A preservation project, this Edwardian double-bay fronted family home was in need of extensive repairs to a total of 36 sashes for the 18 windows which comprise the front of the property.

It was apparent that for many years the windows had been painted, and re-painted, shut. This common issue of paint build up had not only sealed the windows, restricting air flow, but had also obscured much of the finer joinery detail and character of the windows. Without essential ventilation, worsened by inappropriate internal secondary glazing, and combined with poorly considered and crudely executed repairs, the windows had suffered sever water damage and decay.

The sashes were removed and taken to the workshop where the original glass and ironmongery was carefully extracted and preserved to be re-fitted once repairs were complete. The thick build up of paint was stripped away and the sashes were assessed and faithfully repaired, restoring the integrity of the windows, both in strength and character.

On site, all 18 external window sills, which were beyond repair, had to be replicated and replaced as part of complex frame repairs which also included the lower portions of the sash runners and external faces of the window frames.

The sashes were re-glazed in the traditional manner using glazing putty and sashes and frames were primed with a linseed oil based paint. The home-owners, working with Ashdown Glaziers, had new custom stained glass panes made for the upper sashes of the ground floor windows; based on original designs that had survived elsewhere in the property. The repaired, restored and re-glazed windows were reinstalled, re-using as many of the reclaimed original weights as possible, with new sash cords, part and staff beading (complete with draft excluding brushes) and a combination of new and reclaimed ironmongery. Finally, the frames were sealed using burnt sand-mastic.