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Could a wooden window made on site get BC sign-off?


epsilonGreedy

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The following steps have led to this question:

 

  1. My planning permission states I must fit wooden sash windows, 12 in total.
  2. Before buying the plot I got estimates for the factory made price of the windows and was then told fitting by the same supplier would be £200 per frame.
  3. I started to think through the complexities of diy window frame installation, my masonry window apertures sized to allow the sash frames to be fitted from the inside.
  4. I then started to worry about how to wriggle and shimmy the glazed windows through the aperture up to a snug fit with the facing bricks given their weigh, the biggest are around 100kg I recall.
  5. Concurrent to this I then looked at a few sash window restoration videos online and realized sash windows are designed to be part disassembled to get the sashes out (nice for painting in 10 years time).
  6. Combining points 4 & 5, I concluded it was simpler to fit the box sash frame minus the sashes and glazing = (guess) 75% weight reduction. Then fit the sashes as would a sash window restorer.
  7. Now I am thinking why no go the whole way, drive a transit van over to Lithuania, load it up with custom made unpainted and unglazed frames at the factory gate.
  8. Paint and glaze onsite with UK made and kite marked sealed glazing units, then fit disassembled as per point 6.

 

Would my windows get past building control for a new build?

 

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5 minutes ago, Mr Punter said:

If labour is cheap in Lithuania I would get them painted and delivered.

 

 

The thing is I have discovered linseed oil paints and I am now a believer in its mystical qualities. Three sample pots arrived in the post 5 minutes ago.

 

Looking ahead to 30 years of sash window painting maintenance I like the idea of starting off with linseed paint on the bare wood. Swmbo also likes the idea of a varnished/oiled interior finish and getting this done at a factory is very expensive.

 

The linseed paint thing is just a whim at the moment though I will probably use the paint on my wooden boxed eaves.

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10 minutes ago, epsilonGreedy said:

The thing is I have discovered linseed oil paints and I am now a believer in its mystical qualities. Three sample pots arrived in the post 5 minutes ago.

 

Looking ahead to 30 years of sash window painting maintenance I like the idea of starting off with linseed paint on the bare wood. Swmbo also likes the idea of a varnished/oiled interior finish and getting this done at a factory is very expensive.

 

The linseed paint thing is just a whim at the moment though I will probably use the paint on my wooden boxed eaves.

 

Stop it you hippie.

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I fitted my own windows in check reveals like you propose, not sash but still quite heavy with all the glazing in. I had my windows spray painted at the manufacturers (local) as I HATE painting. Mine was made easy by angled reveals which meant the inner block skin hole was wider than the outer brick skin hole. I don’t see why BC should have a problem but they must have certified locks to meet regs and glass in certain locations.

Edited by joe90
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Do not consider getting them unpainted

at the very least you want them primed and undercoated, the work involved in applying 4-5 coats of paint to a sash window is immense. 

 

All your savings in driving to god knows where will be wasted after you have spent 6-7-8 weeks painting them. 

 

If you you can save £200 per window fitting them then that’s what y our need to save money. 

 

Piss poor preparation and priming will lead to you having to repaint them in a few years time. 

 

Fitting them is a a piece of cake, and you will make a better job of sealing them than the monkeys the window company will send around. 

 

The 100kg one is a two man lift anything around 50kg you can do on your own. 

 

Just get a friend around around for an hour and lift the heavy ones into the holes, secure in place with a batten screwed to the inside overnight and level and fit correctly the next day. 

 

You will need a pair of glass suckers and some pump up wedges to level the windows. 

 

If you have multiple windows in one room a laser level and tape will get all the windows windows the same height. 

 

Read up on the regs regarding the correct glass for the location and fire escape sizes. 

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On 05/03/2021 at 20:06, Russell griffiths said:

Do not consider getting them unpainted

at the very least you want them primed and undercoated, the work involved in applying 4-5 coats of paint to a sash window is immense. 

 

 

According to the manufacturer of linseed oil paints I spoke to last week, their paints are most effective when built up from bare wood.

 

On 05/03/2021 at 20:06, Russell griffiths said:

The 100kg one is a two man lift anything around 50kg you can do on your own. 

 

Just get a friend around around for an hour and lift the heavy ones into the holes, secure in place with a batten screwed to the inside overnight and level and fit correctly the next day. 

 

You will need a pair of glass suckers and some pump up wedges to level the windows. 

 

 

As I envision the window fitting job the challenge is not just lifting a 100kg frame, the main challenge is to wobble and shimmy the frame forward into the block recess until the face of the frame has made firm contact with the rear of the facing bricks. I imagine this job would be much simpler with the sashes plus heavy glazing removed.

 

I just saw pump up wedges used to fit a window on YouTube, they look handy.

 

On 05/03/2021 at 20:06, Russell griffiths said:

Read up on the regs regarding the correct glass for the location and fire escape sizes. 

 

 

Yes this is critical, the upstairs windows start at two blocks high and rise to nose height. A health & safety nightmare.

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When I fitted my windows the cill was brick which protruded into the cavity a little, I simply (with the help of the builder for the large ones) lifted them onto this lip and propped it there whilst “jiggling” left and right to be central. It worked very well.

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