Right glass for the right purpose

Your front door and windows set the tone for your entire home, creating the first and the last impression. Though it is the least thought of, glass has to be safe enough to protect your home from the outside world.
Gerald Kisuule, a dealer in glass at Rakai Glass Mart Nakasero, says not many people pay attention to the kind of glass they want for their homes. He says many house owners simply look at what a friend has used without finding out the reason behind the choice.
“Much as glass is thought of last during construction, before you think of buying any glass, certain factors need to be put into consideration,” he advises.

Rashid Ssenyonjo, a civil engineer with HIL-Consult, says besides choosing the right glass material for your house, knowing the purpose and accessibility of the different rooms in your home will help you know which glass to use where and for what purpose.
For example, the front door and living room windows require glass that lets in enough light, especially if the entry to your room is dark.

Weather conditions
“Before buying glass, one needs to understand the setting of their house in terms of temperature, which is determined by the direction of the sun and the wind. The landscape also matters if the place is hilly, a slope, valley or flat land,’’ Sseyonjo explains.
He says it is for this reason that some people will use the double glazing glass to modulate temperature. However, these are not commonly used in Uganda because our weather conditions are not extreme.

Sseyonjo says having a beautiful glass may be appealling for the home, but you also need to factor in how much privacy you need. For example, if your house has an open plan design, then a tinted type of glass may be more suitable but if you have a perimeter wall as part of your entrance, clear glass is a perfect choice.

Considering how much glass you want on your house is important and should be included in the house plan. Full glass allows in maximum light and is helpful if you have a dark entryway. However, half glass is popular and is seen in many homes, It can either be a solid panel of glass or have sections separated by grids between the panes of glass.
Deo Lulya, a dealer in glass wear in Gooma, Seeta, Mukono, says there are different types of glasses house owners can choose from but the commonly used are the tinted and one way.

Tinted glass
Lulya says tinted glasses add an artistic look to the house as they reduce direct light from hitting into the house and light reduces depending on the colour tint of the glass.
He says when selecting tinted glass, bear in mind the colour of your roof. For example, if one used brick red for the roof, then tinted brown would be a better option to select from not blue.
This gives a nice look to your exterior as well. Other colours include green, black and blue. However, tinted glass is not ideal for rooms that require plenty of light as it blocks out light almost too much unless the windows are opened.

Laminated glass
“In most cases, laminated glass consists of two or more glasses that are permanently bonded together depending on the thickness a client may need. It can be 5mm, 8mm, 12mm accordingly,’’ says Lulya.
He says laminated glasses are commonly used in homes where extra security measures need to be taken. Once laminated glasses break, the broken pieces will remain interact causing no harm. The fact that this can be bonded using different layers is good for bullet proofing your home and also reduces on the rate at which sound goes in and out of the house. For example, if your house is in a noisy neighbourhood, to avoid the distracting noise laminated glass can help with the problem.

One way or reflective glasses
To Kisuule, these are defined as light against darkness glasses, at night the level of privacy reduces especially when the lights inside the house are switched on but to deal with the loss of privacy when darkness falls, one is advised to switch on the security lights.
“One way glasses work best when security lights are switched on because the person outside will not able to see what is in side. However, when all lights are turned on then people in the opposite direction are able to see each other,” he remarks.
One way glasses are coated with half a silver surface, which is mirror like but can turn out to be a disaster. Because of its reflections from the sky, birds are mostly likely to disturb you as they will keep hitting on the glass making it uncomfortable, it easily gets dirty.

Clear glass
Michael Nvule, a house consultant in Bweyogerere, says clear glasses are good in terms of security. When inside, one can clearly view what is on the outside. Clear is widely used glass in doors and windows as the price varies depending on the thickness of the glass but with less privacy. They may, however, look stylish with more light.

Frosted or opaque glass
“Frosted glass are commonly used in church windows but when applied to a house, it is normally used on small toilet and bathroom windows and on shower room glasses,” says Nvule.
Once someone is behind such a glass the person on the other side is not able to view them. I may admit they have unique designs and patterns, which maintain privacy for the person inside but with enough light through.
Unlike other glasses frosted glasses are easy to maintain, they prevent dust from sticking onto the surfaces and are available in all colours of yellow, red, colourless, green among others although not applicable to many parts of the house.