handles and cover plates used in
conjunction with locks and latches are collectively called door furniture.
Letter Plates: these are fitted in external doors to enable letters etc., to be deposited
through the door.
Finger and Kicking Plates: which are used to protect the door fabric where there is high
usage
Draught Excluders: which are used to seal the clearance gap around the edges of the door,
and
Security Chains: which are used to enable the door to be partially opened and thus retain
some security.
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1. Check rough opening for proper size for your door. Make sure the rough opening is
2. With a 6’-0” level, check floor inside rough opening for level and straightness. There
must be no crown or dip in floor as this will cause improper door and screen operation.
3. Inspect door to make sure the door panel is on correct side for your installation. If not,
4. Lay down three (3) 1/4” beads of caulk on the floor where the door sill is to set.
5. Run a 1/4” bead of caulk outside of the rough opening behind the area in which the
6. From outside, insert door into rough opening bottom first. Be sure to set bottom of door
into caulking. DO NOT PUT THE DOOR INTO THE ROUGH OPENING.
7. Center the door in the rough opening and tack the bottom corners of the side nail fins.
Square the entire door by measuring corner to corner then tacking the two upper corners.
8. Loosen nails tacked in upper corners of nail fins on exterior and adjust main frame of
10. Using 2" roofing nails, nail the pre-punched holes in the jamb fins at 8" to 10" intervals.
11. Make sure the head of the main frame is straight and level and adjust as needed. Using
2" roofing nails, nail the pre-punched holes in the header fin at 8" to 10" intervals. Again,
12. Inspect door panel operation for smooth swing and proper alignment with master frame.
13. Apply the flashing over the nail fin along jambs first. Then apply flashing to the door
header last. If properly applied, the flashing will eliminate water infiltration and assure a
watertight seal. If sidelites are mulled to the door, a drip cap is required before the
14. Insulate around main frame, but do not over pack as this may bow or distort the frame.
Caulk around perimeter of the patio door inside & outside. Do not caulk over the weep
References
Scott Gibson, This Old House magazine. How to Install a Window - The Old House. Retrieved
to/step/0,,218006_150067,00.html
http://www.doityourself.com/scat/doorinstallation
Fifth edition.
Sixth edition.
Frederick S. Merritt and Jonathan T. Ricketts, editors (2000). e-book: Building design
Denis Walton (2005). The MOTIVATE series – Building Construction: Principles and Practices.