Timber-Clad Modern Derbyshire New Build

When you work in construction, a lot can be said about what you choose to put in your own home. Builders and architects are able to draw from a much broader range of experiences with materials and products (including windows) compared to the rest of us, so our manufacturers are naturally very pleased when their products are chosen for their personal homes.

For this builder’s own home, they opted for STM Tinium windows and front door to provide a modern aluminium exterior and to enjoy the natural insulation benefits of a high-density timber interior. The Nordic pine timber is guaranteed to be free from any knots or cracks, and is sourced from near the centre of the tree for maximum stability.

A Lacuna bifold door was included to form part of the corner sections. This thermally-modified beech timber door is painted with the same RAL colour and gloss level as the STM units, meaning that they match perfectly. Heat-treating the timber is a very effective way of preventing a timber door from expanding and contracting as the weather and temperature changes – many ‘normal’ timber bi-folds will either lose airtightness or start to stick at certain points in the year as they change shape. Furthermore, using the Lacuna top-hung system means that there is no groove or track for dirt, dust (or Lego) to collect and take away the opening smoothness from the timber.

The main entrance door is also an STM product, with the outer frame being alu-timber composite to match the surrounding frames. However, the door leaf is painted oak and filled with PUR foam for better insulation. Vertical grooves were machined into the outer timber to provide a styling detail, and the multi-point locking cylinder provides extra peace of mind – only a licenced company is able to cut a copy of the key.

German installation techniques, combining expanding foam and tape, ensure that the performance of the installation is just as effective as the high performance of the windows themselves. Finally, to achieve optimal airtightness, we used Tremco Illbruck’s i3 installation system on this project.