Cotswold Cottage Keeps The Heat In

A beautiful country cottage set on the edge of the Warwickshire Cotswolds; still looking in sync with the background with our Danish timber windows.

To the exasperation of the new owner, this used to be a rather cold and drafty home… The road-facing windows had been replaced somewhat recently, but the remaining single glazing set within very thin and fragile timber frames was creating a serious imbalance. The rear door was also rather traditional, and required use of the customer’s draft excluders to keep the kitchen temperature liveable. Very decorative and very suited to a country home, but equally resulted in heavy heating bills and an ultimately uncomfortable living space.

What if a traditional timber window could also be top-tier airtight with beyond-modern heat insulation? Well, obviously when you talk you us, we naturally look to Denmark to create bespoke items that perfectly align with the task in hand.

STM Sapino is a staple product for us. It’s an incredibly versatile timber window which has been around for decades and can be tailored to suit anything from a shopfront to a traditional country cottage. Wander through any village, town or city in Denmark and you’ll be walking past this frame profile within the first few minutes. Last time, near Aalborg, we even encountered a fresh delivery on the roadside (we’re weird window people, of course we stopped to chat with the Danish customer to find out what sort of items they’d chosen). A tried and tested product; we can’t see Sapino going out of favour any time soon.

An almost last minute addition: the two tiny windows on the side of the house were only added at our final survey. At one point in their long life, those windows probably were openable, but those days were long gone, and the only openable parts were the internal shutters. The frames were absolutely tiny; it would’ve looked ridiculous if we squeezed a new opening casement in the available space.

Discussing solutions together with our lead installer and our customer, we reach the conclusion that the two other massive windows in the same room were providing more than enough practical ventilation and, since the old windows had seized shut long ago, nothing was being lost if they were to be made to be fixed on purpose this time! This allowed us to create units with a tiny sightline, but still the full depth. Happily providing the full insulation characteristics of the system, without reducing the amount of natural light coming through.