3 ms·

There are a few things that always puzzle me when I think about it. 1. Divided lights in windows. They end up looking like cages to me! 2. Non-functional pla

There are a few things that always puzzle me when I think about it. 1. Divided lights in windows. They end up looking like cages to me! 2. Non-functional plastic shutters. They don't make any sense! 3. Wood textured vinyl or cementeous siding. Why? 4. Why aren't we using MORE (recycled) plastic in the one industry where plastic or resin impregnated products would probably benefit (moisture and insect resistance)? We have such weird "traditions" when it comes to our home design, construction, and material selection.

detourdog 2y ago
my answers... 1. divided lights help keep costs down by getting the glass in more manageable sizes and being able to replace smaller panes when things go wrong. 2. Yes they are an abomination. 3. These faux finishes keep costs down by removing the need to make perfectly flat untextured surfaces. Some believe that wood texture over other choices won't shock the consumer. 4. We should be using more recycled materials the bigger issue is that the color choices tend towards black or diarrhea. The way I see society has to maintain a certain amount of continuity to maintain momentum. The original article seems to touch on this need but I think spend too much time developing a more conplex and less true perspective on the issue.
- CharlieDigital 2y ago
  Divided lights come in simulated either sandwiched in the glazing or installed outside of the glazing! My house had them outside of the glazing (Andersen windows) and I removed them all.
  - detourdog 2y ago
    I see. I was describing actual divided light windows. When I ordered my Marvin windows for a farmhouse I skipped th divided light option.
AnimalMuppet 2y ago
Doesn't plastic degrade over decades, especially when exposed to sunlight? That could be why not. We have traditions in material selection because nobody wants to have to rebuild their building after a decade because some "new, innovative" material didn't age well.
- CharlieDigital 2y ago
  Only the exterior cladding of a house is really exposed to UV and even there, there is no shortage of vinyl siding or latex polymer paints (over cementeous boards) which have been UV stabilized. Azek[0] and Trex[1] have been popular due to their low maintenance and insect resistance. We're seeing some polymers and polymer impregnated products starting to be used heavily now in construction. Huber's Zip system[2] is one example. Makes perfect sense. It seems like there are other applications where it would be a boon to use plastics. I'm just surprised that we don't see higher adoption of plastics (again, not necessarily structural, but even as cladding or plastic impregnated) in the core structural elements that are often susceptible to water or insect damage. [0] https://azekexteriors.com/products/trim https://azekexteriors.com/products/trim [1] https://www.trex.com/ https://www.trex.com/ [2] https://www.huberwood.com/zip-system/wall-sheathing https://www.huberwood.com/zip-system/wall-sheathing

detourdog 2y ago

my answers... 1. divided lights help keep costs down by getting the glass in more manageable sizes and being able to replace smaller panes when things go wrong. 2. Yes they are an abomination. 3. These faux finishes keep costs down by removing the need to make perfectly flat untextured surfaces. Some believe that wood texture over other choices won't shock the consumer. 4. We should be using more recycled materials the bigger issue is that the color choices tend towards black or diarrhea. The way I see society has to maintain a certain amount of continuity to maintain momentum. The original article seems to touch on this need but I think spend too much time developing a more conplex and less true perspective on the issue.

CharlieDigital 2y ago
Divided lights come in simulated either sandwiched in the glazing or installed outside of the glazing! My house had them outside of the glazing (Andersen windows) and I removed them all.
- detourdog 2y ago
  I see. I was describing actual divided light windows. When I ordered my Marvin windows for a farmhouse I skipped th divided light option.

AnimalMuppet 2y ago

Doesn't plastic degrade over decades, especially when exposed to sunlight? That could be why not. We have traditions in material selection because nobody wants to have to rebuild their building after a decade because some "new, innovative" material didn't age well.

CharlieDigital 2y ago
Only the exterior cladding of a house is really exposed to UV and even there, there is no shortage of vinyl siding or latex polymer paints (over cementeous boards) which have been UV stabilized. Azek[0] and Trex[1] have been popular due to their low maintenance and insect resistance. We're seeing some polymers and polymer impregnated products starting to be used heavily now in construction. Huber's Zip system[2] is one example. Makes perfect sense. It seems like there are other applications where it would be a boon to use plastics. I'm just surprised that we don't see higher adoption of plastics (again, not necessarily structural, but even as cladding or plastic impregnated) in the core structural elements that are often susceptible to water or insect damage. [0] https://azekexteriors.com/products/trim https://azekexteriors.com/products/trim [1] https://www.trex.com/ https://www.trex.com/ [2] https://www.huberwood.com/zip-system/wall-sheathing https://www.huberwood.com/zip-system/wall-sheathing