About SeeWindow and the author

SeeWindow explains European-style windows and doors to the people who specify and buy them in the United States: architects, designers, builders and custom-home owners. The focus is practical - how a product works, how its performance is rated in US terms, which code items apply, and what belongs on a specification.

The author

Kai Adamek writes and edits SeeWindow. He has worked in and around the construction industry for years, with a focus on fenestration: windows, doors and the systems behind them. He knows European window and door systems from the production side and from the specification side, which is where most of the questions on this site come from: how a tilt-and-turn window differs from a casement, why a European U-value does not match an NFRC label, or what a drawing needs to say before a product can be ordered.

He travels constantly and has visited the United States many times. Seeing how American homes are built, from framing and flashing to energy codes and inspections, is what shaped this site: it explains European products in the terms US architects, builders and owners actually use.

What you will find here

• Guides to opening types, materials and performance ratings, with the sources behind every number.
• Plain explanations of code items that touch windows and doors, with the code section named so you can check it.
• Checklists for specifying and ordering, written so they work for any supplier.

What you will not find

• Price lists. Prices depend on size, glazing, finish and freight, so any list would mislead.
• Product endorsements paid for by manufacturers.
• Advice that replaces your architect, engineer or local building official.

Read the editorial policy for how articles are researched, checked and updated, or contact us with a correction.