Worcestershire Farmhouse and Barn Conversion

Though we say so ourselves: a rather neat and equally-proportioned project! Clean lines of the timber Rationel Forma product have helped to span this corner of glass in a very natural way, and avoiding a more typical chunky timber frame section that’s often found in the UK.

Although both could have been made in one piece, both sides of the corner unit are completely separated fixed frames – three to the left and two to the right of the corner. The key consideration with ordering large frames from most European factories is that they will install and security-seal the glass in place at the factory… So something as large as this section would easily arrive as one whole 200kg item, with no way of offloading it off the lorry and no way of safely moving it around the project’s site. Therefore, separating this screen into a sensible number of sections avoids the need for mechanical lifting equipment, and therefore removes a lot of cost to the customer. It’s even easier doing this with Rationel items because the provided linking strips make lining-up each unit very simple.

Terrace doors from Rationel come with a few options for handle arrangements. For us, the most popular is what we see here: handles and locks both inside and outside. Just like a sidehung window, putting the handle down at any point whilst the door is open will engage a friction brake, holding the door where you left it.

This type of handle mechanism is very different from the more normal door handle that most people will be familiar with, and it needs a very different type of built-in security as a result. In a normal door, the spindle (metal rod that connects inside and outside handles) is solid all the way through. On these doors, there is an intentional weak point near the outside. If someone were to try to force the door open, the handle will simply snap off and there will be no way for the attacker to go through the door.

The cornerpost itself demonstrates the convenience of the RAL Classic colour chart. By using a colour option that’s recognised all across Europe for lots of different materials, we could be certain the Nordic pine timber of the window frames would have exactly the same colour an gloss level as the powder-coated aluminium corner cover. Further to this, you’ll see a timber arched head from another completely different factory – another identical colour match.

There sadly aren’t that many colour ranges where such a good match could be achieved, but the RAL Classic range is thankfully large enough for most customers to choose something that they like.

Incidentally, having an outward opening front door is far more popular in Denmark compared to the UK. They’re more airtight, more weathertight and increase the available interior space. So, whilst that may seem strange to the average UK household, there is some good logic behind it.

Most Danish hinges are steel, finished in a mid-dark grey. That seems to be a conclusion that all Danish manufacturers agree with as a one-colour-fits-all solution. But some are happy to offer colour-matching to the frame if they stand out too much in the customer’s opinion.

The inward opening door below has a completely difference handle mechanism. This is the main door of the building, and is therefore a high security entrance door. The handle and its backplate are a little more chunky and prepared for much more regular use, and it’s the same story with the mechanism hidden behind that.