Awning, Sliding, Double Hung or Fixed — Choosing Window Types for a Melbourne Home
Every window type is a trade-off between ventilation, sealing, proportion and performance. We build all of them, so we have no reason to push you toward one — this page sets out how we actually choose, with the tested numbers behind each recommendation.
What's the difference between a fixed window and an awning window?
A fixed window doesn't open. The glass is sealed straight into the frame, which is why fixed lites give you the best energy performance in any of our systems — there are no moving parts and no gaps. An awning window is hinged at the top and winds outward from the bottom, so you get ventilation and can leave it cracked open in light rain.
The trade-off shows in the numbers: in our Comet range, a double-glazed fixed lite reaches a U-value as low as 2.2, while the best double-glazed awning in the same range reaches 3.0. Most Melbourne homes we build for use a mix — fixed where the view and efficiency matter, awnings where airflow does.
What's the difference between an awning and a casement window?
They use the same hardware family and the same frames — the difference is which edge they hinge on. An awning hinges at the top and opens outward from the bottom. A casement hinges at the side and swings out like a door. We build both in our Comet, Apollo and Titan ranges off the same sash sections, so the energy and glazing options are effectively identical.
We choose between them on the opening shape. Casements suit tall narrow openings and catch cross-breezes well; awnings suit wider openings and shed rain better. One practical constraint: casement hardware is sized on sash width, and the stays we use cater for sashes up to about 1000mm wide and 40kg, so very wide casements need to be split into multiple sashes.
Sliding vs double hung windows — which should I choose?
Both give you ventilation without the sash swinging into the room, so it comes down to proportion and performance. A slider runs horizontally and suits wide openings. A double hung runs vertically — two sashes that slide up and down — and it's the traditional look for period Melbourne homes, particularly weatherboard and Victorian frontages.
On performance, our Zeus double hung and Zeus sliding window sit in much the same energy range double glazed — about 3.1 to 4.2 for the double hung and 3.3 to 4.3 for the slider. The bigger difference is wind rating: our Ultramax double hung tested to N4 in the general position and N3 in corners, which is a step up on what we can verify for several slider configurations. If your opening is exposed, that matters.
What's an awning window best used for?
Awnings are our default recommendation for Melbourne bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens. Because the sash hinges at the top and swings out, rain runs off the outside of the glass rather than in through the opening — you can leave one open during a shower. They also seal well when closed: our Comet awning tested to N4 in the general position with 300 Pa water resistance, and our Apollo awning reached 1000 Pa. That's a genuinely strong weather seal for a residential window.
The practical limit is that the open sash projects outward, so we avoid them over walkways, paths and anywhere someone could walk into a raised sash.
Sliding door or stacker door — what's the difference?
A sliding door has panels that slide past one another, so at best you open about half the opening. A stacker door has multiple panels that collect against one another as they slide, so you can open a much larger proportion of the opening — it's what we recommend when a client wants the wall to genuinely disappear onto a deck.
Size is the real differentiator. We build our Comet stacker up to 2400mm high by 3600mm wide as a three-panel, and up to 2400mm by 6000mm as a six-panel centre-opening configuration. On performance the sliding door is the stronger unit: our Comet two-panel sliding door tested to N4, and double glazed it reaches a U-value of about 2.6.
What's a hinged door versus a sliding door for my back garden?
A hinged door swings, so it needs clear floor space on one side, but it seals better and generally carries a higher wind rating — our thermally broken hinged door tested to N5 in the general position and N4 in corners, with 500 Pa water resistance, which is among the strongest we can supply. A sliding door takes no swing space and suits wide openings, and our Comet two-panel slider tested to N4.
For an exposed rear elevation catching Melbourne's southwesterlies we'd lean hinged. For a wide opening onto a deck where you want the glass to move out of the way, slider or stacker. We'd want your site's wind classification before recommending either.
For the full tested wind-and-water comparison across every door type we build — including where bi-folds and stackers sit — see the door weather table.
Which windows are best for a bathroom?
We usually recommend an awning with obscure glass. The awning sheds rain when open, which suits a room you want to ventilate constantly, and our awning systems seal well when shut. For the glass, an obscure or patterned laminate gives you privacy without losing light.
One thing worth knowing: obscure glass comes in genuinely different patterns, and they aren't interchangeable — a reeded, fluted, satin or translucent finish each look quite different. We match the exact pattern across a job rather than mixing them, so pick the pattern early and we'll carry it through every bathroom opening.
What window should I use for a second-storey bedroom?
Two things drive this. First, exposure — a second-storey window generally sees higher wind pressure than the same window at ground level, and corner positions higher again, so the wind rating your engineer specifies is usually the deciding factor on system choice.
Second, fall prevention. Under the National Construction Code, openable windows in bedrooms need protection where the floor sits four metres or more above the surface below and the opening is reachable from floor level. That's typically satisfied by restricting the opening to a maximum of 125mm or by fitting fall-prevention screens. We build to whichever route your building surveyor specifies, and it's worth settling before we manufacture rather than after.
Do you make bay windows?
Yes. Our Comet awning and Comet sliding window systems both take a 135-degree bay coupler, and our Zeus double hung takes a 135-degree bay coupler as well, so we can turn a bay in any of those ranges. We also make square bays using a 90-degree corner post in the Comet awning system.
In practice we'd talk through the angle and the sill detail before quoting, because the reveal and flashing work around a bay is usually the part that catches people out on site rather than the windows themselves.