Do you need safety glass?
Many homeowners often overlook the necessity of safety glass in large sliders and doors. Proper prevention can save a lot of heartache down the road.
I teach people how to build their own homes so they can save a lot of money in labor costs. It has helped many people in the past to gain more equity in their homes. There are a few cases in which I make strong suggestions about certain types of installations. One of these areas has to do with safety in the home.
When we choose doors and windows for our homes, there are a few guidelines that all homeowners need to be aware of.
A slider makes a poor entry door. Back in the 1970’s many homes built sliders as entry doors. There are still a few around, but not many. Sliders are great for back doors though. You can also use French doors as a back door. Regardless of which of the two you choose, make sure that they have tempered glass. I can’t believe that there are still plenty of cheap glass doors without tempered glass out there. It should be a code requirement everywhere.
When my wife and I went to buy our downstairs slider, and our French doors upstairs, my wife made it clear that they would be made of tempered glass. I never gave it much thought before that. The doors with tempered glass cost quite a bit more than those without safety glass. We bought the doors with safety glass and I installed them.
About two years after moving into our house, my wife and I came home one night to find someone had been in our house while we were gone. It must have been a child or children because the secured glass door of our slider had been hit from the inside. An indented hole about four feet up the glass was the obvious center of contact. It was about the size of a child’s head and it was hit hard. The entire door was cracked up, yet not one piece of glass broke free. We never found out who was there that day and that’s just fine. Kids will be kids and it doesn’t matter if you have children or not, you need to have safety glass installed.
Every home I design, remodel or build, I specify safety glass in the detail requirements so subcontractors will know it’s mandatory. One home can have several owners over the years. Some preventative steps could save a careless child, clumsy adult, or even a family pet.
When we choose doors and windows for our homes, there are a few guidelines that all homeowners need to be aware of.
A slider makes a poor entry door. Back in the 1970’s many homes built sliders as entry doors. There are still a few around, but not many. Sliders are great for back doors though. You can also use French doors as a back door. Regardless of which of the two you choose, make sure that they have tempered glass. I can’t believe that there are still plenty of cheap glass doors without tempered glass out there. It should be a code requirement everywhere.
When my wife and I went to buy our downstairs slider, and our French doors upstairs, my wife made it clear that they would be made of tempered glass. I never gave it much thought before that. The doors with tempered glass cost quite a bit more than those without safety glass. We bought the doors with safety glass and I installed them.
About two years after moving into our house, my wife and I came home one night to find someone had been in our house while we were gone. It must have been a child or children because the secured glass door of our slider had been hit from the inside. An indented hole about four feet up the glass was the obvious center of contact. It was about the size of a child’s head and it was hit hard. The entire door was cracked up, yet not one piece of glass broke free. We never found out who was there that day and that’s just fine. Kids will be kids and it doesn’t matter if you have children or not, you need to have safety glass installed.
Every home I design, remodel or build, I specify safety glass in the detail requirements so subcontractors will know it’s mandatory. One home can have several owners over the years. Some preventative steps could save a careless child, clumsy adult, or even a family pet.
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