Some of the most beautiful and historic buildings in the UK are listed, meaning there are incredibly strict rules and regulations regarding the changes that you can make to their structure or appearance.
Living in a listed building has plenty of pros and cons. On the plus side, you get to live somewhere with significant historical importance, and listed buildings are some of the most aesthetically impressive anywhere in the world.
On the other hand, many of the changes that a modern homeowner would like to make to improve security or energy efficiency cannot easily be made.
If you have single glazing in your property, upgrading to more thermally efficient Advanced Double Glazing is a no brainer. That is unless you live in a listed building, in which case replacing the existing windows could be seen as inappropriate and may be rejected on conservation grounds.
Whether this is right or wrong is a discussion for another day, but in this article we are going to investigate some alternative options for listed building residents if installing new double glazing is not a possibility.
Secondary Glazing
Yes, this is different to double glazing. Rather than removing the existing window and replacing it, secondary glazing involves installing an additional layer of glass alongside the original to improve thermal performance.
As long as the glazing bars match, and the original window is not damaged during the process, this can be a clever way to avoid breaching conservation laws without costing yourself a fortune during the winter months.
Window Repair
If replacing single glazing really isn’t an option, the least you should do is to repair any sections of the window or frame that have been compromised.
Sure, single glazing isn’t great, but it is better that zero glazing. Although we do not install single glazing ourselves, many of our window systems work in a similar way to traditional windows so we know what we are doing.
Furthermore, many of our expert window fitters have been working in the industry for a few too many years that they would like to admit and are all too familiar with windows designs from the past few decades.
Installing Double Glazing
Yes, we know what we said earlier. However, in some cases it is possible to replace the windows of listed properties, as long as you stay faithful to the original aesthetic.
You might not be able to install the very latest uPVC frames, and your windows might not quite achieve the same U-Values as units in a more modern home with no development restrictions, but any way you can upgrade from single to double glazing is certainly worth doing and will result in an immediate improvement in your energy use and reduction in energy bills.
We have a huge selection of window styles and designs on display in our showroom and have installed windows in listed properties many times over the years.
Get in touch to learn more about how we could assist you.