Cottage Windows in Aluminum Clad Wood
Small panes, warm wood inside, low-maintenance aluminum outside. Built to your opening.
What Makes a Window a Cottage Window
Cottage windows are a look, not an operating type. The look comes from small divided lites, narrow sightlines, a warm frame color and proportions that feel a little older than a plain modern casement. You can put that look on casement, awning and fixed units, which is exactly how we build it. The glass, the frame and the hardware stay the same as the rest of our aluminum clad wood line. Only the grille layout, the finish and the proportions change.
Most of these orders land on renovation and heritage-style homes in North America, where the house already has a rhythm of small panes and the new units have to match it. A buyer who walks a 1920s four-square will see the same pattern repeated across the front elevation. Your new windows have to hold that pattern without turning the house into a museum piece. That's the whole job.
One thing worth knowing before you spec: the label matters more than the frame color. The NFRC label lets you compare energy performance across categories, so two windows that look identical from the curb can perform very differently. The National Fenestration Rating Council publishes what each number on that label means. Ask any supplier for the label before you sign.
How the Cottage Look Is Built
Four things decide whether a cottage window reads right on the wall.
Divided-Lite Grilles
Built-in grille and lattice options sit between the glass panes. Colonial and diamond patterns are common, along with simple 2-lite and 6-lite layouts. You specify the pattern and lite count per unit, and we keep it consistent across the run.
Wood Inside, Aluminum Out
Solid wood interior with aluminum exterior cladding on a 6063-T5 aluminum clad wood profile. Burmese teak, black walnut, cherry and red rosewood are the interior options. The exterior takes powder coating, anodizing or a wood-grain finish.
Casement and Awning
Casement units open outward on German hardware from ROTO, SIEGENIA or CMECH. Awning units hinge at the top and push outward, which suits a small opening above a sink or a porch. Fixed units fill the rest of the elevation.
Glass and Screens
Double, triple and Low-E glass options sit in a 33 mm glazing notch. Triple glass is the thicker build-up. Insect screens are available on operating units. The grille sits inside the sealed unit, so it never needs dusting.
Cottage Window Specifications
These are the values we build the aluminum clad wood line to.
| Profile | 6063-T5 aluminum clad wood |
|---|---|
| Casement profile thickness | about 2.0 mm |
| Sliding profile thickness | about 1.5 mm |
| Glazing notch | 33 mm |
| Glass options | double, triple, Low-E |
| Interior wood species | Burmese teak, black walnut, cherry, red rosewood |
| Exterior finishes | powder coating, anodizing, wood-grain |
| Casement hardware | ROTO, SIEGENIA, CMECH |
| Awning hardware | CMECH, HOPPE, HOPO, KINLONG |
Grille pattern, lite count, handing and glass build-up are set per unit, so the final specification depends on your drawing and the options you choose.
Related Window Types
The cottage look sits on top of these products.
Aluminum Clad Wood Casement Windows
Aluminum clad wood casement windows, the main operating unit behind most cottage elevations.
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Wood Clad Windows
Wood clad windows: the same build, described by the wood side of the profile.
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Aluminum Clad Wood Single Hung Windows
Aluminum clad wood single hung windows for openings that need a vertical slide.
View details
Aluminum Clad Wood Sliding Windows
Aluminum clad wood sliding windows where a cottage elevation needs a wide, low opening.
View detailsSpecifying the Cottage Look Across a Whole Elevation
The hard part isn't one window. It's keeping the grille rhythm consistent when the elevation mixes casement, awning and fixed units. A casement and an awning have different sash proportions, and a fixed unit has no sash at all, so the grille lines won't line up by accident. Write the grille layout on the drawing, unit by unit, and mark the lite count. Then check that the horizontal grille line on the casement meets the horizontal line on the fixed unit next to it. If it doesn't, the wall reads as a patchwork.
For the spec sheet itself, one line item per unit works better than a paragraph. Rough opening, handing, operating type, grille pattern, lite count, interior wood species, exterior color and glass build-up. That's eight fields, and any factory can quote from them. The 2021 International Residential Code sets a minimum net clear opening of 4 square feet with a minimum height of 22 inches for an existing operable window in an egress location, so if these are replacement units going into existing bedroom openings, check them against IRC R310.7.1 before you fix the lite count. A 6-lite grille over a small sash can eat into that clear opening.
Questions buyers ask
What is a cottage style window?
It's a look rather than a product family. Small divided lites, narrow sightlines, a warm frame color and proportions that suit an older house. The look can sit on a casement, an awning or a fixed unit. On our aluminum clad wood line, the cottage look is delivered through the built-in grille option, the interior wood species and the exterior finish. The frame and glass are the same as any other unit we build.
What type of windows are best for cottage-style homes?
Casement and awning units carry the look best on this platform. Casement opens outward and gives you a full clear opening for ventilation. Awning hinges at the top and pushes outward, which works well in a small opening over a counter or a porch. Fixed units fill the rest of the elevation where you don't need airflow. We don't build a cottage double-hung on this line, so the look comes through casement, awning and fixed.
What makes a house called a cottage?
Usually scale and detail, not a single feature. A cottage is small, often one or one-and-a-half stories, with a steep roof and windows that are smaller than the wall could take. The trim is deep, the panes are divided and the proportions are a little tight. That's why a modern full-height casement can look wrong on a cottage wall even when the size fits. The window has to match the scale of the house.
Are cottage windows suitable for modern homes?
Yes, if you keep the grille restrained. A 2-lite or a simple 6-lite pattern in a dark or wood-grain exterior reads clean on a modern house, and the warm interior wood softens an otherwise hard room. The trade-off is daylight. Every grille bar cuts visible light, so a heavily divided unit will feel darker than a plain one. Pick the pattern you actually want to live with.
Send Us Your Cottage Window Drawing
Send the rough opening, grille layout and finishes. We'll quote within 3 hours.