All our joinery is manufactured in the Far East. It is imported unglazed, but fully prepared for the installation of whichever glazing system has been chosen.

For normal double glazed units (IGUs) the inner glazing bars on the windows are fully fitted using traditional mortice & tenon joints and the outer glazing bars are put together as a complete frame which is just lifted out, the IGU lowered into place, and the frame returned. Some window companies fit the frames from the inside, which has its aesthetic benefits when viewed from the outside; however, with sliding sash windows, most people will raise and lower them by pushing on the glazing bars and we feel that the additional strength of having them fully fitted is more important than the slight loss of aesthetics from outside.

Unlike most manufacturers, we use the “Drained & Vented Glazing System” on our windows, as recommended by the UK’s Building Research Establishment (BRE). Our standard IGUs are 24mm thick – 4mm float glass, a 16mm Argon gas filled void, and 4mm low “e” inner pane. We can supply toughened, laminated and a range of specialist glasses and coatings, and IGUs of varying thicknesses. We don’t generally recommend the very slim units, as few if any have passed the most important part of the British Standard for IGUs – BS EN 1279 Part 3. (Parts 1 & 2 are effectively desk-top calculations of the units’ construction and thermal performance, Part 3 physically tests gas leakage to verify reliability & longevity).

However double glazed units are fitted, water will eventually find its way behind the outer seals and into the area behind. In most cases the IGUs are installed and any void either left or filled with mastic. In both these systems, moisture will find its way to the bottom of the glazing rebate, and the lowest seals of the IGU will sit in water. This is the reason why most double glazed units fail at the bottom and steam up in the lower half. With the Drained & Vented system, a 5mm void is left all around the IGU and drain holes left in the bottom rail of the window so any moisture naturally finds its way to the bottom and drains away, keeping the IGU dry and massively extending its life.

When we supply double glazed windows they will always pass the requirements of Building Regulations U Values as laid out in Document L 2010 for England and Document 6 in Scotland.