French Doors, Sash Windows and Entrance Door for Period Kent Home

We were delighted when we were asked to supply a new entrance door, spring balanced sash windows and French doors for this Kent country home. With this project, we found it interesting to see that classic brass ironmongery seems to be back in trend after shiny chrome saw a rise in popularity for a while.

This classic redbrick property boasts splendid views across the countryside and benefits from some unique period characteristics, such as knapped flint walls. The owners were keen to enhance these characteristics while specifying modern-performing windows and doors at the same time. They wanted to retain the home’s wow-factor while keeping it feeling warm and safe.

All Westbury doors and windows are designed to have exceptional thermal performance. We make them from premium materials that together offer the highest energy performance, resulting in lower heating bills and a warmer home. With deep inside-to-outside profiles, the timber itself helps to keep out the cold weather, in addition to the thick double-glazing.

Firstly, we designed a bespoke 6-panel entrance door with raised and field panels. The new timber door now gives the front of the property a sense of grandeur, and we finished off the look with a solid brass ring locker and round door pull. All Westbury front doors are factory hung on heavy-duty butt hinges, and we fit them with standard or heritage multi-locking systems. As the property is west facing, the door needed to be set back under a canopy to help protect it from the elements and ensure its long lifespan. Painted in Upton White, it now has an exclusive feel and is sure to impress neighbours and visitors alike. We added the glazed fanlight above the door, which lets plenty of natural light stream into the main foyer of the house.

At the front of the property, we fitted a bespoke pivoting circular window (also known as a bull’s eye window) to replace an existing feature. Throughout the rest of the property, we installed smart-looking spring balanced sash windows, resting on concrete cills.  These elegant windows have pre-tensioned heavy-duty balances instead of the traditional box chord and weights, operating with a finger-touch push for a seamless open. With their period authenticity and classic sightlines, they were the ideal choice for the client. We shaped the head of each window to sit nicely in the brick arch above its opening.

We fitted a pair of timeless French doors at the back of the property, creating a vast and expansive opening out onto the garden. A derivative of the traditional French casement window, the doors have been adapted to suit balconies, patios and other external access areas. They open outwards, and are fitted with projection hinges to allow them to extend fully. The French doors perfectly complement the rest of the building with a margin glazing bar design and a feature bead panel. A head fillet at the top of the French doors helps them to match up with the existing brickwork arches. Solid brass door handles complete the look and helps to tie everything together.

When it comes to ironmongery, we only use products that have been made to the highest of standards from top grade metals. Above all, locks and door handle need to feel secure and robust, but they also need to look smart too, so we use the best British-made products available.

At the rear of the property on the top floor, we included Venetian sash windows to ensure that they stayed in alignment with the French doors on the ground floor. Classically, Venetian windows have a large centre panel and two smaller ones on either side, making them perfect for creating balance and proportion for the rest of the property.