Germantown Window Film for Historic Houses and Chelten Avenue

Energy-Saving Window Film for Germantown's Large Victorian Houses

Germantown's late nineteenth-century houses were built big: high ceilings, tall windows, bay windows and sometimes a tower room. Many still have their original single-pane sashes. Owners love them and also pay for them every winter, since a tall single-pane window loses heat fast and makes the room feel cold within a few feet of the glass.

Low-e window film helps on windows that are reasonably tight. It reflects radiant heat back into the room, so the area near the glass feels warmer and less heat escapes. It is far cheaper than replacing old sashes and keeps the original windows in place. Weatherstripping loose sashes first gets the most out of it. In summer, the same houses get hot on their sunny sides, especially bay windows that catch light from three directions. Some low-e films also reject solar heat, so one product can serve both seasons.

Window Film for Germantown Mansions Converted to Apartments

A number of Germantown's large houses have been divided into apartments. Tenants end up with rooms built for a different purpose, such as a former parlor with floor-length windows now used as a bedroom, facing a busy street. Privacy and heat are the usual complaints. Floor-length parlor glass was built for showing off a room, not for sleeping behind.

Landlords can treat these windows with frosted film on the lower sash and heat control film on sunny elevations, giving tenants comfort without changing the building's appearance much. Doing several units at once is more efficient than one at a time, and consistent film keeps the facade uniform. It also simplifies turnover.

• Frosted lower-sash film for street-facing bedrooms
• Heat control film for bay windows and sunny elevations
• Low-e film for drafty single-pane units
• Safety film for glass in common hallways

UV Window Film and Historic Germantown Houses

Germantown has some of Philadelphia's best-known historic houses, including Cliveden, where the Battle of Germantown was fought in 1777, along with the Deshler-Morris House, Wyck and Grumblethorpe on Germantown Avenue. Many private homes nearby hold family furniture, quilts, paintings and books that have the same vulnerability to sunlight as a museum's collection.

Clear UV film is the gentlest protection. It does not change the look of the glass from the street and stops most of the ultraviolet that fades textiles and paper. On very old glass, we use clear low-absorption films and inspect every pane first. Owners of designated properties should check with the Philadelphia Historical Commission before using any film that alters the glass's appearance.

Security and Storefront Window Film on Chelten Avenue

Chelten Avenue and Germantown Avenue are the neighborhood's commercial streets, with shops, restaurants, salons, pharmacies and offices. Street-level glass faces heavy foot and bus traffic. Security film strengthens the glass against break-ins by keeping a broken pane bonded together. Anti-graffiti film protects door glass from etching and tags.

Shops with displays in the window also get the benefit of UV film, and offices can add frosted film to street-facing rooms that need privacy. We can install outside business hours to keep shops open. Shop glass along Chelten Avenue often takes heavy bus-stop traffic, so durability matters.