It is a story that almost everyone can tell about their brother, sister, neighbor or friend. Perhaps the story teller is the perpetrator them self. In any case, we all know of a child, out playing with their friends, who accidentally caused the ball that they were playing with to break the neighbor’s window. (In most cases, the broken window is in the house of an elderly neighbor, whom the child is scared of.)
At any rate, the child is urged to fess up to the deed by their parent or older sibling and they must spend the next few weeks of their life earning the money to pay for Replacement windows to make up for the one that they broke. Like I said, it is a story that almost everyone can tell. How many of us, though, think about that window? How many of us think about how windows came to be?
Once upon a time, buildings were created without windows. This created strong, sturdy buildings that would not be torn down easily by wild animals or wild people. These homes created a safe shelter for their occupants. There were two real problems with these structures, however.
The first problem was that there was no way to bring in natural light to the home during daylight hours. The inhabitants of these buildings often used candles to light their way, but often these candles would cause fire and smoke which would cause damage to the home.
The second problem is that there was very little ventilation in these homes. If the smoke became too great for the people inside, the door would have to be opened, allowing inside all sorts of bugs, animals and even people.
The solution became the installation of vents in the home. These slim cracks in the walls were the predecessors to our modern day replacement windows, and would allow both light and air to enter the building. From there, the slits in the walls became bigger, more like the windows that we think of today.
At that time, however, glass wasn’t as widely used as it is in modern times. Instead of glass covering the opening, oftentimes a piece of animal hide was used to cover the space. When the occupants wanted fresh air or light, all they would need to do was open the flap.
Soon after this, people began to use pieces of wood as shutters for the windows. These types of shutters are still seen on homes in our day, mainly in areas like Florida, where they are used to protect the windows when hurricanes and other disasters are imminent.
Eventually, windows were sealed by glass. The process started with just a single pane of glass and has now expanded to several different types of panes and glass. The number and types of windows in buildings has increased over ten fold. In churches, it is common for stained glass windows to depict Biblical stories.
Greenhouses are buildings made almost entirely of glass and are used to grow plants. Even windows on ceilings are used to allow increased light into buildings. The standard window has progressed quite a bit since its humble beginnings.
Replacement windows are thought to be some of the strongest windows available and are used by many contractors in homes across the country. They come in all varieties, from single to double panes. They are thought to be one of the best in the industry.
Replacement windows are currently setting the standard for replacement windows all over the nation. Let’s hope that someday (if they haven’t yet) Replacement windows will be able to withstand a hit from a baseball. It just might end the story that we have been telling for years.