VLX 80 Awning Window

VLX 80 Awning Window in San Francisco, CA | Lightwell Windows San Francisco

The VLX 80 awning window is a top-hinged aluminum window that opens outward from the bottom, letting you run ventilation even during a light San Francisco drizzle without water getting inside. It’s built on a thermally broken frame, which means it does a genuinely better job holding indoor temperatures steady than older aluminum windows. San Francisco homeowners choose it for kitchens, bathrooms, and upper-floor bedrooms where a crank-out casement would interfere with walkways or furniture. We’re an authorized ViewLux installation partner, so when you buy the VLX 80 through Lightwell Windows San Francisco, you get factory-backed product support plus installation done to the standards that keep the warranty intact. Call us at (831) 480-4124 to talk specs and pricing.

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Product Overview – VLX 80 Awning Window

Awning windows have always made sense in San Francisco. Our fog cycles, marine air, and shoulder-season rain mean you want ventilation that works regardless of weather. Because the VLX 80 hinges at the top and opens outward, rain hits the glass and runs off the sides rather than into the room. You can leave it cracked open during a February shower and get fresh air moving without towels on the sill. That alone explains why this series stays popular up and down the Peninsula.

The frame is extruded aluminum with a thermal break separating the interior and exterior metal. In plain terms: the inside of the frame isn’t directly connected to the outside of the frame by solid metal, so cold doesn’t conduct straight through. Older aluminum windows in San Francisco homes, especially in neighborhoods like the Richmond and Sunset, are notorious for sweating and dripping condensation. The VLX 80 addresses that with a design that keeps the inner frame surface closer to room temperature.

Buyers also choose the VLX 80 because the profile is slim. At 1.97 inches wide, the frame gives you more glass area per rough opening than bulkier vinyl alternatives. For a city where natural light is precious, that matters. The 0.079-inch wall thickness on the extrusion hits the sweet spot between rigidity and weight, so the sash operates smoothly without feeling flimsy. This is a window built for decades of salt-air exposure, not a few seasons.

Technical Specifications

• Frame material: Extruded aluminum with thermal break
• Wall thickness: 0.079 inches on the extrusion
• Profile width: 1.97 inches, slim sightline for maximum glass area
• Operation: Top-hinged awning, opens outward from the bottom
• Glass options: Clear, frosted, Low-E, tempered, or laminated
• Finish options: Premium Black, Pure White, Anodized Silver, Bronze, Champagne, or Teak Wood
• Screen options: Fixed screen or retractable screen
• Performance standards: NFRC-rated energy performance, AAMA 2400/2410 installation compliance
• Sealant protocol: AAMA 812 low-expansion foam on all perimeter joints

Performance Features

Thermal Efficiency – The thermal break inside the VLX 80 frame physically separates exterior and interior aluminum. That interruption slows heat transfer enough to earn NFRC-rated energy performance, which translates to lower PG&E bills and fewer cold drafts near windows in San Francisco’s foggiest ZIP codes.

Acoustic Performance – Aluminum frames paired with the right glass package, especially laminated glass, cut down street noise meaningfully. We install VLX 80 units in homes facing busy corridors like Geary, 19th Avenue, and Van Ness, and the difference is real. Laminated glass is the single best upgrade if sound reduction is your priority.

Airtightness & Weather Seal – The VLX 80 uses compression gaskets around the sash perimeter that press tighter when the window closes and locks. That continuous seal is what prevents foggy air from sneaking in around the edges. On a windy day in the Outer Sunset, you won’t feel air moving around the sash. The design keeps the seal consistent across the full width of the opening.

Waterproofing – Awning windows have a natural advantage: the open sash acts like a small roof over the opening. Combined with the drainage channels built into the VLX 80 frame and the AAMA 812 foam sealant we apply on every perimeter joint during installation, water doesn’t find a path inside. That’s a critical detail in San Francisco, where horizontal rain off the Pacific is normal, not rare.

Wind Resistance – The VLX 80 is wind-load rated for local climate requirements, including exposed hillside locations around Twin Peaks, Diamond Heights, and Pacific Heights. The multi-point locking hardware distributes load across the sash so the window stays rigid in gust conditions rather than flexing and whistling.

Security & Hardware – Awning hardware on the VLX 80 locks from the interior with a positive engagement mechanism. The top hinge design means an open window only exposes a few inches at the bottom, far too small for anyone to slip through. For street-level or fire-escape-adjacent windows in San Francisco, that’s a quiet peace-of-mind feature. Hardware finish coordinates with the frame finish.

Color & Glass Options

Six factory finishes let the VLX 80 match almost any San Francisco facade. Premium Black reads as contemporary and works beautifully on the white-stucco and gray-shingle houses in Noe Valley and the Mission. Pure White disappears into traditional trim, which we recommend for Victorians and Edwardians in the Haight, Pacific Heights, and Cole Valley. Anodized Silver is the classic commercial look, clean and utilitarian, common in loft conversions around SoMa. Bronze and Champagne both do well on mid-century and contemporary builds; Bronze feels grounded with brick, Champagne adds warmth against cool gray siding. Teak Wood is a powder-coated wood-grain texture that gives the aluminum the look of stained timber without the maintenance, which suits craftsman homes in Bernal Heights and the Inner Sunset.

Glass choice changes what the window does for you. Clear is the baseline, maximum visible light transmission. Frosted gives privacy without curtains, ideal for bathrooms and street-facing ground-floor windows. Low-E is the energy play: a microscopic coating reflects heat back to its source, keeping interiors warmer in July fog and cooler during October heat waves. Tempered glass is safety glass, required in many San Francisco inspections for windows near doors or within 18 inches of the floor. Laminated glass is two layers bonded with an interlayer, adding impact resistance and significant sound dampening, which matters near Muni lines, hospitals, and fire stations.

Installation by Lightwell Windows San Francisco in San Francisco

We’ve installed awning windows across San Francisco long enough to know that the installation is as important as the product. A great window installed poorly will leak, bind, and void its warranty. That’s why we follow AAMA 2400/2410 installation standards on every VLX 80 project, which means we inspect and prepare the rough opening before the window goes in, not after we find a problem.

Our process starts with a pre-install inspection of the rough opening, flashing, and surrounding framing. Then we set the VLX 80 level, plumb, and square using shims in the correct locations, since an out-of-square awning window binds at the hinges and won’t seal evenly. Every perimeter joint gets AAMA 812 low-expansion foam sealant, which seals the gap between the frame and the rough opening without bowing the frame. That’s a detail a lot of crews skip because it’s time-consuming. We don’t.

San Francisco specific conditions affect every install. Fog means high ambient humidity for a third of the year, so we pay extra attention to vapor barriers and interior seal lines. Many older San Francisco homes have out-of-level openings from a century of settling, so shimming and squaring take longer, and we account for that rather than forcing the window. Some multifamily projects require laminated glass or tempered glass to meet local code, and we’ll flag that during the estimate so there are no surprises during inspection.

After installation, we do a water test on the perimeter, check operation of the hardware, and confirm the screen seats properly. Then we clean up the site, haul the old window if you’ve asked us to, and walk you through operation and maintenance. The goal is an installation that keeps the ViewLux warranty valid and the window performing for decades.

Frequently Asked Questions – VLX 80 Awning Window

Get a Quote – VLX 80 Awning Window in San Francisco

If you’re ready to price the VLX 80 for your San Francisco home, we’ll help you choose the right glass, finish, and screen configuration for your orientation, your noise exposure, and your budget. Estimates are free, we measure on-site, and the number we quote is the number you pay. Call Lightwell Windows San Francisco at (831) 480-4124 to schedule a free measurement and written quote. The best time to start is before the next fog season sets in.

Written by the team at Lightwell Windows San Francisco, serving San Francisco, CA and the surrounding Bay Area since 2005.