Window Film in the Avenues, Salt Lake City

Clear Window Film for Avenues Historic District Homes

Much of the neighborhood sits within a local historic district, and Salt Lake City reviews exterior changes there. That puts mirrored or obviously tinted film off the table for street-facing windows in most cases. What does fit is clear film applied to the room side of the glass: it blocks almost all ultraviolet, trims some heat, and is nearly impossible to spot from the sidewalk.

Many Avenues houses still have original wavy cylinder glass in double-hung sashes, sometimes with storm windows mounted outside. That glass is thin and irreplaceable. Before installing, we check for loose glazing putty, hairline cracks and rot in the muntins, and we use gentle techniques around fragile panes. Film can be removed later without disturbing the glass if a future owner prefers.

South-Facing Slopes and Sun on Avenues Windows

Because the neighborhood rises toward the north, front windows on many blocks look south over the rooftops toward downtown and the valley. That orientation brings strong midday sun in summer and very low, deep sun through the winter months, which is pleasant until it fades a rug, bleaches a piano or glares off a TV.

Higher up, near the upper avenues and the cemetery, the views widen and the west windows catch the sunset over the Oquirrhs. Those rooms are where heat control film earns its keep. Lower down, the trees along the avenues shade more of the glass in summer, so owners there usually need UV film more than heat film.

• Clear UV film for parlors and front rooms
• Near-clear heat film for upper-avenue west windows
• Frosted or reeded film for side windows close to neighbors
• Decorative film for transoms and stair landings

Privacy Film on Narrow Avenues Lots

Avenues blocks are small compared with the rest of Salt Lake, and lots are narrow. On many streets a side window is barely an arm's length from the next house's kitchen or bath window. Many houses have also been split into apartments, so basement and rear units face shared yards.

Frosted, reeded or patterned film on those side and rear windows gives privacy without heavy curtains in rooms that are already dim. Because the film is on the inside and on secondary elevations, it seldom raises historic review questions.

Clinic and Small Business Window Film in the Avenues

The Avenues is mostly residential, but it is home to LDS Hospital and the medical offices around it, along with a handful of corner markets, cafes and small offices on the lower avenues. Clinics near the hospital use frosted film on ground-floor exam and consultation rooms, and glare film on west-facing offices.

Small businesses in older corner buildings often have original storefront glass. Clear UV film protects merchandise and interiors without altering a historic facade, which keeps landlords and reviewers comfortable.