Hopper Windows - Out of the Basement and Into the Living Room

The hopper window is a one piece window that is hinged on the bottom of the sash, which is the window panel. When opened, the top of the hopper window is tilted into the room and down. It's the opposite of an awning window which opens out and up. Hopper windows are typically located in the basement where they can make the most of ventilation and keep dirt and leaves from blowing in, particularly when used with a screen.

Architects and homeowners are wising up to the benefits of hopper windows and they're bringing them up to the next level. Not only the next level of style, but the next level of the home as well.

Large hopper windows are making appearances in living rooms to offer unobstructed views in homes with valuable vistas. But not only do they offer maximum views, but hopper windows are also known for their energy efficiency. Hopper windows use a compression seal, when the window is shut against the seal, it can cut air infiltration to nearly one half of the typical double hung window, which has a sliding seal.

In fact, some of the window manufacturers are not only making stylish hopper windows that look great in the main portion of the home, but they are adding a tilt function to them that allows them to function as a door would. They're calling them tilt and turn hopper windows, and they're making an impact in the window world.

With the versatility, energy efficiency and unobstructed views that hopper windows can bring to the design table, expect to see more of them finding their way out of the basement and into a living room near you.