Blog: Traditional timber box sash windows – A blessing, a curse or both?
Charm & Character
Having original box sash windows in your home can be both a blessing and a curse.
Full of character and history, the traditional box sash window has been part of our building heritage for well over a century. Yet for all its charm and beauty the window is not without its many, many faults.
Owners of these windows will not need telling how draughty they can be.
Cold winds howl through gaps which get bigger and wider year on year causing the sashes to rattle and shake, expensive heat gets sucked out through the wafer thin glass leaving rivers of condensation streaming down the panes turning the frames black with mould and rot.
Problems solved, character destroyed
When the weathers good a welcome respite is offered and you can forget all about the poor thematics, but a whole new set of problems can arise. sliding them open to let in air becomes a battle as the sashes jam inside the box refusing to budge.
When you do finally win that war the sash cords might break leaving you with a completely useless window.
Add to all this the constant maintenance of flaking paint, swelling frames, rotten sills and splitting joinery you start to wonder why we have put up with these windows for so long.
Well for all its many faults nobody can deny the beauty and charm of the sash window.
It adds real character to the right type of home and when it does work, can be a very practical window. It is a brilliant design, which has been exported to many countries each with their own subtle differences.
So what does a homeowner do when the windows they love have so many faults they become untenable?
Do they replace them with something that solves all their problems but ends up destroying the character and charm of their home?
Or do they try in vain to repair and renovate. Maybe solving some of the issues whilst spending a small fortune in the process, but still being left with single glazing, draughts and rattles.
Well now you can have your cake and eat it, because with our range of Heritage timber sash windows, you can have all the benefits of a modern double glazed window without destroying the character of your home and still retaining the functional
charm and elegance of the original timber box sash window. Without any of the problems.
With our timber replacement sash windows you can expect the following benefits-
- Energy A rated windows 1.1 to 1.4 U values
- Frame, sashes, Sills and beads all made from grade 1 Solid Hardwood / Swedish Redwood(not engineered)
- Very tightly grained timber for stability & protection against fungal rot and burrowing insects
- All timber treated with an anti fungal agent post manufacture
- Fully finished with 5 coats of water based micro-porous paint (Anti fungal base coat, Aqua Primer, 3 Top coats)This paint will not peel or flake.
- Fully draught excluded to all parts of the product using nylon brushes
- Factory glazed 4mm / 16mm / 4mm double glazed sealed units
- Internal glass type – Pilkington Optiwhite E / Optitherm S4 proT – 25% to 30% more efficient than the old generation Pilkington K, offering huge benefits in terms of energy efficiency, zero light loss & ultra clear transparency.
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Traditional Cords and lead weights
For a free, no obligation call us on 01753 696 900 or request a free quotation
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