Wind-driven rain tightness for floor-to-ceiling windows

The gutter is installed by the landscape gardener, right?

Correct. Our home construction company didn’t say anything about it at all, regarding the warranty.

, what do you consider floor-to-ceiling windows, completely without a threshold?

Completely without a threshold. Inside to outside. Window glass down to the floor.
Check out Swissfineline, sky-frame…
The gutter is also integrated in the system.

Your windowsill is usually not walkable. However, it depends on the material and the fastening in individual cases. There are exterior windowsills in solid construction made of granite or executed in clinker as a roll layer. But with almost all walls with an ETICS, the windowsill is likely made of aluminum. This is then the first water-conducting level and, to my knowledge, not mechanically highly loadable. The windowsill usually rests on a wedge insulation, behind/under which the second water-conducting level is located.

In "common parlance," floor-to-ceiling windows are probably those with a threshold only a few centimeters high, unlike non-floor-to-ceiling windows with a parapet height of whatever 60-80 cm?

But @rick is, of course, right that the term floor-to-ceiling is misleading. His threshold-free (frameless?) windows are rather found in the higher price range (a pity, actually) and are not within everyone's budget :rolleyes:

The watertightness against driving rain is established during the installation of the window and, according to my opinion, based on current standards (recognized rules of technology), belongs to the performance obligation during installation. How can the warranty be excluded in this case? Even if he wanted to do so and installs such a window, he would lose every lawsuit in court because as an expert, he should not have installed it for you as laypersons (liability cannot be securely excluded in such a case).

Presumably, he is afraid that accumulating water during a heavy rain event will overcome the low threshold and run into the house. He should not exclude the warranty but prescribe a drainage channel (connected to a drainage system or the like) as a prerequisite for the desired installation type (the landscaper will do it...).

As always, layman knowledge without guarantee.

The rain tightness against driving rain is ensured during the installation of the window and, in my opinion, according to the current state (recognized rules of technology), it is part of the performance obligation during installation. How is the warranty supposed to be excluded in this case?
Even if he were to do that and installs it like that, he would lose every court case because as a professional he should not have installed it that way compared to you as laypeople (liability cannot be legally excluded in such a case).

Presumably, he is afraid that standing water during a heavy rain event will overcome the low threshold and flow into the house. He should not exclude the warranty but rather require a drainage channel (connected to drainage or similar) as a prerequisite for the desired installation type (the landscaper will do that...)

I also think that the window should be properly sealed during installation. There will still be need for discussion about that.
We would definitely have the drainage channel installed as well, especially since we have a lift-and-slide element between these two two-wing windows.

I wonder anyway how that’s supposed to look… a floor-to-ceiling sliding element in the middle and steps on the right and left as exits…

Yes, the sealing at the windows....

a landscape gardener once said to me: do you have that much money left over?

me: why?

him: because you want to have a channel in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows

me: otherwise I have an uneasy feeling about it


then a good roofer confirmed it to me, because so much water can accumulate there and the window can give way and water can flow in....


I haven’t done it yet, but I will do it, the outdoor area has not yet been started at our place.....

Maybe the two attached variants will help further. The variant with the Birco channel - Does anyone know what such a floor-to-ceiling door costs? - is quite elaborate. Advantage: Level terrace. Disadvantage: High costs, cleaning of the channel may be necessary. It should also be considered that light wells need to be secured differently, as they are often only protected by a laterally open, slanted (plexi) glass cover. Water would then flow in freely. So you need a kind of "protective wall" all around the light wells. Regarding floor-to-ceiling doors with minimal threshold: We were specifically warned that heavy driving rain can push water under the door.