JOINERS could begin the journey of expanding their offering to timber sash and case windows at an event in Stirling later this month.
Use of the windows commenced in Scotland in the late 17th century, and later weights and pulleys were applied to the sashes. They remained a staple in property builds in the centuries that followed and today find themselves the marvel of tourists in Edinburgh’s historic streets or those passing Glasgow tenements.
“I think the way fenestration and architecture has emerged in Scotland means it’s pretty much the most common window type,” Roger Curtis, head of technical resources at Historic Environment Scotland (HES), told Project Scotland. “I think we have taken them for granted and they are now getting lost due to poor perceptions and shortage of folk to repair them – but they are a great example of good design and architecture and technically they work really well.”
The ability to open the top and bottom of sash and case windows means they offer increased ventilation, which is becoming increasingly important as temperatures rise, residents look to guard against damp and mould, and people become more aware of the need to ensure good indoor air quality, for which ventilation is essential.
Acknowledging that some may think such windows may be inferior to modern alternatives due to age, Roger said this is mostly not the case. With proper maintenance and repair they can easily last over 100 years.
“There’s plenty of windows in Edinburgh tenements from the 1890s and before… so there’s a durability argument,” he explained. “There’s also a low-embodied carbon argument – this is timber of quality you can’t buy today, so it does break my heart when I see a skip full of sashes and someone is putting in plastic stuff that might not last as long and have consumed a whole lot of carbon in their manufacture.”
As some sash and case windows age, their performance will decline and now an EPC will not mark you well on a single-glazed window. However, it can be improved through suitable upgrades such as draught-proofing, adding secondary glazing, or where consents allow, new double-glazed units, of which there are many types. And where the window has been lost, a new sash and case with modern glazing gives good energy performance. Maintenance and upgrade will give sustainable low-term benefits.
“I think if you go to a property with poor replacement windows, where they’ve maybe been replaced badly, the building looks wrong – new windows will get the architectural style back into your property,” Roger added. “It’ll cost you money (to upgrade existing windows), but I would argue that you get an increase in the value of your property because, architecturally, it looks how it’s meant to look. Quite often when people see sash and case windows on an elevation of a house they say ‘oh, that’s a smart house’ – but it might be quite a normal one that just looks good because it has the right windows for the building, and I think that’s quite important for owners and buyers to appreciate.”
For owners to have the choice, it needs to be available and affordable, so Roger revealed we all need to try and encourage the development of capacity in joinery in Scotland to meet this demand.
“We’ve been trying to push for repair and upgrade to existing timber windows of all types, and to encourage a supply chain in the repair and maintenance of joinery items as well as for new timber windows. For a medium-sized joinery contractor I think that’s quite good work to have.”
When he joined HES in 2006, Roger recalled how people would frequently call in asking if the organisation knew of any joiners who could repair their sash and case windows, and he struggled to help. Now, he added, it’s much easier and more common to see vans with sash window repair written on the side, advertising their capabilities. However, he added this is generally restricted to areas such as Edinburgh, and he wants to see that spread across the rest of Scotland.
Roger will co-host an event at HES’ Engine Shed facility in Stirling on March 18, which focuses on the conservation of older timber work and timber windows. He will lead a specific module on sash and case windows, covering repairs, improvements, and general observations.
“I would like to see joiners come along, have a chat and hopefully give them confidence that this is a market worth looking at,” Roger concluded.
