When manufacturing most modern replacement windows it is normal for there to be smaller areas of glass wherever there are openings (sashes) fitted. Where the frames are fixed the glass area will be larger. This “unequal” site line is quite normal and acceptable to most people.

However on a lot of older properties (and indeed some newer ones) it was more common to have an equal sight line. (i.e. you would not be able to tell from the outside which windows opened and which did not.) Fitting “dummy sashes” or “dummy openers” into the frames created this “equal” sight line.

As you will see from the photographs above the windows can have a considerably different appearance dependant on whether or not they have equal sight lines.

Equal sight lines are not for everybody – indeed some will not like the overall “bulkier” appearance. However there is no doubt that for some types of property this will be a “better bet”. It is also a very good alternative with Georgian and Leaded Light window designs as it allows you to have rectangles / squares that are more equal in size.

Having equal site lines adds to the overall cost of your replacement windows and for this reason many people do not favour this approach. That said — it is still a worthwhile consideration in our opinion.

Another possible alternative is to consider having “vertical equal sight lines”. With this approach fixed windows are always above fixed windows and opening windows are always above opening windows. Ask you suppliers for more information on this if this is unclear to you.

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