How Much Does It Cost To Install A Garden Window In Your Home
Garden windows are a great way to improve the natural lighting in key areas of the home. Many people make use of garden windows in the space above their kitchen sink, and as a result, this area can prove highly effective for maintaining a functional herb garden (via WCMA Net).
Installing a garden window is fairly simple, and the benefits are immense. Whether you're looking to create a better space for maintaining fresh herbs that you use in everyday cooking or simply want to add a unique decorative feature that improves the natural lighting of the space, this is a great choice. In fact, garden windows don't have to feature just in the kitchen. You can add these architectural flourishes to any window space in the home. With the right decorative approach, crafting a unique statement piece that incorporates the outdoor environment directly into your living space is easy and provides a unique new aspect to your lifestyle.
However, Modernize notes that garden windows don't perform very well in climates that see intense cold for an extended period of time. Likewise, areas of heavy rain may bring about more trouble than benefit.
Costimates estimates a total price tag of $1,500 to $4,000 for the window fabrication and installation, with $650 to $1,000 of this total cost going toward the labor charges to have the piece fitted and secured. Fixr notes a more modest estimate of $500 to $2,400.
Factors for cost
A garden window is a great addition to the home, and selecting a model that fits your needs and budget is the first step to bringing this great new feature into the property.
Construction material
Garden windows are typically made of vinyl, wood, or aluminum (via Fixr). The purpose of this installation is to allow greater natural light entry into the home by elongating the window outward. Instead of a single, flat plane to pass light through, your home enjoys a three-dimensional area that extends out into the natural world, capturing a greater depth of brilliant sunlight in the process.
In addition to the framing, garden windows require four sides of glass to complete the feature. This will function as a greenhouse-like box that sits, jutting out from your interior space. While most garden windows end up falling within the same basic price range, it's worth noting that local market conditions and other factors can raise or lower the cost of certain models.
Window size
The size is perhaps the most important feature for determining cost. The larger the window, the more expensive it will be. This comes as a result of greater material costs, and a more difficult installation process. As with any type of feature installation or home improvement project, the bigger the job, the more expensive you should assume it will be.
Planning out the installation with your contractor in advance is a good idea for this type of project. Typically, you'll want to install a window frame that matches the size of your existing window hole, but alterations can be made if necessary to fit larger or smaller additions — for a price, of course.
Installation charges
The installation will incur a significant portion of the overall bill. Creating this unique feature in your home is a great option for those seeking a transformation of their natural light or the added benefit of a robust indoor herb garden. Fixr reports that installation of this type of window can be complicated and uniquely difficult for a typical homeowner with no practical experience installing it. Unless you're confident in your abilities here, hiring a professional is the best course of action. With a window that hangs out into the exterior space, there's a lot that can go wrong in the installation. From misaligned corners to leaky seals, avoiding these issues is easy with professional assistance.
Additional costs
In addition to the window itself, you'll need to consider a few added cost factors.
Structural alterations
In order to install a garden window, a professional (or confident homeowner) will need to remove the existing window from its space in your home. Then, forming the appropriate base to lay the new addition on will set up the remaining installation with ease. The primary structural feature of a garden window, aside from the glass panes, is the added windowsill depth. This is crafted during the installation and supports the framework of the window components above. Brennan Corp notes that the base component, as well as the upper segments that connect this new three-dimensional window space into the interior of the home, must be sealed properly along the entire edge. Misaligning a section or missing some of the crucial sealants can lead to sagging or air and moisture leaks over time.
Making these structural alterations to accommodate the technical installation process is essential and can add to the price if the target area isn't in great condition.
Framing and shelving additions
In addition to the basic framework of the installation, some homeowners who add a garden window to their bedroom or kitchen opt for shelving segments to really amplify the value of the change. These are highly enriching features of the home, and making the most of them in regard to plant space or other decorative displays can boost the mood in your property by a significant margin. WCMA Net notes that plants are a great source of air purity and have mood-boosting capabilities, so creating a dense garden in this fantastic new space can work wonders on the environment within your home.
To make the most of this feature though, you'll need to consider adding additional shelving to offer the best in layered indoor gardening.
Plants or decorative additions
Plant life is the natural choice for a garden window — hence the name! Garden windows make for great greenhouse-like additions to the property, and the plants that you can grow on this extended windowsill come in all shapes and sizes (via Fixr). Many homeowners select a mixture of plants to create a fragrant-smelling and useful bouquet of herbs, flowers, and more.
A new set of plants to add to your 3D windowsill typically won't cost much, but it's important to factor these costs in, as well as the ongoing cost of caring for a new segment of your garden. You'll need soil, pots, fertilizer, and other essentials to maintain a lush space of prolific growth.
Potential maintenance and added electrical charges
Because of the potential for mishaps in the installation process (via Angi), it's important to remember the maintenance needs and the potential for increased heating or cooling charges over time. A leak will certainly influence these additional cost considerations, but the added volume of natural light can also lead to a greater requirement to cool the property during the summer months.
The maintenance requirements of any installation in the home are important to consider, and because of the more complex layout of this type of window, fixing a problem can be more expensive than that of a traditional windowpane. Keeping this in mind will help you manage your cost expectations and ongoing financial balance more effectively.
Why you should install a garden window at home
Installing a garden window can make for a much-improved living experience. The truth is, there are a number of great reasons to include this installation in your next renovation plans.
Indoor gardening is made easy
Perhaps the most obvious change that garden windows offer is the ability to bring a segment of your garden indoors. Clinical Medicine (via National Library of Medicine) reports that exposure to both plants and the green space that they are typically found in is a powerful enhancer of mental health, mood, and overall wellness. Transforming a segment of your interior space into a miniature garden can help promote natural, mental health benefits throughout your routine in the mornings and evenings.
Moving Home Advice notes that homeowners spend an average of 2.1 hours per day in the kitchen and dining room, making this a potent source of either natural wellness or stress, depending on the design and added features of the space. Making this a place of benefit is of significant importance.
Natural light flows freely into the home
Natural light is another essential piece of the mental wellness puzzle (via Healthline). Garden windows enhance the natural light that pours into your home by maximizing the volume of space covered in glass windowpanes. Instead of a single sheet of glass across a section of your wall, the garden window pushes out into the natural environment beyond the home to create a much brighter experience inside the property.
This is a great way to boost the natural beauty of your home and may even serve as a means to significantly reduce your reliance on electric bulbs for light throughout most of the day. This can serve as a dual-purpose change, too, considering that some bulbs are actually bad for your health, according to Alpha Emerged. Swapping out a negative influence for the immensely positive natural lighting that exists in abundance outside is a uniquely beneficial swing in the right direction.
Garden windows make a picture out of the yard
Garden windows are also great for turning the natural landscape outside your home into a living picture that you can admire while working in the kitchen or simply enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning.
In addition to the improvement that your garden window brings to the interior space of the home, this installation can act as a means of transforming the way you enjoy the outside space more abundantly.
Benefits of garden windows
The benefits of this new addition to the home are significant. Adding a garden window not only improves your quality of life, but it can also make for a notable increase in the property value that you enjoy in the home.
Relaxation and quality of life improvements are standard
Quality of life improvements are something that homeowners are always searching for. Gaining a better view of the yard outside and inviting a more natural environment into the home provides this goal with ease (via Window Nation).
A new garden window placed in a strategically relevant area of the home can immensely improve the relaxation factor that you experience in the home. The natural flow of the sun's light coupled with the wellness benefits that come from gardening and the plants themselves can make for new energy within your property.
Beautiful style transforms the aesthetic of your space
In addition to the wellness and mental health benefits that come along with a garden window installation, these features offer a beautiful style enhancement that is hard to beat (via Master Seal Online). Garden windows are an iconic look that can really make an impact on the way you see and experience the space of your home. With this new addition, you can improve upon the look of your space while also bringing in a completely functional new feature that provides multifaceted benefits.
Enhanced resale value comes naturally
Garden windows are a visually striking augmentation to a property. They are impactful and add beauty to a home in ways that capture the immediate attention of people walking past the home regularly, and those on the hunt for homes.
Resale value should be on any homeowner's mind, nearly at all times. WCMA Net notes that the addition of a luxurious and visually striking garden window can increase the resale value for your property. This makes a garden window a great option for anyone thinking of bringing in strategic upgrades that will one day pay financial dividends.