The Frame You Barely Notice Can Be One of the Biggest Differences From across a room, two large glazed doors can look remarkably similar. Both might have dark aluminium frames, generous areas of glass and the same broad promise of connecting the house with the garden. In photographs, the distinction between them may appear almost […]
Author Archives: Jamie Grimshaw
17
Sep
Sep
The Window Is Visibly Deteriorating — or No Longer Works Properly Some reasons for questioning a window are difficult to ignore. Its condition may have visibly changed. Frames or finishes can begin to show deterioration, components may no longer appear as they once did, or the window itself may have become increasingly difficult to use. […]
17
Sep
Sep
You Haven’t Really Ordered a Window Until You’ve Defined One Choosing the kind of window you want can feel like the decisive moment. You may have settled on a frame material, decided that a particular opening should contain sliding doors or agreed on the broad appearance you want throughout the house. At that point, it […]
17
Sep
Sep
The First Question Is Not “How Long?” It Is “From When?” Ask how long your windows will take and the answer will often be expressed in weeks. That sounds reassuringly precise. Yet the number has limited meaning until another question has been answered: when does the period actually begin? A homeowner may instinctively start counting […]
16
Sep
Sep
The First Confession: The Window Is Rarely the Whole Problem When a window disappoints, it is natural to assume that the answer begins with the window. Sometimes it does. But after enough projects, a broader pattern becomes difficult to ignore: the glazing is only one part of an architectural relationship. A window sits within an […]
16
Sep
Sep
Your Quote Starts With the Information You Give Them Before a supplier can put a price against your windows, they first have to understand what they are being asked to price. Sometimes that information is relatively developed. There may be architectural drawings, dimensions, configurations and a clear sense of what the finished glazing is intended […]
15
Sep
Sep
Your House Is Already Giving You Clues Most homeowners begin a renovation by noticing what they dislike. A room feels colder than the rest of the house. Condensation appears somewhere it did not before. A window seems draughty, an opening feels awkward, or an extension never quite delivers the comfort that was expected of it. […]
15
Sep
Sep
Installers See a Version of Your House You Never Will By the time a homeowner stands back to admire new glazing, much of the evidence of how it reached that point has disappeared. Frames sit within finished openings, surrounding surfaces are completed and the construction behind them is largely concealed. Installation teams encounter a very […]
15
Sep
Sep
The Problem Isn’t Black Frames. It’s the Formula Black window frames are an obvious candidate whenever the conversation turns to design trends that might eventually date. They have become one of the most recognisable features of contemporary residential architecture, often appearing alongside large panes of glass, restrained materials and dark external detailing. But black frames […]
15
Sep
Sep
Matching Feels Like the Safest Design Decision There is an understandable comfort in deciding that every window in a house should match. Choose one style, repeat the proportions and maintain the same visual language throughout. The result should, in theory, feel ordered and coherent. Sometimes it does. Repetition is one of architecture’s most useful tools. […]
14
Sep
Sep
“Frameless” Has Become a Shortcut for Good Architecture There is an image that has become almost synonymous with high-end contemporary architecture: an expansive pane of glass, barely visible framing and a landscape that appears to continue uninterrupted beyond the room. When it is done well, the effect can be exceptional. It is not difficult to […]
14
Sep
Sep
We Became Obsessed With Making Windows Disappear Contemporary residential architecture has become remarkably good at making glass feel almost absent. Panes have grown larger, frames have become visually quieter and fixed glazing can create the impression that the building simply stops where the landscape begins. Used well, the effect can be exceptional. It is easy […]
14
Sep
Sep
Somewhere Along the Way, Glass Became the Default There is a familiar image of the contemporary extension: a generous kitchen and living space opening onto the garden through an almost uninterrupted wall of glass. Add a rooflight, perhaps a glazed corner or another fixed panel, and the architectural language feels immediately recognisable. There are good […]
14
Sep
Sep
A Bigger Opening Is Not Automatically a Brighter Room When a room feels dark, making the window larger seems like the most logical response. More glass should mean more daylight. In some buildings, that is exactly what happens. But the size of an opening is only one part of the daylight equation, and increasing it […]
11
Sep
Sep
Three Panes Sounds Better Than Two — and Sometimes It Is Triple glazing has an appealing simplicity to it. If two panes of glass provide insulation, three must surely provide more. For homeowners already investing heavily in a renovation or self-build, choosing the apparently higher specification can feel like an obvious decision: improve the glazing […]
11
Sep
Sep
Black Became Contemporary — Then Became Automatic Black window frames did not become popular by accident. Against pale render, brick, timber or glass, a dark frame can give an elevation clarity and definition. It became closely associated with aluminium glazing, contemporary extensions and a particular kind of restrained modern architecture. Used deliberately, the effect can […]
11
Sep
Sep
Open-Plan and Light Are Not the Same Thing When a house feels dark, removing internal walls can seem like an obvious solution. Combine the kitchen, dining room and living space, the reasoning goes, and daylight will be able to move more freely through the plan. Sometimes this works extremely well. But openness and daylight are […]
11
Sep
Sep
Bifolds Solved a Problem — Then Became the Default There is a reason bifold doors became so closely associated with contemporary extensions. They offered homeowners something immediately compelling: the ability to transform a substantial section of external wall into an opening, folding multiple glazed panels aside and allowing the room to extend towards the garden. […]
10
Sep
Sep
First, Establish Whether Something Has Actually Gone Wrong When newly installed glazing does not look or behave as expected, it is natural to assume that something has gone wrong. Sometimes that conclusion will be justified. In other cases, the work may be incomplete, an adjustment may still be required or surrounding finishes may not yet […]
10
Sep
Sep
The Price That Somehow Gets Lower the Longer You Sit There For anyone who has experienced a traditional double-glazing sales appointment, the sequence can feel strangely familiar. An initial price is presented, often higher than expected. A discount then becomes available. There may be a further reduction for ordering more than one element, followed perhaps […]
10
Sep
Sep
A Contract Cannot Clarify What the Project Has Never Defined A detailed contract can create a reassuring sense that everything has been settled. There is a price, a programme and a description of the work, perhaps accompanied by drawings, quotations and specifications. Yet the presence of paperwork does not necessarily mean that everyone involved has […]
10
Sep
Sep
A Start Date Is Not the Beginning of a Project When planning a renovation or self-build, it is easy to think of the start date as the moment the project truly begins. It is visible and reassuring: people arrive on site, materials are delivered and the building starts to change. Yet on a well-considered project, […]
09
Sep
Sep
“10 Years” Is Not a Guarantee. It Is a Duration A ten-year guarantee sounds reassuring. It is a simple number, easy to remember and even easier to compare. If one window company offers five years and another offers ten, the longer period can instinctively feel like the stronger promise. But the number tells you only […]
09
Sep
Sep
A Deposit Should Never Be Asked to Replace Clarity Paying a deposit changes the character of a glazing project. Until that point, quotations, configurations and finishes can still feel like part of an exploratory process. Once money changes hands, there is a natural sense that the important decisions have been made. That sense of certainty […]