Along Kurrajong Track and the newer streets around Commelina Drive and Caley Drive, most of the housing is recent project home stock: single and double storey brick veneer on compact lots, with an open plan living area at the back and bedrooms along the side boundaries. On a still February evening in this part of Menangle Park that layout can make it very hard to move warm air out of the house, and the windows you choose decide whether cross ventilation actually works.
Key takeaways
- Air only moves through a room when it has a way in and a way out, so plan windows in pairs, not one at a time.
- Top hinged sashes catch a breeze from the side and can stay open in light rain, which suits the afternoon storms common across western Sydney.
- The Bureau of Meteorology notes that south western Sydney regularly records hotter summer days than the coast, so night purging of heat matters more out here.
- Changing a window like for like rarely needs council sign off in NSW, but enlarging an opening can, and Newage will tell you which applies before anything is ordered.
- Fit every opening sash with a flyscreen and, at ground level, a keyed lock that still lets it vent.
Why is cross ventilation hard in newer estate homes?
Because the floor plan usually puts most of the glass on one wall of each room. Many homes in this part of Menangle Park have a wide stacker or sliding door onto the alfresco, a couple of windows along the side boundary that face a fence less than two metres away, and very little opening glass anywhere else.
With that arrangement the breeze hits the back of the house and has nowhere to go. Add a dark roof and a west facing wall, and the living area can hold heat well past sunset.
Side windows on project homes are also usually sliding sashes, which only open half their width, and on a narrow setback that half opening sits in dead air beside the fence.
Which window style gives the most control over airflow?
For side and front walls, a top hinged sash that winds or pushes out usually wins, because the open sash acts like a small scoop that catches air moving along the wall. Sliding and double hung sashes only use air that comes straight at them.
That matters on a boundary wall, where the breeze tends to run parallel to the fence rather than into it, and a projecting sash turns that sideways flow into the room. It is the main reason awning windows made to measure in Smeaton Grange are so often specified for bedrooms and bathrooms on tight lots.
| Window style | Opens | Catches side breeze | Open in rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top hinged (awning) | Bottom of sash winds out | Yes | Light rain, yes |
| Sliding | Half the frame width | No | No |
| Double hung | Up to half the frame height | No | No |
| Louvre | Almost the full frame | Partly | Blades angled, yes |
Louvres move the most air of all and suit a bathroom or a high stairwell. Newage makes louvre windows alongside its other styles, so mixing the two in one house is simple.
Newage measures every opening in your Menangle Park home and tells you where a wind out sash will make the biggest difference. Call 0408 585 846 for a free on site measure.
Where should opening windows go for the best airflow?
Put the inlet low and on the side the evening breeze comes from, and put the outlet higher and on the opposite side of the room, or in a hallway or stairwell that connects to it. In many homes in this part of Menangle Park the cool change arrives from the south, so a south or south east side window paired with an opening on the north or west wall works well.
In a double storey home the stairwell is your friend. Warm air rises, so an opening sash at the top of the stairs pulls air through the whole ground floor once the lower windows are open, and many two storey homes near Fitzpatrick Street and Barrow Road have a fixed window in exactly that spot.
Bedrooms are the rooms people regret most, because a single sliding window on a boundary wall does little once the door is closed at night. Replacing it with a pair of aluminium awning windows from the Newage workshop, or one awning sash next to a fixed pane, gives a child’s room a real breeze without leaving a large opening.
Where a room backs onto the paddocks or reserves around Lake Yandelora Reserve and Kurrajong Reserve, roughly 1.8 km from this point, the breeze is often cleaner and stronger, so a smaller opening there can do the work of a larger one on the street side.
Do you need council approval to change windows in NSW?
Usually not for a straight swap in the same opening, but sometimes yes once the opening changes size or the wall is load bearing. In NSW many minor home alterations fall under exempt development, which means no application is needed as long as the work meets set conditions, while a bigger change may need a certifier or a complying development certificate.
The lines that trip people up are enlarging a window into a doorway, cutting a new opening in a brick wall, and anything on a boundary wall close to a neighbour, where fire separation and privacy rules can come into play.
Newage has handled this since 2009 and will tell you plainly at the measure whether the job is a like for like replacement or something that needs sign off. You can read more about the team on the About Us page.
How does a window change usually go?
From first call to finished install it is a short, predictable process, and most of the time is spent making the frames rather than working in your house.
- Site measure A Newage measurer visits, checks each opening and talks through which sashes should open and which way.
- Written quote You receive a written quote listing every window, its size, glass type and colour, at no charge.
- Manufacture The frames are made to measure in the Smeaton Grange workshop, about 5 km from this part of Menangle Park.
- Install The Newage install team removes the old window, fits the new one, seals it and fits the flyscreens, usually one room at a time.
- Handover Winders and locks are demonstrated and the workmanship warranty paperwork is left with you.
Frames are built in the Newage workshop about 5 km from Menangle Park and installed by the Newage team, with a written quote before anything is ordered.
Can you keep windows open at night without losing security?
Yes, if the hardware is specified for it. A wind out sash on a chain winder with a keyed lock can be left ajar at a set gap, which is a much smaller opening than an unlocked sliding window and far harder to reach through.
For ground floor rooms close to the street, the same stainless mesh used on security screen doors is available as a fixed window screen, so the full opening can breathe without an intruder getting in.
Flyscreens are standard on every opening sash from Newage, and on a top hinged window the screen sits on the inside, out of the weather and easy to lift out for cleaning.
Does glazing change how well a ventilated room performs?
It does, because a room that heats up less needs less air moved through it. Clear single glazing on a west wall lets a lot of afternoon heat in, and cross flow after dark cannot fully undo a room that has been baking since 2pm.
For homes near Racecourse Avenue and the station end of the suburb, where some lots see traffic and rail noise, thicker or double glazed units in the bedrooms also make it easier to sleep with the windows ajar in a sheltered position. Newage fits double glazed windows into the same awning style frames, so you do not have to choose between airflow and quiet.
In many homes in this part of Menangle Park it makes sense to upgrade the glass on the west and north facing sashes only and keep standard glass on the shaded south side, where the breeze comes in.
What homeowners near Kurrajong Track usually run into
The first thing installers see in homes of this age is the sheer number of fixed panes. A living room with two fixed panes and one sliding sash has very little real opening, and owners are often surprised how much changes when one fixed pane becomes a wind out sash.
The second is sliding sashes on boundary walls that nobody opens. Many homes in this part of Menangle Park have a side window less than a metre from a colorbond fence, and the half opening of a slider sits in dead air. People stop opening them, and the room becomes a sealed box in summer.
Third is the upstairs problem. Double storey project homes trap heat in the first floor bedrooms, and swapping the fixed window in the stair void for an opening sash is a small job that makes the whole house easier to purge at night.
Finally, there is the detail of fitting into newer brickwork. Openings around Commelina Drive and Caley Drive are usually accurate, but sill flashings and render returns vary between builders, and a careful measure sorts this out before manufacture rather than on install day.
Planning new windows for your Menangle Park home?
Newage has made and installed aluminium windows and doors across Sydney and surrounding regions since 2009, with more than 2,500 projects completed and a 4.7 star Google rating. Every frame is made to measure in its own workshop at Unit 2/16 Blackmore Rd, Smeaton Grange NSW 2567, about 5 km from this part of Menangle Park, and installed by the Newage team.
If you are in Menangle Park or neighbouring Mount Annan and want to see how a few well placed opening sashes could change your summer evenings, book a free on site measure and written quote. Call 0408 585 846, Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm or Saturday 8am to 1pm, or send your plans through the contact page and the team will come to you.
Call 0408 585 846, Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm or Sat 8am to 1pm, and a Newage measurer will visit your Menangle Park home at a time that suits you.
FAQ
How many opening windows does a room need for cross ventilation?
At least two, on different walls, and ideally with one lower than the other. One opening on the side the breeze arrives from and one on the opposite wall or in a connecting hallway is enough for most bedrooms and living rooms. A single large window on one wall rarely moves much air on its own.
Are top hinged windows better than sliding windows for airflow?
On a side or boundary wall, usually yes. A top hinged sash projects out and scoops air moving along the wall into the room, while a sliding sash only opens half its width and relies on air coming straight at it. On a wide open wall facing the breeze the difference is smaller.
Can you leave an awning style window open in the rain?
In light rain, yes. The open sash sits over the opening like a small awning, so water running down the glass drips clear of the frame. In heavy driving rain from the same direction the window faces it is still wise to wind it closed, as with any opening window.
Do new windows in Menangle Park need council approval?
A like for like replacement in the same opening is usually exempt development in NSW and needs no application. Enlarging an opening, cutting a new one or changing a boundary wall may need a certifier. Newage checks this at the measure for homes in Menangle Park and explains which path applies before you order.
Will flyscreens reduce how much air comes through?
Slightly, but far less than most people expect, and the trade off is worth it in summer. Standard fibreglass mesh lets most of the airflow through. Stainless security mesh is a little denser, so on a room that relies on one small opening it is worth sizing the sash slightly larger to compensate.
