Window Film in Ravenswood, Chicago

Privacy Window Film for Homes Facing the Metra Embankment

The Union Pacific North line runs on a raised embankment through Ravenswood, with the Ravenswood station near Lawrence Avenue. Trains pass at roughly second-floor height, so rear and side windows of houses and condos along Ravenswood Avenue and the streets that back onto the tracks face a passing audience many times a day.

Frosted and patterned films on the track side are the standard fix. They block the view from the train while keeping the room bright. Where owners want to keep a view of the trees and sky, the film can be applied only to the band of glass that lines up with the train windows, which is easy to judge once you watch a train go by from inside.

Light reflective film is another option for rooms used mostly during the day. Commuter trains run early and late, though, and reflective film does not work once indoor lights are on, so for bedrooms we usually recommend frosted film. Bathrooms on the track side are the most common single-window job.

Window Film for Ravenswood Avenue Lofts and Studios

The Ravenswood industrial corridor along the tracks has a mix of old factory and warehouse buildings that now house breweries, design studios, small manufacturers, offices and lofts. These buildings have big industrial windows, often facing the tracks on one side and the street on the other. Some of these buildings also have skylights or sawtooth roofs.

Studios and offices want glare control for screens and work tables, and some want privacy on the track side. Brewery taprooms and event spaces want to keep their glass open and inviting while cutting late-day heat. A light solar film on west-facing glass handles that without darkening the room.

• Frosted film for track-facing bedrooms and baths
• Glare film for studios and offices in converted factories
• Solar film for west-facing taproom and showroom glass
• Clear UV film for Victorian interiors and woodwork

Home Window Tinting for Ravenswood Victorians and Frame Houses

Away from the tracks, Ravenswood's side streets have large Victorian and early 20th century houses on deep, tree-lined lots, along with brick two-flats and newer infill homes. Many of the older houses have original windows, tall front parlors and wraparound porches that shade the first floor. Front parlors on those blocks often have stained or leaded glass in the upper sash.

Because porches and mature trees shade the first floor, heat is mostly an upstairs problem. Heat control film on south and west bedroom windows helps those rooms in summer. On the main floor, the few rooms that do get direct sun benefit from clear UV film over the oak and the upholstery, and low-e film helps big single-pane windows in winter.

Brown Line and Lincoln Square Edge: Window Film for Ravenswood Shops

The Brown Line stops at Damen and Montrose nearby, and the commercial streets around those stations and toward Lincoln Square have cafes, restaurants, small shops and professional offices. Storefronts on Montrose, Damen and Lawrence get the same treatments as shops elsewhere in the city: UV film for displays, solar film where afternoon sun hits the counter, and frosted film for offices that need privacy.

Security film is worth considering for ground-floor glass in any storefront. A struck pane stays in its frame as one crazed sheet, and the shop stays shut tight until the glazier comes. For shops with display windows, clear UV film is a good add-on to the same visit. It protects merchandise without changing how the storefront looks.