Read How Sash Window Restoration Can Boost The Sale Value Of Your Property

Sash windows are an important part of the heritage of our towns and cities. The character of many buildings depends on the retention of the doors, windows and other fittings which the architect designed for them. Keeping original features such as sash windows is also not just a question of taste. It can make economic sense because the windows were originally made from the highest quality wood available, and real estate agents agree that the retention of original features adds value to properties, and helps them to sell more quickly. This article explains how sash window restoration can increase the sale value of your property.

Single-hung sash windows were probably invented by the French, and copied by the British during the seventeenth century. After that introduction, the double-hung sash appears to have been invented in England, and it allowed much more subtle ventilation than in the older side hung casement windows which were prevalent in earlier buildings.

Until about 1700 many windows used native oak, and other hardwoods, but as these woods were becoming rarer and more expensive, they were replaced by what joiners called deal. This included various softwoods from fir and pine trees.

Although many timber windows built in the 1950s and 1960s have already deteriorated, sash windows from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries may often be found in good condition. This is because the Georgian and Victorian builders used the more expensive, and higher quality heartwood, from the center of the tree, rather than the cheaper sapwood, which is often unsuitable for external joinery.

It is important in any repair or refurbishment to use the best quality heartwood, or if that is not available, to use sapwood which has been well treated with timber preservative. It is a myth that all softwood is poor quality. There are many excellent quality timbers available from managed forests in the UK, Scandinavia and North America, which may be expected to last for decades or even centuries.

Windows may be repaired using appropriate materials and modern timber preservatives, and the use of modern paints will lengthen the time needed between new coats of paint. There are also improvements such as built in weather seals which can be incorporated during the refurbishment. The sashes are removed and grooves are machined in them to accept these discreet seals, which eliminate draughts and rattles.

There are also modern glasses available which provide better thermal and noise performance than the original window glass. Security, plus safety for young children, may also be improved by fitting more modern varieties of lock.

Get inside info on how sash window restoration can significantly increase the sale value of your property now in our super guide to sash window repairs and sash windows london .

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