Double glazed Georgian sash and slim sliding doors for Cricklewood renovation

Interior designer Amelie and her husband set their eyes on this stunning detached Edwardian property in Walm Lane, Cricklewood in 2016 and acquired it shortly after. They bought this house with the intention to improve and make it a new home for themselves and their 3 children.

Having an eye for detail and a passion for design, Amelie knew straight away that she would like to introduce some lifestyle and family-friendly improvements to this beautiful, yet draughty property. All the original timber sash windows were still single glazed. Having just lived in a single glazed property in neighbouring Queens Park, the couple had first hand experience of what it was like to live in draughty conditions. The windows had to be replaced.

The couple also wanted to extend the back of the property to make it more inviting, and to accommodate their lifestyle. And at the same time create a seamless transition between the house and a spacious and beautiful south facing rear garden. After carefully considering their rear extension option, the couple decided to extend the rear leaving a little bit of a patio area on the side for the bbq.

“We were hesitating whether to get sliding or bi-folding doors.” says Amelie. “We were initially thinking about getting bi-folding doors. But then we visited Grand Designs and we met with several window manufacturers, and I don’t remember which one said it – but it was pointed out to us that when we have such a big opening we should have sliding doors.”

They started looking into sliding doors focusing on the large glass panels and the slimmest frames possible and contacted a few window manufacturers.

Whilst searching for the right glazier, Amelie was referred to Perfect Crystal Windows by her builders, who had worked with PCW on previous occasions.

We knew we wanted double glazed timber sash windows, so we contacted them for a quote. We have also visited their Park Royal showroom on two separate occasions. We found exactly what we wanted, so we decided to place our quote for all the glazing with them.

The couple had chosen Perfect Crystal Windows to manufacture and install all the replacement wooden sash windows, large slim frame sliding doors, glazed roof and large skylight.

When it came to choosing sliding doors, we wanted to go for the thinnest frames possible, so the frames wouldn’t obstruct our view. There are thinner ones on the market. But what we realised was that as the windows are so big – it’s really not an issue to have 26mm frames instead of 20mm. On top of that PCW were very competitive on the price and also the timeframe.

To make their living/dining area brighter and make the most out of natural light the couple decided to install a large flat skylight and a lean-to-roof over one side of the extension. The glazing received UV treatment. “Both the skylight and lean-to-roof had to be adjusted and as a result we had to wait a little bit longer for them to be installed.” says Amelie.

The couple knew that they had to replace all the single glazed windows and make their new home more energy efficient, but it was important to replicate the style of the original windows. Fortunately it is now possible to make double-glazed windows that are virtually indistinguishable from the originals.

It was quite complex project. And as a result the couple changed all the windows except for one – Amelie kept one stained glass window (single glazed) that is situated in the hallway. That’s the only window that’s not double glazed. with new double glazed sash windows, as they were single glazed.

Brand new modern hardwood sliding sash windows replaced like-for-like original single glazed sash windows. It was important to replicate the Georgian design and decorative elements of the original windows.

Alongside upgrading to double glazing they have also insulated the house. It made such a massive difference that they don’t even have to put the heating on!

One of the new and stand out design features are “splashback windows”. “It was one of the things that I asked for, and PCW were happy to deliver. I asked them to make sure all the window frames are not visible” says Amelie, “and I’m very happy with the results”. Those windows had to be designed and carefully coordinated with the builders – to make sure the height of the base units and kitchen worktop come to the right height to conceal all the frames. Everything had to be concealed to maintain the clean lines –  and the result is stunning.

Overall we’re very happy with all our windows and doors and we would definitely recommend PCW to others. In hindsight we’re really happy we’ve decided to get all the glazing from one company.