Start with what the two windows have in common
A casement and a tilt-and-turn are closer cousins than most comparison pages admit. Both swing on hinges, and both press the sash against a gasket when they lock, instead of sliding past a brush strip the way a slider does. That is why a well-made casement is already a big step up from a slider in a Calgary winter. If you are choosing between those two families, you have already made the important decision: a window that compresses a seal when it locks. The rest of this page is about the differences that are left, and they are real, but they are differences of degree, not a verdict that one is good and the other is junk.
The four differences that decide it
| Casement | Tilt-and-turn | |
|---|---|---|
| Opens | Outward, on a side hinge, driven by a crank | Inward: tilts from the top for air, or swings like a door from the side |
| What holds it shut | Crank gear plus one or two lock points | Multi-point hardware around the perimeter, all driven by one handle |
| Ventilation in rain or wind | Sash is out in the weather; wind can load the crank arm | Tilt mode: open a few centimetres at the top, sash stays locked at the bottom |
| Cleaning the outside glass | Reach around the open sash from outside, or from a ladder upstairs | Turn mode brings the outside face into the room |
| Screen | Inside the room, sash opens through it | Outside, sash never touches it |
| Egress from a bedroom | Yes, if the clear opening meets code | Yes, turn mode opens the full sash |
| Cost | Lower per opening | Higher per opening (installed bands below) |
1. The crank is the weak point, not the frame
Almost every casement I am asked to look at that «doesn't close properly» has the same story. The frame is fine. The glass is fine. The crank gear has worn, the arm has bent a little, and the sash now lands a few millimetres short of where the lock expects it. The gasket cannot do its job if the sash does not reach it. On a small kitchen casement this takes a long time to happen. On a wide living-room sash, the crank is lifting a heavy, long lever every time you open it, and it happens sooner.
A tilt-and-turn moves the sash with the handle and the hinges, not with a gear that pushes it out and pulls it back. The handle turns a rod that drives locking cams into keepers around the whole perimeter. There is no arm hanging out in the weather, and nothing that bends under wind load while the window is open. That is why I will happily put a tilt-and-turn sash a metre and a half wide where I would never recommend a casement that size.
2. Ventilation: outward into the weather, or inward at the top
A casement opens outward, so when it is open the sash is exposed to whatever the sky is doing. In a Calgary summer thunderstorm you close it, and on a windy afternoon the crank arm is taking the load. It is also a wide-open window: children, pets and anyone outside can reach the opening.
Tilt mode on a tilt-and-turn opens a gap of a few centimetres at the top of the sash while the bottom stays locked on its hinges. Rain does not come in, wind does not catch a sash, and nobody climbs through. You can leave a bedroom tilted all night. For bedrooms I add a restrictor that limits turn mode to about 6 cm and a key-operated handle, so a child cannot swing it open; details are on the screens and child-safety page.
3. Cleaning and the second floor
With a casement you clean the outside glass by reaching around the open sash, which works on a small window at ground level and stops working upstairs. With a tilt-and-turn you turn the handle horizontal, swing the sash in, and the outside face is in front of you. Nobody on a ladder, no wand on a pole. If you have ever paid for window cleaning on a two-storey house, this one difference pays for itself over the life of the window.
4. Price, honestly
A casement will cost you less per opening. I am not going to quote competitor prices here, but I will give you mine so you can compare. These are installed prices per opening for REHAU tilt-and-turn windows, by profile line and wall type, from the 2026 cost page:
| REHAU line | Standard retrofit | Stucco or brick wrap | Custom shape or structural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brilliant Design (70 mm) | $1,800–2,400 | $2,200–2,800 | $2,800–3,800 |
| Synego (80 mm) | $2,300–3,000 | $2,800–3,500 | $3,400–4,600 |
| Artevo (80 mm) | $3,500–4,800 | $4,200–5,500 | $5,000–7,500 |
What you get for the difference: 25 years on the uPVC frames and sashes, 10 on sealed glass units, 10 on hardware, 2 on installation, transferable to a new owner for 10 years — the full terms are on the warranty page. When you compare a casement quote against this, compare the hardware warranty line by line. That is where the crank lives.
When a casement is the right call (and I will tell you so)
Three cases where I would not sell you a tilt-and-turn:
Your casements work. If the cranks turn smoothly, the sash lands on the gasket, and the glass is clear between the panes, you do not have a window problem. Keep them, lubricate the gears once a year, and spend the money elsewhere. The do-I-need-new-windows page walks through the checks.
The sash has to swing out. A tilt-and-turn opens into the room. Over a kitchen sink with a deep counter, behind a sofa pushed against the wall, or where heavy curtains and a blind share the opening, an inward-swinging sash gets in the way, and tilt mode alone may not be enough ventilation for that room. A small casement there is the honest answer.
Small windows on a tight budget. A tilt-and-turn earns its price on bedroom, living-room and basement openings: the ones you ventilate daily, clean from inside and may need for egress. On a handful of small windows in a utility room, a casement does the job for less. Mixing types in one house is normal; the window types guide shows which type suits which room.
How to decide, room by room
Bedrooms: tilt-and-turn, for night ventilation that is safe and for egress. Living room and large openings: tilt-and-turn, because the crank problem scales with sash size. Basement bedrooms: tilt-and-turn, the turn mode gives a full clear opening. Kitchen over the sink and small utility windows: a casement is fine. Bathrooms: either; tilt mode wins if you want it open in the rain.
If you are replacing the whole house at once, read whether to replace all windows at once first. If you want to see the profile and hardware this is all built on, the REHAU profiles and GU hardware page goes chamber by chamber.
Who I am and what I sell
I am Lex Oleksiienko, a European tilt-and-turn window specialist at Permanent Windows Solutions in Calgary. PWS supplies and installs the windows; I earn commission. I do not sell casements, so take my preference for what it is and check it against the facts above. I visit a home only when the homeowner invites me first. If you want a comparison for your own openings, describe the project in four steps and I will come out for a free measurement; PWS gives you a written quote.