Double glazed sash windows.
23 April 2017, 09:39 AM
#3
They exist, you can even get modern crittall windows, so anything is possible. Obviously being a fancy design it will cost more than a standard window. If you have your heart in your property I'd advise to take your time on this, I rushed some decisions on my house due to work commitments and have learnt a few things as a result.
The big decision is material; wood, pvc or metal (aluminium). Pros and cons for each. Cost, durability, finish, style, insulation, maintanence.
The second issue is quality; getting them to seal right, a sash being a sliding mechanism will require more attention to detail given the seals and clearances between the joints so it's not draughty but still opens and closes smoothly and easily. I personally think this design is more open to ****-ups, as well as wear, tear and dirt gumming up the mechanisms making for a draughty poor seal or sticky movement.
So my advise is to look at plenty of manufacturers and installers and pay close attention to the sealing and opening/closing.
I had aluminium frames (not sash) on the rear and to be frank am slightly disappointed, being grey they appear to be prone to surface scratches and chip/dent like a car. They always look dusty. I have to wax them with car wax LOL, as using a damp cloth to clean them leaves polishing marks (paint marring as I'd call it if it were a car!), I have sealing (draught) issues on the rear door and one window, on the two large opening windows the hinges have dropped/flexed from the weight meaning they don't align when closed. I'm told they are high quality, backed up following a break-in where the insurance's appointed repairer stated there were better quality than their own windows.
Also as of this week I have use of a thermal camera, and its showed the outer part of the frame has insulation issues as its notably colder than the opening frame and glass. I'm guess there is little or no insulation within these parts of the frame. It's still better overall than my existing wood frames, but could they be better?
Also for aluminium I was expecting more thinner frames to gain more light in the room as PVC and wood is considered chunky, but these frames are only half an inch slimmer per casement when compared to the original wood frames I have on the front. Which I found a bit of a disappointment. So given these issues I think I may have been better off with PVC as I've since seen slim-frame PVC units, and PVC tends to be better thermally and I believe whilst it still scratches doesn't show up as badly (could be wishful thinking on the latter).
As the front of my house is North facing and shadowed by an ever increasing Beech tree which the council won't let me prune (preservation order and a tree officer who to be frank needs a slap), my lounge, hallway/landing and front bedroom is like the black hole of Calcutta! So when I replace these windows I want to maximise the glazed areas by having the frames as thin as possible. It's possible, at a price, but manufactures of high quality thin-frame windows is a lot more bespoke.
Consider that lead effect or Georgian style glazing will reduce the glazed area, so if you have dark rooms you may want to consider plain glass and thinner frames; If you have a nice view do you want it impeded by a mock-lead/Georgian effect? Windows that don't open usually allow for a larger glazed area.
Right that's my cup of tea finished, I'm off! LOL!
The big decision is material; wood, pvc or metal (aluminium). Pros and cons for each. Cost, durability, finish, style, insulation, maintanence.
The second issue is quality; getting them to seal right, a sash being a sliding mechanism will require more attention to detail given the seals and clearances between the joints so it's not draughty but still opens and closes smoothly and easily. I personally think this design is more open to ****-ups, as well as wear, tear and dirt gumming up the mechanisms making for a draughty poor seal or sticky movement.
So my advise is to look at plenty of manufacturers and installers and pay close attention to the sealing and opening/closing.
I had aluminium frames (not sash) on the rear and to be frank am slightly disappointed, being grey they appear to be prone to surface scratches and chip/dent like a car. They always look dusty. I have to wax them with car wax LOL, as using a damp cloth to clean them leaves polishing marks (paint marring as I'd call it if it were a car!), I have sealing (draught) issues on the rear door and one window, on the two large opening windows the hinges have dropped/flexed from the weight meaning they don't align when closed. I'm told they are high quality, backed up following a break-in where the insurance's appointed repairer stated there were better quality than their own windows.
Also as of this week I have use of a thermal camera, and its showed the outer part of the frame has insulation issues as its notably colder than the opening frame and glass. I'm guess there is little or no insulation within these parts of the frame. It's still better overall than my existing wood frames, but could they be better?
Also for aluminium I was expecting more thinner frames to gain more light in the room as PVC and wood is considered chunky, but these frames are only half an inch slimmer per casement when compared to the original wood frames I have on the front. Which I found a bit of a disappointment. So given these issues I think I may have been better off with PVC as I've since seen slim-frame PVC units, and PVC tends to be better thermally and I believe whilst it still scratches doesn't show up as badly (could be wishful thinking on the latter).
As the front of my house is North facing and shadowed by an ever increasing Beech tree which the council won't let me prune (preservation order and a tree officer who to be frank needs a slap), my lounge, hallway/landing and front bedroom is like the black hole of Calcutta! So when I replace these windows I want to maximise the glazed areas by having the frames as thin as possible. It's possible, at a price, but manufactures of high quality thin-frame windows is a lot more bespoke.
Consider that lead effect or Georgian style glazing will reduce the glazed area, so if you have dark rooms you may want to consider plain glass and thinner frames; If you have a nice view do you want it impeded by a mock-lead/Georgian effect? Windows that don't open usually allow for a larger glazed area.
Right that's my cup of tea finished, I'm off! LOL!
24 April 2017, 09:28 AM
#4
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They exist, you can even get modern crittall windows, so anything is possible. Obviously being a fancy design it will cost more than a standard window. If you have your heart in your property I'd advise to take your time on this, I rushed some decisions on my house due to work commitments and have learnt a few things as a result.
The big decision is material; wood, pvc or metal (aluminium). Pros and cons for each. Cost, durability, finish, style, insulation, maintanence.
The second issue is quality; getting them to seal right, a sash being a sliding mechanism will require more attention to detail given the seals and clearances between the joints so it's not draughty but still opens and closes smoothly and easily. I personally think this design is more open to ****-ups, as well as wear, tear and dirt gumming up the mechanisms making for a draughty poor seal or sticky movement.
So my advise is to look at plenty of manufacturers and installers and pay close attention to the sealing and opening/closing.
I had aluminium frames (not sash) on the rear and to be frank am slightly disappointed, being grey they appear to be prone to surface scratches and chip/dent like a car. They always look dusty. I have to wax them with car wax LOL, as using a damp cloth to clean them leaves polishing marks (paint marring as I'd call it if it were a car!), I have sealing (draught) issues on the rear door and one window, on the two large opening windows the hinges have dropped/flexed from the weight meaning they don't align when closed. I'm told they are high quality, backed up following a break-in where the insurance's appointed repairer stated there were better quality than their own windows.
Also as of this week I have use of a thermal camera, and its showed the outer part of the frame has insulation issues as its notably colder than the opening frame and glass. I'm guess there is little or no insulation within these parts of the frame. It's still better overall than my existing wood frames, but could they be better?
Also for aluminium I was expecting more thinner frames to gain more light in the room as PVC and wood is considered chunky, but these frames are only half an inch slimmer per casement when compared to the original wood frames I have on the front. Which I found a bit of a disappointment. So given these issues I think I may have been better off with PVC as I've since seen slim-frame PVC units, and PVC tends to be better thermally and I believe whilst it still scratches doesn't show up as badly (could be wishful thinking on the latter).
As the front of my house is North facing and shadowed by an ever increasing Beech tree which the council won't let me prune (preservation order and a tree officer who to be frank needs a slap), my lounge, hallway/landing and front bedroom is like the black hole of Calcutta! So when I replace these windows I want to maximise the glazed areas by having the frames as thin as possible. It's possible, at a price, but manufactures of high quality thin-frame windows is a lot more bespoke.
Consider that lead effect or Georgian style glazing will reduce the glazed area, so if you have dark rooms you may want to consider plain glass and thinner frames; If you have a nice view do you want it impeded by a mock-lead/Georgian effect? Windows that don't open usually allow for a larger glazed area.
Right that's my cup of tea finished, I'm off! LOL!
The big decision is material; wood, pvc or metal (aluminium). Pros and cons for each. Cost, durability, finish, style, insulation, maintanence.
The second issue is quality; getting them to seal right, a sash being a sliding mechanism will require more attention to detail given the seals and clearances between the joints so it's not draughty but still opens and closes smoothly and easily. I personally think this design is more open to ****-ups, as well as wear, tear and dirt gumming up the mechanisms making for a draughty poor seal or sticky movement.
So my advise is to look at plenty of manufacturers and installers and pay close attention to the sealing and opening/closing.
I had aluminium frames (not sash) on the rear and to be frank am slightly disappointed, being grey they appear to be prone to surface scratches and chip/dent like a car. They always look dusty. I have to wax them with car wax LOL, as using a damp cloth to clean them leaves polishing marks (paint marring as I'd call it if it were a car!), I have sealing (draught) issues on the rear door and one window, on the two large opening windows the hinges have dropped/flexed from the weight meaning they don't align when closed. I'm told they are high quality, backed up following a break-in where the insurance's appointed repairer stated there were better quality than their own windows.
Also as of this week I have use of a thermal camera, and its showed the outer part of the frame has insulation issues as its notably colder than the opening frame and glass. I'm guess there is little or no insulation within these parts of the frame. It's still better overall than my existing wood frames, but could they be better?
Also for aluminium I was expecting more thinner frames to gain more light in the room as PVC and wood is considered chunky, but these frames are only half an inch slimmer per casement when compared to the original wood frames I have on the front. Which I found a bit of a disappointment. So given these issues I think I may have been better off with PVC as I've since seen slim-frame PVC units, and PVC tends to be better thermally and I believe whilst it still scratches doesn't show up as badly (could be wishful thinking on the latter).
As the front of my house is North facing and shadowed by an ever increasing Beech tree which the council won't let me prune (preservation order and a tree officer who to be frank needs a slap), my lounge, hallway/landing and front bedroom is like the black hole of Calcutta! So when I replace these windows I want to maximise the glazed areas by having the frames as thin as possible. It's possible, at a price, but manufactures of high quality thin-frame windows is a lot more bespoke.
Consider that lead effect or Georgian style glazing will reduce the glazed area, so if you have dark rooms you may want to consider plain glass and thinner frames; If you have a nice view do you want it impeded by a mock-lead/Georgian effect? Windows that don't open usually allow for a larger glazed area.
Right that's my cup of tea finished, I'm off! LOL!
