Also a higher degree of security would be on most peoples list of priorities, with multipoint locking mechanisms on both windows and doors accompanied by the latest 3* locking door cylinders to reduce the chance of forced entry through picking or bumping the cylinder.
Safety should also at the forefront of the mind especially if there are small children or vulnerable adults in the home. A lot of the homes in which we replace windows don’t have a proper escape route in the event of a fire. Many bedrooms have small opening top lights above a fixed double glazed unit that provide ventilation but not a means of escape. Trying to smash your way out would be very difficult especially without some type of heavy solid instrument, the jagged pieces of glass left in the frame would prove an equally lethal hazard. If the glass were toughened smashing it would be almost impossible.
An egress or fire escape window needs to have a minimum of 450mm clear opening in any direction and special hinges are usually required to achieve this.
We don’t intend to frighten anyone, indeed the time you would require the use of a fire escape may not ever, indeed probably would never come but we all pay for car and house insurance in the hope that we are never going to have to use it.
Finally improved aesthetics, the look of your home from both the exterior and the interior and to this end there is a very wide choice. From the type of material, usually aluminium or PVCu, to the balance between opening and fixed lights, whether to have dummy sashes to give that balance or choose a style that avoids that need.
Colour is today a huge variable, whereas one time the choice was either white or some kind of striped brown that was supposed to mimic timber today every colour of the rainbow and many in between is available. Black and Anthracite Grey are a very popular choice while Chartwell Green is finding a niche in period style houses. And that is the crux, the type of home you have, the material from which it is constructed to the external colour of the brick, stone or render will all play a role in deciding which colour you will choose for the outside while for the inside white is the popular choice as it is neutral and gives the feeling of light and airiness but that is not a fixed rule.
Give Rob or Mike a call to discuss your options, we don’t employ salesmen or tactics our advice is based on may years experience within the industry.
