GLASS & GLAZING
WHY IS HIGH QUALITY GLAZING IMPORTANT?
The glass you specify for use in your windows is very important as it can affect a number of important considerations. Some of the characteristics that you should consider will influence the degree of heat loss, how often the windows need cleaning, the level of outside noise you experience and how vulnerable your house is to burglary. A specialist glass alone, and often in combination, can offer significant benefits and your choice will make a significant difference. It really does pay to talk to experts like The Sash Window Workshop before deciding your best options. Please call us on 01344 868668 and discuss your needs.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT US?
We source from a wide range of glass suppliers, providing a large selection of glass for different applications. Our years of expertise in the industry coupled with the excellent products now available mean that we are able to manufacture our double glazed units to the highest standards, ensuring they exceed European glazing standards BS EN 1279 and Part L Building Regulations.
SUPERLATIVE DOUBLE GLAZING
The internal window pane of our standard double glazed units is manufactured using Sola-glass Planitherm SGG™ glass. This glass reflects heat back into the building. Some types of heat reflecting glass have a green tint due to the “iron content” in the glass. This is noticeable and can reduce light through the glass. Heat reflecting, or low emissivity glass should be clear in appearance and appeals particularly to our customers in period properties. To improve insulation further, double glazed glass units made by The Sash Window Workshop incorporate a 8mm thermally efficient spacer bar that sits between the inner glass and the 4mm thick outside pane. The cavity between the two is filled with Argon, an inert gas and then sealed.
WHAT GLAZING CHOICES DO I HAVE?
When it comes to choosing which glass you have an unrivalled choice at The Sash Window Workshop. Some of the most popular choices are:
Pilkington Activ™ - Is the world’s first self cleaning glass! It is ideal for windows and doors that are difficult to reach, for example, skylights, dormer and feature windows. This glass has a unique coating that breaks down and loosens organic soiling, meaning that windows are easy to clean by simply hosing down or wiping with a soft cloth. It even works on cloudy days and at night.
Pilkington™ glass texture range. - A variety of styles of textured and patterned glass. These are very useful if privacy is a problem particularly as they allow a constant flow of daylight into a room. All styles can be incorporated into a double glazed unit and are in keeping with period traditional properties. We appreciate that sometimes our customers may have more specific bespoke requirements for textured, patterned or leaded glass. We have an extensive approved supplier list that we would be more than happy to talk to you about to help ensure that you get exactly what you want.
Pilkington Optilam Phon™, acoustic glass, is ideal if noise.is a problem. Typical sources of noise are road, rail, wind turbine, or air traffic. Optilam Phon™ glass uses a sophisticated membrane layer to reduce the sound traveling through the glass pane. This glass is an excellent alternative to secondary glazing. When considering this type of glass we recommend that you seek advice from an acoustic engineer to ensure the most effective solution.
Pilkington Optilam™ - Laminate/ Safety glass - This glass is excellent for improving the security of your doors and windows. Two panes of glass are joined together with a membrane. If anyone attempts to break the glass it will not shatter into shards as the broken glass sticks to the membrane adjoining the two panes.
Toughened glass™ Is ideal in areas that are vulnerable to burglary or accidental breakage. Toughened glass is heated to extreme temperatures, causing the properties of the glass to change. When broken, it shatters into small pieces, like smooth beads. This is a very important consideration if you have small children.
WHAT PERFORMANCE SHOULD I EXPECT?
The handcrafted, bespoke nature of the products and services we offer means that all our products conform to the highest industry standards. Outlined below are just some of the standards our products meet.
BS EN 1279 & PART L BUILDING REGULATIONS
Things to consider if your house is listed:
Whilst environmental considerations such as the thermal efficiency of windows, are forcing the regulatory authorities to take an increasingly flexible approach to the conservation and repair of windows and doors in listed buildings you do not have the same choices as those with a property that is not listed. There are several categories of listed building ranging from:
- Grade I Buildings of exceptional interest (approximately 2% of all listed buildings)
- Grade II* Particularly important and more than special interest (approximately 4% of listed buildings)
- Grade II Buildings of special interest warranting every effort being made to preserve them (approximately 94% of listed buildings)
If your property is Grade II listed then you generally have more leeway than those of higher ranking. Before undertaking any work on windows or doors we would strongly suggest that you talk to us first so that we can put you in touch with the best sources of advice. We have undertaken work with a wide range of listed buildings of all types and would be happy to place our experience at your disposal. For more information call 01344 868668
