Designing tilt-and-turn windows: sizes, frames, colours, screens and blinds

Check what can open at each size

Innotech publishes size limits for each system. These are heel dimensions (the outside of the frame) for a single-lite window. The tilt-and-turn minimums are for the standard handle position; the accessible handle position needs a slightly larger window.

The smallest sizes are linked. A tilt-and-turn window can’t be at the minimum width and the minimum height at the same time. On the 76TS, a window narrower than 19.25 in must be taller than 24.75 in, and one shorter than 24.75 in must be wider than 19.25 in. On the 88PH+, a window shorter than 26.4 in must be wider than 25.7 in.

Tilt-only above a set size. On both systems, a sash can tilt and turn only while it is smaller than 60 × 60 in or 42 × 84 in (width × height). A window 60 in wide or more, or one at least 42 in wide and 60 in high, opens by tilting only, with a turn restrictor. If you want to swing a large window open for cleaning or for air, split it into a fixed pane and a smaller operable sash.

Very small and very large windows. In a small window, the frame takes up a bigger share of the opening. Innotech’s 76TS sheet recommends limiting small windows on high-performance projects because they have lower thermal performance than larger ones, and small tilt-and-turn sashes also let in less air. At the other end, it notes that very large windows can add shipping and installation cost, and may need a crane, glazing on site or coupling on site. The same sheet treats sizes at either end as specialty sizes.

Handle height. Innotech suggests a handle height of 36–60 in from the floor for the 76TS and 48–60 in for the 88PH+. For accessibility, its 76TS sheet puts the handle at 48 in or lower. Check your local building code if accessibility applies. See the 76TS window size limits. See the 88PH+ Pro and XI window size limits.

Frames, mullions and combinations

The 76TS frame is 3 in (76.2 mm) wide. Innotech gives the 88PH+ Pro frame as 88 mm deep by 92 mm high. Either way, the frame is the part you see around each pane, so every extra unit or split in a wall adds frame to the view.

Windows can be single units or combinations of fixed and operable sashes, and the 76TS can also be combined with 76TS doors. Innotech’s 76TS drawings show four ways to join units: a T-mullion, a large T-mullion, an H-coupler and a zero coupler. Ask for the elevation and the joint detail for each combination, and check the sightlines on the drawing rather than from a general description. See the 76TS product drawings.

For a divided-lite look, Innotech offers surface (plant-on) grids, simulated divided lites with a spacer bar, and true divided lites with mullions and sash bars, in a range of colours, sizes and patterns. See the 76TS window options.

Choose the colour inside and out

Innotech’s colour finishes are SKAI laminated films. The finishes are available on the exterior and the interior of windows and doors. Besides white, Innotech lists ten named finishes in four families:

For select dark finishes applied to both sides, the uPVC underneath is made in a matching dark brown or dark grey, so no white profile shows when the window is open. Ask whether your chosen finish gets the matching core. Confirm the exact exterior and interior combination on your order, and ask Innotech for the free sample fan before you choose, because colours on screen aren’t accurate. See Innotech’s colour finishes brochure.

What a colour changes. A foil colour lowers some maximum sizes: the largest fixed window drops from 144 in to 137.5 in, and the 88PH+ tilt-and-turn height drops from 98 in to 92.5 in. The finish warranty is also shorter: Innotech covers natural white uPVC surfaces for 35 years and laminated foil colour finishes for 10 years, for the finish defects it lists. Read the warranty (LU03-26).

Tilt-and-turn handles come in the Toulon and Luxembourg collections, each in titanium, black or white. See the 88PH+ window options. Dark frames get hot in the sun; Innotech’s owner’s guide says not to wash frames or glass while they are hot.

Screens and blinds with an inward-opening sash

A tilt-and-turn sash opens into the room, so anything mounted inside has to leave it room to move. When tilted, the top of a wide sash comes about 5.75 in in from the face of the frame, and a narrow one about 3 in (see the size table above). When turned, it swings into the room like a door.

Insect screens. Innotech ships its insect screens for tilt-and-turn windows loose, to protect them during shipping, installation and construction, and has a video showing how to fit them. Its warranty replaces fixed (non-operable) insect screen frames with defects in material or workmanship for 10 years from installation. Which screen suits each window is confirmed per quote. An optional multi-tilt upgrade lets you set how far the sash tilts, to limit or increase airflow. See Innotech’s how-to videos.

Blinds and shades. Innotech lists Venetian, roller and panel blinds, pleated and honeycomb shades, exterior solar shades and motorized shades among the coverings available for its products. You can fasten retractable screens and blinds to the inside or outside of the frame, as long as the drill bit and screws go no deeper than ½ in (12.7 mm) into the frame. Drilling deeper can cause air or water leaks that the warranty doesn’t cover. Read Innotech’s owner’s guide.

Keep curtains, blinds and valances from blocking air movement at the glass, because that raises the risk of condensation. The warranty also excludes damage from blinds mounted so that heat builds up at the window, and from solar or other plastic films applied to the glass or frame.

Before you order

• Each window’s size, and which sashes tilt and turn or tilt only.
• The elevation and joint detail for every combination unit.
• Grid type, if any.
• Exterior and interior finish, checked against a physical sample and the sizes it allows.
• Handle collection, colour and height from the floor.
• Insect screens, multi-tilt, and where blinds or shades will mount.

Haven’s windows page compares the two systems, and the technical library holds the drawings. To weigh tilt-and-turn against casement windows, see tilt-and-turn vs casement.