Windows

uPVC is the abbreviated term for unplasticised poly-vinyl chloride and is also referred to as PVCu.

uPVC windows are the product of choice for most residential customers but uPVC doesn’t have to be white.

There is a wide range of different woodgrain finishes available including mahogany, rosewood and light oak effects. Coloured replacement windows such as red, blue, green, cream and black are also available.

Add to that the ever expanding range of decorative glass features such as Georgian bar, Astragal bar, coloured lead patterns and bevelled glass and there are millions of uPVC window combinations to suit your home.

Hardwood is without doubt the most expensive product to manufacture windows from but to some architectural purists there is no alternative.

Hardwood windows are certainly attractive and treated properly will continue to look good for many years. A selection of timber species is available, with each one providing its own character.

Timber species used for window and door installations in the UK should be sourced through PEFC (the world’s largest forest certification organisation), FSC (the Forest Stewardship Council) or Verified Progress certified sustainability schemes.

As the name suggests, composite windows are manufactured from more than one type of product and in this illustration a timber framed window has an external aluminium cover.

Composite windows tend to be manufactured from a combination of aluminium, hardwood, PVCu and GRP. Composite windows have existed for decades, with glass sealed units installed in aluminium profiles which are then fitted into timber sub-frames before being fixed to the reveals of house walls.

Modern interpretations of composite products have resulted in PVCu extruded frames being manufactured in a way which gives them the appearance of real timber.

Often referred to as secondary double glazing or secondary windows, secondary glazing consists of a single glazed frame installed inside your existing window frames.

The glass is generally fitted in slim aluminium frames which are normally coloured to match the host windows. These aluminium frames are mounted on hinges, rollers or spiral balances into an aluminium outer frame, allowing some of the panes to open.

For existing windows with individual fixed panes, a fixed pane of secondary glazing can be fitted, which can be lifted out for cleaning purposes. Secondary glazing styles also include hinged units which open inwards and horizontal or vertical sliding frames.

Casement windows are the most popular type of window installed in UK homes.

They are generally fitted with one or more vents (or casements) which open outwards, being hinged either from the side or from the top on stainless steel friction stay hinges.

Opening casements are usually combined together with fixed panes – all within the same window frame.

As the name suggests tilt and turn windows, which open into the room, can either be tilted inwards or swung (turned) inwards on the hinges, by operating the handle in a different way.

Whilst providing an excellent fire escape, they also allow you to clean the outside of the windows from inside.

The tilt and turn window originates from mainland Europe where they were used in high rise apartments.

Sliding sash windows replicate the traditional vertical sliding versions often seen in Victorian style properties and are probably the most expensive of all PVCu windows.

A tilt facility can also be incorporated, enabling you to clean the window from inside.  Original timber sliding sashes would have had box sashes which contained the weights and pullies and though today’s PVCu replacements can be fitted with modern versions of that system, they tend to operate on spiral balances instead.

Bay windows are built by fixing more than one window frame together, usually with reinforced connecting bay poles between them.

They sit on a welded external sill which follows the shape of the supporting brickwork below and the space created by the curved or rectangular shape of the bay is part of the internal room.

Traditional Victorian bay windows tended to be in five sections but here we show one with seven separate frames.  Square bay windows can also be constructed but these have square corner posts rather than round bay poles to connect the frames together.

A bow window, or plant-on bow as it is properly referred to, also consists of more than one window frame and projects beyond the external brickwork without being supported by it.

A bow window generally provides a deep internal window sill whereas a bay window does not.

It is sometimes possible to convert a flat window to a bow window but this will require the construction of a base and roof which can make it an expensive option.