Fleetwood Windows & Doors provided the dual-glazed panes throughout the home.

Dimster pierced the roof with a glass box topping the new central stair. To the right of the entrance is the transparent buffer between the facade and the kitchen, where an old courtyard once stood. “We wanted to keep the idea of the courtyard,” says Dimster. “The frosted panels are a distinct feature of the facade.”

Architects Stan Boles and Christopher Almeida arranged ten-foot-tall panes of glass in a steel curtain-wall frame to create the building’s distinctive facade.

“Initially, we proposed fewer glass panes to control sunlight and energy loss,” says architect Daniel Iragüen. “But in the end, we made the house almost completely transparent.”

The Andersen Architectural Collection’s Eagle windows and doors provide the panes and passageways of the home.

The staircase, which runs from the lower level to the third floor, is lined by a single 32-foot-tall pane of glass.

Sliding doors by Quantum were made to look like the original panes that couldn't be saved, and they lead to a fire pit outside.

Always put contingencies aside. During any renovation, it is critical to set aside money for the "what if" or emergency scenarios. For example, there might be plumbing that you didn’t anticipate needing to replace. Conventional wisdom suggests adding 15 to 20 percent to your contractor’s renovation cost to safely consider these contingencies.

A series of horizontal window panes on the rear facade serves as vanes for ventilation and adds a craftsmanlike design come nightfall, when the house is lit up by the flicker of candlelight and gas lamps.

The living room, kitchen, and dining room sit below street level in an open, communal area. A large, operable skylight measuring six by three meters allows light to stream over the dining table—the four glass panes had to be craned over the neighboring buildings.

Approximately 14 tons of triple-pane glass was used for the cabin.

At the entryway, two massive panes of frosted glass shimmer with light and shadow from the atrium inside.

The kitchen features a six-sided commercial double-pane skylight.

The renovation installed modern aluminum double-pane sliding doors.

A horizontal glass pane stretches the length of the bathroom, illuminating the redesigned space from above.

An aluminum-clad, double-pane glass garage door by Chattanooga Garage Doors.

South-facing walls of double-pane glass blur the line between indoors and out.

AFTER - New triple pane tilt-turn windows.

“The big glass panes make the extension very light and spacious, contrasting with the old cottage,” say the architects.

Swedish design by Metagram art AB, www.metagram.se

Triple-pane windows by Optiwin reduce the ambient temperature of the glass by ten degrees in winter.

McFarlane credits the windows system's thin profile and its ability to secure very large panes of glass for the seamless indoor/outdoor effect they achieve.

See Arch replaced many of the original single-pane wood windows with new thermally broken aluminum windows. They also painted the exterior.

The living room, opposite the kitchen, provides a lounge area outfitted with a Womb chair and ottoman and Tulip coffee table by Eero Saarinen for Knoll and a Delano sectional sofa by Sphere Designs. Photo by Sharon Risedorph

The leftmost cabinet above the Duravit bathtub (equipped with KWC fixtures) occupies the space where a doorway once lead into the living room, creating unnecessary traffic from the home’s public spaces through to the master bedroom.The new bathroom features a minimal palette of white and teak. “It’s able to hold up on boat decks so is good for a bathroom,” Klug says. It also makes the heated floor that much nicer to walk on in the morning. Photo by Eric Roth

In Sunnyvale, California, architect Ryan Leidner cracked open a 1962 Eichler with a crisp remodel flush with foliage. He replaced the home’s vertical plywood facade with one-inch strips of American red cedar set at two depths. The rhythmic slats conceal a garage door that swings open on a hidden hinge. At the entryway, two massive panes of frosted glass shimmer with light and shadow from the atrium inside. Homeowners Isabelle Olsson and Matthaeus Krenn stand out front.

In his writing geared toward builders, A. Quincy Jones encouraged using large panes of glass and sliding doors to bridge the exterior and interior. Here, Nick Roberts puts the philosophy to good use for a weekend barbecue.

The lower level is covered in traditional red brick, while the upper level consists of coil-coated aluminium sheet with large glass panes.

With large glass panes covering the cabin's walls and gabled roof, the changing light outdoors encourages guests to sync their sleep schedules with the sun.

Constructed with sustainably sourced lumber and large, double-pane windows, Studio Shed’s all-season Signature Series units are popularly used as backyard offices.

A glass-lined shower with a Hudson Reed showerhead adds a modern touch to the second-floor bathroom. A pane of privacy glass lets natural light enter the room.

In contrast to the home's “heavy” appearance, the interior feels light and airy. Large panes of glass frame views of a secret garden to the north and a clearing for events to the south.

The Koi pond appears as an interior extension of the outdoors. Water flows underneath a large pane of glass to an exterior half of the pond that is shaded underneath the covered patio.

Partition walls with large panes of glass provide natural light and privacy to the main office. To aid with concentration, accessories and colors are kept to a minimum here.

Dual-pane track sliding doors form a wall of glass which can be completely opened to the backyard. Clerestory windows at the top provide additional light.