What you need to know when opting for a glass wall

Glass walls are, to most people, strictly used in offices. Rarely does one find a person opting for glass walls at their home. One of the reasons they are likely to give when asked is that having glass walls can bring about insecurity at a home.
However, there is no doubt glass walls can be suitable for homes. A glass wall may cover the entire house or part of the house. However, in case one decides to have a glass wall, it is important to look at how they will be able to keep the glass wall clean and in good shape, and how to make it work for you.

The structure
“Glass walls are usually about 12 by 12 inches and can be as many as four to six inches thick. They can be clear, or wavy or patterned to allow light in while maintaining privacy,” says Ronald Atwine, a structural engineer at Excite Construction.
However, he adds, most are made from panels of sheet glass. He also adds that the glass panels are supported by base shoes set into concrete or wood depending on how the house’s foundation was built in the very beginning. “The glass panels can be held together with vertical braces connecting them from bottom to top, or by tiny steel particles that are nearly invisible and leave a small opening between each panel. This kind of structure is mostly common in high-rise buildings,” he adds.
For residential bungalows, he says: “A glass wall can even be held using concrete structure although sometimes the previously talked about way of building [high-rise] is very much applicable to a residential [bungalow] building that is fully occupied with glass.”

Keeping it clean
Josephine Nassiwa, an interior designer, advises that when cleaning a glass wall, use warm water instead of cold because it helps dissolve dust particles more easily than cold water.
“One can also use non-abrasive plastic scrubber and vinegar when cleaning. These can be effective when cleaning a glass wall,” she says.
James Kalanzi, a glass construction expert at Glass Glamour, adds that using a non-abrasive plastic scrubber and vinegar for cleaning is not only effective but also a safer way of proctecting glass walls from damage. “A rough material when used for cleaning may end up bring about scratches in the glass.”

Nassiwa adds that it is important to apply preventive methods such as surrounding your home with green cover. “Green cover in this case helps hold some of the dust which helps reduce chances of the glass wall dirtying,” she says, adding: “Some of the green cover that can be surrounded around your home include trees, thick grass and a vertical compound on the fence.”
Additionally, the place where your house is stationed is also an important factor. It is more of preventive since some places are usually very dusty compared to others.

“Areas that don’t have tarmacked roads in most cases make it difficult for one to maintain their glass wall. They tend to be dusty making it likely that a glass wall can get dirty easily,” says Nassiwa.
Maintenance
Unlike cleaning, maintenance majorly entails keeping the glassed wall in good shape and condition. This means avoiding things like cracks and scratches.

However, cleaning of the glassed wall can be a major determinant in ensuring good maintenance. This is so because dust makes glassed walls develop scratches. “It is advisable that one tries to avoid the glasses from getting dusty or one can also opt for constant cleaning of the wall,” says Kalanzi.
“One of the ways a glass wall can easily be damaged is when children [in a home] end up playing around, sometimes even stoning the wall,” says Nassiwa.

In this case, she advises, it is better to keep the glass wall away from children by including a protective cover. “This may be wooden or even metal depending on what one may find to be a better option in trying to protect their glass wall,” says Nassiwa.

Choosing a glass wall
According to Micheal Byenkya Bernard, a construction expert, when choosing a particular glass to use as a wall, one has to get glass that can be easily maintained and is durable.
“If one is opting for a glass wall, it is better for them to choose one that is thick enough. This is when the actual maintenance begins from,” he says.
He adds: “If you choose weak glass material, then chances are high that it can easily get damaged since anything can easily penetrate it, hence damaging it.”

Additionally, Benkya also says that it is also critical for one to be able to tell genuine glass from fake ones.
He goes on to cautions people opting for glass walls to make sure they go to certified places to buy glass material.
He also advises them to consult people who have bought them from the right places if they want to avoid getting fake glasses.

Security concern
Security is, according to structural engineer Atwine, one of the reasons a person is likely to give when asked why they didn’t opt for it.
Atwine says for one to have good security at their home even after using glass walls, they have to ensure the place where the house is built is secure.
“There are places where you can’t opt for glass walls because of the lack of security within the area. So it is advisable that one assesses whether the place they are building is secure for this kind of option,” he says.
Additionally, he also says that one can also put in place a brick wall with electric fence wires. This, he says, helps one avoid break-ins into the house.

Types of glass walls
Ronald Mutebo, a glass wall retailer, says the Ugandan market has three types for homes:
Ordinary glass
This is the cheapest type of glass. Mutebo says it costs between Shs14,000 and Shs18,000 per square foot. He says its safety depends on how one handles it. To make it safer, apply a safety film on the outer layer.

Laminated glass
This type of glass comes with a safety film inside. It costs between Shs15,000 and Shs25,000 per square foot.
Tempered glass
It is thicker and safer because of its thickness. It costs between Shs350,000 and Shs700,000.
Where to get them
They are mostly imported from Nairobi by glass retail shops. However, there are a number of places where one can get them including hardware shops.

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