Make your heritage home renovation a reality – aluminium windows and doors for period properties

Renovating a period property brings with it a unique set of challenges and opportunities. Depending on your individual preference you may want to upgrade your property completely in keeping with the original style, or you may choose to marry old with a more modern aesthetic. If you would like a more updated look for your heritage property, it is worth trying to find products that, while giving you all the mod cons you are looking for, are also still in keeping with the character of your home.

Of course, upgrading a period property, particularly with external home improvements, is not as straight forward as renovating a newer house anyway. Some heritage homes are situated in conservation areas with stringent rules about what you can and cannot do to your property. If you are unsure about the regulations affecting your area or your home specifically, a good place to start is the Government’s Guidance for the Historic Environment. This resource explains the difference between listed building consent and planning permission for example, as well as why properties might be deemed of significant architectural interest.  

The benefits of modern building materials

One of the biggest challenges of renovating period properties is that their original construction consists of more traditional materials, such as timber or steel for windows and doors. For those that want to replace like for like, there are options available, but for those in search of the ‘Grand Design’ dream home modern aesthetic, aluminium also has a lot to offer heritage properties. As long as these aluminium products have been designed with period properties in mind. Reynaers at Home understands the importance of renovations that need to be sympathetic to the character of the property and so offers a range of products specifically for these homes. All of these products come with no compromise to performance and offer all of the following benefits. 

Thermal efficiency

This is often a top priority for older homes that have historically used more traditional building materials. There is a requirement to not only make these properties more comfortable to live in, but also to reduce expensive fuel bills, ideally with more sustainable home improvement products.

Huge technological strides have been made to improve the energy performance of aluminium windows and doors making it an excellent choice for thermal efficiency. Aluminium home improvements now contain something called a thermal break which is a piece of additional material inserted inside the aluminium frame that effectively creates two sections and stops the heat transfer between indoors and outdoors.

For example, one product in our heritage range, the Reynaers at Home SL 68 Slim Frame aluminium windows can already achieve an A++ energy rating, which means you can enjoy savings on your fuel bills straight away, and be confident that any upcoming legislation won’t overtake the performance of your newly installed windows any time soon.

Security

The other aspect of home improvements that has come on leaps and bounds and can now offer huge improvements against more traditional building materials, is security. The strength of aluminium as a building material is among the best, which makes it a popular choice for any home. The material is inherently strong, so window or door frames are unlikely to crack or dislodge if hit with a blunt object. It is also very difficult to cut into, which makes it much harder for any potential burglars to access the panes of glass inside the window or door.  

While aluminium might be considered the strongest material for window and door frames, there are of course other factors that affect security. The glazing, hardware, and locks that are used on windows and doors all have an important part to play. Any good aluminium home improvement company should be able to offer you the very best in security for all heritage products, without compromise.  

Slim frames

Traditional windows, often made of steel, have slimmer frames than most modern alternatives, but because of its inherent strength, aluminium is the perfect material to offer the same slim frames without any compromise to structural integrity. The design of our Reynaers at Home heritage windows mimics the sightlines of the original steel-framed windows with their slim frames which also has the benefit of maximising the glass area on the window. This is particularly useful for darker properties as they allow in more natural daylight. The 68mm frame depth we use also makes it perfect as a replacement window as it usually fits within the existing plaster line.

Start your perfect period renovation with the right partner

Developing any property is a big undertaking, especially with higher value home improvements such as windows and doors. But upgrading a heritage property brings with it a different set of challenges and possibilities. There is no need to compromise on your dream just because you live in a more traditional building, and when done well, the right products can seamlessly integrate the old with the new for a great-looking, warm and secure home. It is important however to work with the right partner to make sure your vision is brought to life. The members of our carefully selected network of Reynaers at Home installers have all the knowledge and expertise you need to renovate your heritage home, and will work closely with us from the beginning of your project to make sure you get exactly what you need. Find your local Reynaers at Home installer today to start your renovation journey.