Warwickshire
Sash Windows – Former Brewery
We’ve had many compliments from our neighbours and passers-by, admiring the quality and authenticity of the replacements, and it was nice throughout the winter months to be able to sit comfortably by the windows without the draughts.
Mr & Mrs K, Warwickshire
History of the property
A fully functioning brewery until the 1930s, the site sat empty and unused after the brewery closed its doors, until being developed for residential use in 1987. As an area of importance in terms of local history, the existing buildings must retain the character hence the covenants and conservation area status.
The search for suitable replacement timber sash windows
The current owners, Mr & Mrs K have enjoyed the property for a number of years, and having thought of replacing the original, draughty single glazed sash windows some years ago, they failed to find something suitable. This led to the decision to simply not take any action at all rather than get it wrong in an area where the surrounding neighbours have a keen interest in each other’s properties, to ensure they’re kept as intended.
A renewed search was spurred on by the fact that the old windows had dropped in some cases, meaning they were no longer air tight; so some online searching led them to us, “We found the Timber Windows website via a Google search, and impressed with what we saw, we found our local showroom to be Timber Windows of Harborne; a visit to them confirmed our hopes that we’d found the right products” explains Mrs K.
Designing authentic replacement sash windows
So began the exciting process of choosing and designing the new sash windows, “originally we’d planned to replace the essentials but we decided to go the whole way and make replacements all round, whilst we will return to replace a set of French doors, a back door and fixed arched windows at a later date” Mrs K describes.
The advice given at Timber Windows of Harborne was important in this project, calling on many years of experience to recognise that the structure of the building required different types of sash windows in different areas of the home, as described by Mrs K, “Due to the original formation of the rooms and walls, and the changes the building has undergone to make it residential, we were left with some challenges in terms of window placement where walls were narrow or access was compromised, so a combination of both traditional cords and weights, and hidden spring sash windows in full box sash and slim box sash formations were advised and chosen.”
The hidden spring sash window in our range uses a concealed balance system, giving all the appearance and appeal of the cords and weights version but suited to varying types of property and structure, whilst the box sash is perfect for replacing existing, original windows where a full box was built in and a slim box sash can be utilised where the depth of the wall doesn’t permit the full box. Our showroom experts can explain the differences and demonstrate these.
Mrs K delights when talking about the operation of the windows, “The hidden spring sashes operate in exactly the same way as the traditional sashes, you’d never know they were different; and they all sound and feel so nice to open and close!”
The fine details were important, such as being able to authentically replicate the period features, the ability to replace the frosted glass in the bathroom with the same design and a deliberate choice was made for a finishing shade of “Off-White” avoiding the starkness of a bright white; “we’ve had many compliments from our neighbours and passers-by, admiring the quality and authenticity of the replacements, and it was nice throughout the winter months to be able to sit comfortably by the windows without the draughts” says Mrs K.
Expert installation of the replacement sash windows
In terms of the installation, the order of replacements was discussed and drawn up into a logical plan, allowing furniture to be moved in advance as required and to move into the spare bedroom during the two day master bedroom installation. The installation team were careful to ensure carpets were protected prior to any work commencing.
Mrs K acknowledges “we could appreciate the complicated nature of the tasks but were happy that the skill exhibited by the team was more than sufficient to be fully in control at all times.”
