the greenest option
Don't tear out those old sash windows ..
.... bring them into the 21st Century
with double-glazed SupaSash inserts
Convert your traditional single-glazed sash windows to modern double-glazing with the minimum of fuss, and see them perform as well as any modern window - without changing the appearance,
The tried and tested SupaWOOD Glazing System gives your new hi-tech 24mm sealed double-glazing (coated glass with insulated edge seals) the greatest possible chance of achieving their designed life expectancy of 30 years or more.*
Modern draught excluders with their unique SupaSash paint-gard tm seals complete the conversion, and leave you asking why you didn't do this years ago.
Feel the comfort and see the difference it makes to your fuel bills.
* We have installations still going strong after 28 years in service, and modern sealed units are so much better-made than those we fitted all those years ago.
Single-glazed traditional rising sash windows are simply everywhere. During the great Victorian house-building expansion, they were the window of choice. State of the art in their day, they allow the maximum amount of light into a room and provide unbeatable ventilation whatever the weather in all seasons. Many of these sash windows were very well-made. Even the cheapest of them were not at all bad, and may well have lasted more than a Century. The only problem is that their insulation and draught-exclusion characteristics fall far short of today's expectations.
THIS IS A SIMPLE PROBLEM TO SOLVE,
SupaSash UK has the answers to both superior draught-exclusion and first-class double-glazing of sash windows. We are confident that, had these technical solutions been available to the original builders in earlier times, all rising sash windows would be SupaSash windows.
Repairing the existing box frames (if necessary) and replacing key components is by far the simplest, greenest, and most economical option for any householder, leaving a twenty-first Century window in place of the original nineteenth Century frame, good for another hundred years of service and without significantly altering the appearance.
Few sash window frames are so far-gone that they cannot be repaired. Usually, Painter's Preparations and repainting are all that's needed before the new sashes are fitted. At worst, replacing some cills or box components, or splicing in new sections may be necessary, but that's a straightforward process well within the capability of any competent craftsman.
Plastic or Aluminium replacements?
If your original box sash windows were previously 'improved' by the insertion of modern double glazed frames, whether wood, pvc or aluminium, the good news is that, more often than not, the underlying structure was not disturbed. It is usually a simple matter to remove these modern intrusions and restore the sash windows to the working original - with the benefit of modern double glazing.
Rising sash windows fitted with SupaSash frames bring more light, better ventilation, and better insulation than either the original single-glazed rising sashes or the first-generation double-glazed frames that replaced them. And they will enhance the value of your home by replicating original features, yet with the modern standards of comfort and economy that we all appreciate and expect.
"Every so often in life something comes along out of the blue that totally turns your beliefs upside down and puts your head in a spin.......they are superb..."
Terry the Window Man, Basildon 2001
Warning: Avoid the pitfalls of Ultra-Slim sealed units.
The double-glazing of sash windows is fraught with difficulty and traps for the unwary. There is a new fashion for ultra-slim sealed units which gives poor value for money. Here's why we won't use them:
Slimline type glazing
Don't take my word for it. Read what the specialist surveyors say in the links you'll find there.
They're worth reading carefully. Philip Rougier is one of the Fenestration Associates, a group of specialist window-industry surveyors who all act as expert technical witnesses in court.
Ignore their advice at your peril!
Follow my blog at http://www.supawood-goodwood.blogspot.com/
Keith Nurcombe - Director, Windovation Ltd
or visit Philip Rougier's independent forum for unbiased professional advice:
http://forum.expertexpert.com/index.php
@supawood
Follow us on
Shell Springboard Awards Finalist 2012
www.shellspringboard.org
SupaSash NEWS
Shell Springboard
The website goes live on 24th January 2012
with a list of finalists and details of their entries.
Regional judging and presentations take place
22nd February, with National Finals 6th March.
Watch this space!
Secondary glazing
If you have secondary glazing already, you will know that it's generally inconvenient and does little to improve the appearance of sash windows, inside or out. (just look how awful these sash windows on the right look with their multiple reflections )
Discarding it, and replacing your original sashes with SupaSash slot-in sash windows double glazed with modern coated Low-E glass will transform your experience. Visually delightful, easy to use and keep clean, little maintenance apart from cleaning now and again, and every bit as comfortable and quiet as the secondary panes.
8th January 2012
Secondary glazing note added, at the bottom of this page
19th January 2012
sash window comparison page expanded
