Fixed glass, not a door wall
This page is about glass that stays put. Panels that slide, pocket or fold away make a door wall, with its own track, sill and drainage. Many rooms pair a fixed view wall with a door wall on the terrace.
Floor-to-Ceiling Windows in Austin, Built as One Wall of Glass
Austin Quality Windows plans and installs floor-to-ceiling windows in Austin, TX, and is Travis County's specialist in fixed architectural glazing, specializing in window walls, oversized picture windows and structural header work over wide openings. We offer insulated low-E glass units and laminated safety glass.
- Free in-home measure
- Elevations you approve
- Installed to manufacturer instructions
- One written price
About our floor-to-ceiling windows & glass walls
Our team provides a full glass package matched to each elevation, delivering clear, uninterrupted views for homeowners and a crisp, even facade for both residential and commercial projects. The same crew that measures every rough opening sets the glass, and we install and flash each frame to the manufacturer's written instructions before a hose test at the sill.
From squaring a new header over the full width of the opening to sealing the last mullion cap, our team handles every detail. Serving Austin, West Lake Hills, Rollingwood and Barton Creek, we build glass walls for view lots where the afternoon sun is part of the design brief.
Why Austin Quality Windows
How We Work
No handoffs between a salesperson, a measurer and a subcontracted crew. The crew that measures your openings installs the windows.
Measured on siteEvery opening measured in the wall it sits in, by the crew that will install it
Elevations firstYou approve the drawings, sizes, glass and finish before anything is ordered
Flashed to specSill pans, flashing and sealant to the manufacturer's written instructions
Water testedOpenings checked for leaks before the interior trim goes back on
What a Floor-to-Ceiling Glass Wall Actually Is
A glass wall is a run of fixed glazing that reaches from the finished floor to the ceiling line. Nothing on it opens. A fixed window is one that cannot be opened and whose job is to let light in, and a picture window is a large fixed unit with no glazing bars, or only light ones near the edge. Put several of those side by side, joined by slim vertical mullions, and you have a window wall.
How the wall carries itself
A window wall carries no structural load beyond its own weight. It hands the wind load back to the house through its anchors at the floor, the head and the columns, so the framing matters as much as the glass.
The Header Above the Glass
A lintel, or header in a framed wall, is the beam that spans an opening and carries the load above it down to the posts on each side. Over an ordinary window it is a modest piece of lumber. Over a wall of glass it is the part of the job that decides whether the glass will sit happily for decades or crack at a corner the first hot summer.
Enlarging an existing opening
Most glass wall jobs in older West Austin homes start as a wall with two or three windows. We remove the studs between them and replace the old headers with one continuous beam.
Why the header has to stay flat
Glass does not bend. If a long header sags under the roof load, the frame beneath it is squeezed and the glass takes the stress at its edges, so we check the header before a frame goes in.
Working with your architect and builder
On new construction we work from the architect's elevations, confirm rough opening sizes with the builder before framing is complete, and return shop drawings for sign-off. We build to the drawings.
Framing That Keeps a Tall Pane True
Depending on the span and what sits above it, the new beam over a glass wall may be engineered lumber or steel, and we ask for an engineer's letter before we cut. Once it is in, we check the finished header for level and flat and shim the head so the glazing pocket is true along its full length. We do not redesign the elevation to make that easier.
The mullions between the panes need the same care. On a two-storey wall they have to be stiff enough that the glass does not flex in a Hill Country storm gust.
- Aluminum is about one third as stiff as steel, so under the same load an aluminum mullion deflects roughly three times as far.
- Commercial curtain wall work commonly limits mullion deflection to the span divided by 175, which on a twelve-foot span is a little over three quarters of an inch.
- A thermal break interrupts a metal frame so heat does not travel straight through it, and because it also weakens the mullion, the section is checked again once the break is added.
West and South Sun: Glass That Works in Austin Heat
Austin reaches 90 degrees on about 123 days a year, and 29 of those reach 100. A glass wall facing west takes the lowest, hottest sun of the afternoon straight through, and a south wall takes it most of the day. Solar gain, the heat a space picks up as it absorbs sunlight, is the single biggest thing a large pane changes about a room.
SHGC, the number that matters most here
The solar heat gain coefficient measures how much of the sun striking a window assembly passes through as heat, from 0 to 1. Lower means less heat, and Climate Zone 2 sets the limit at 0.25.
Reading the NFRC label
Every unit we specify carries an NFRC label rating U-factor, solar heat gain coefficient, visible transmittance and air leakage. The energy code takes U-factor and SHGC from that rating, and we read it with you.
Low-E without the mirror look
A low-E coating reflects infrared heat while letting most visible light through. Several places we serve limit how shiny glass may be, so the heat control comes from a low-SHGC coating, not a mirrored film.
Safety Glazing, Sound and Glass Weight
US building codes call for tempered or laminated glass in several places, including large windows, glass that runs close to floor level and glass near doors and stairs. A floor-to-ceiling wall meets most of those at once, so safety glazing is part of the design, not an upgrade.
Tempered glass
Tempered glass is about four times stronger than ordinary annealed glass and breaks into small granular pieces rather than long shards. It cannot be cut or ground once tempered, so the measure has to be exact.
Laminated glass
Laminated glass bonds a polymer interlayer between two panes, which holds the pieces together if the glass breaks. It also cuts outside noise, blocks almost all ultraviolet light and is hard to break through.
Insulated units
An insulated glass unit is two or more panes held apart by a sealed spacer. Argon in the gap conducts heat at about two thirds the rate of air, and a third pane adds insulation and weight.
Choosing the Glass Package for Your Wall
Travis County sits in energy code Climate Zone 2, and the Texas guide to that code says its SHGC table applies to additions, alterations and replacement windows as well as new homes. In a hot, sunny climate a low SHGC matters more than a low U-factor. A unit without an NFRC label is assigned a default value instead of its rated one, which is one more reason we only order labelled units.
Reflectivity is the other constraint on a view wall:
- West Lake Hills bans glass with a reflectivity factor of 20 percent or greater and can ask for a sample.
- The Barton Creek POA lists mirrored glass as a prohibited material.
- Steiner Ranch design guidelines do not permit reflective glass.
An overhang, deep eave or porch roof above the wall does the rest of the shading, and your architect may already have one on the drawings. Beyond heat, the choice is about the room. For a bedroom wall facing a road or a gallery wall protecting art and floors from fading, laminated glass is worth the discussion. Tempered units are ordered to size, because a unit made an eighth of an inch too large cannot be trimmed on site. Triple glazing matters on a tall wall too, since every pane has to be carried in and set by hand or by lift.
What Drives the Cost of a Glass Wall
We do not publish a price for glass walls, because no two are the same size, the same height or the same distance from the truck. Here is what moves the number, so the quote makes sense when you see it.
- The glass package. Dual or triple pane, the low-E coating and its SHGC, laminated panes for sound or security, tempered panes where the code requires safety glazing, any tint, and argon fill.
- Frame material. Vinyl, fiberglass, aluminum-clad wood, thermally broken aluminum or steel, and the interior wood species and finish on a clad unit. Steel and thermally broken aluminum give the slimmest sightlines.
- Opening size and count. Oversize units, custom shapes such as a raked top under a vaulted ceiling, and the number of openings changed at once.
- Structural header work. Enlarging an opening, a new engineered beam or steel header, and the engineer's letter for a wide span.
- Access. A second-storey wall, a hillside or lake lot, a tight side yard, and whether the glass arrives by lift or crane.
- Historic review. A City of Austin landmark or local historic district house may need review before a street-facing wall changes.
- Finish work. Removing the old windows and framing, interior drywall and trim, stucco, stone or siding repair around the new opening, and HOA or POA architectural approval.
The first step is a free in-home measure. We look at the wall, the structure above it and the sun, then give you a written quote with every one of these items shown.
From Measure to Water Test
One crew owns the job from the first tape measurement to the final inspection of the sealant.
- Site measure. We measure the opening, check the header and floor for level, and note the sun, the view and the access route.
- Drawings. You, and your architect if you have one, approve elevations and shop drawings before anything is ordered.
- Order date in writing. The manufacturer sets the production time, and we give you the delivery date in writing with the quote.
- Opening prep. Header work, sill pan flashing and weather barrier integration, all to the manufacturer's written instructions.
- Setting the glass. Frames go in plumb and square, then each unit is set, shimmed and sealed.
- Water test. We test the installed wall with water before interior trim goes back on, so a leak shows up while it is still easy to fix.
The work is covered by a written warranty, and you get the manufacturer's paperwork for every unit.
Glass Walls Across West Austin and the Lake Hills
The rules for a glass wall change at every city line, and we check the job against the current rule when we quote it.
West Lake Hills
West Lake Hills enforces the 2021 residential and energy codes, holds windows to a 0.40 U-factor in its own amended table, and requires a permit for any alteration. Its reflectivity limit shapes the coating.
Rollingwood
Rollingwood permits window work, and an exterior change such as a new glass wall opening brings mailed notice to owners within 250 feet and a wait before plan review. We build that into the schedule.
Barton Creek
In Barton Creek, the POA reviews window specifications, material and colour, bars builder-grade units and prohibits mirrored glass. We prepare the submittal with you before anything is ordered, so approval comes first.
Austin
Inside the city, a landmark or local historic district house goes through historic review before street-facing openings change, and visible historic openings are not enlarged. A glass wall facing the yard is usually easier.
The process
From First Measure to Finished Openings
Four steps, and nothing is ordered until you have signed off on the drawings and the price.
Free in-home measure
We measure every opening, check the framing and the header, and talk through glass, frame material and how each window should operate.
Elevations and a written price
You get drawings of every unit for your approval and for any HOA or historic review, with one written price.
Ordered to your sizes
Units are ordered to the approved sizes and glass package, and checked against the drawings when they arrive.
Installed and water tested
Old units out, openings flashed, new units set, sealed and water tested, then trim and cleanup.
More of What We Install
Service area
Where We Install
Questions
Floor-to-Ceiling Windows & Glass Walls: Common Questions
What drives the price of floor-to-ceiling windows?
The glass package, the frame material, the size and number of openings, any header or beam work, access to the wall, and finish work around it. We explain each one in the written quote after the free measure.
What glass handles west-facing Austin sun?
Insulated glass with a low-E coating chosen for a low solar heat gain coefficient. The energy code limit here is an SHGC of 0.25, and an overhang above the wall helps as much as the coating does.
How long from order to install?
It depends on the manufacturer and the glass. Oversize and laminated units take longer to produce than standard ones, and we give you the delivery date in writing with the quote.
How long will the wall of my house be open?
We do not open the wall until the glass is on site. Header work and setting the units are planned so the opening is closed and weathertight at the end of each working stage, and we tell you the day-by-day plan before we start.
Will my glass wall need HOA or historic approval, and who files it?
Often, yes. Barton Creek and Steiner Ranch review glass and window specifications, and City of Austin landmarks and local historic districts review street-facing changes. We prepare the drawings and product data for the submittal with you.
Can you enlarge an existing opening for a glass wall?
Yes. Most jobs replace two or three windows with one opening, which means a new header or beam across the full span. We ask for an engineer's letter before we cut.
Do you cover my area?
We work across Travis County, including Austin, West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, Barton Creek, Lost Creek and Lakeway. Call and we will confirm your address.
What happens at the free measure?
We measure the opening, check the header and floor, look at the sun on that wall and the route the glass will take into the house, and talk through frame and glass options. You get a written quote afterwards.
Is the work under warranty?
Yes. Our installation is covered by a written warranty, and each unit also carries the manufacturer's own product warranty documents, which we hand over at the end of the job.
Free in-home measure
Talk to us about floor-to-ceiling windows & glass walls
Free in-home measure across Austin and the west side. We call you back to set a time.
Calls only, we do not receive text messages.