Secondary glazing to a set of patio doors in a residential property in Cockfosters, North London makes a living room warmer for a couple’s new born baby.
The Chowdhurys moved into their home in 2015 and renovated their semi-detached property from top to bottom, neglecting one area as they felt a change was not needed at the time. The single glazed patio doors were a little flimsy, but the slight draughts and noise from outside did not affect them enough to warrant replacing them. Fast-forward to Autumn 2019, the couple had a baby and this all changed. The living room was colder than other areas of the house, due to the single glazed patio doors, which were originally installed when the house was built in the early 70s. New Barnet railway station is close to the couple’s house, so they were anxious about the levels of noise from the passing trains.
Having explored various options to improve thermal insulation, it turned out that by installing secondary glazing to the primary single glazed sliding doors would be a more cost-effective solution. The opening was around 2m x 2m and it was important to the family that the treatment would be as unobtrusive as possible, complementing the sightlines of the current patio doors.
An order was placed for a Series 10 horizontal sliding unit. This unit is a versatile secondary glazing treatment that allows easy access to the outer window and can be used to treat sliding patio doors. By installing an independent glazing system, heat loss can be decreased by up to 60%. The high-performance brush seals guarantee draughts are eliminated, thus boosting comfort near a window. Timber grounds were set up in the reveal, which had skirting boards. Installers scribed into the timber frame to create matching grooves and nuances to fit tight in the reveal and over the skirting.
To create the requisite noise insulation, the Series 10 was set 100mm apart from the doors and therefore achieved an acoustic reduction of over 40dB. In addition, from a security standpoint, the inclusion of secondary glazing to a set of patio doors provides a second barrier to entry. The Series 10 was installed with 6.4mm laminated glass which increased noise reduction as well as offering added strength and security to the unit.
The clients are ecstatic with their new secondary unit and have benefited greatly from the warmer and quieter living room environment, which has negated any anxieties they had over the comfort of their baby.
"I am so impressed by the look and performance of our secondary glazing. The whole point of getting our doors treated was to improve thermal and noise insulation for the benefit of our baby and it has done that.” Monika Chowdhury
Founded in 1966, Royal Warrant Holder Selectaglaze has considerable experience of working within Listed and sensitive buildings. Selectaglaze distributes monthly Spotlight e-bulletins, with recent updates, new blogpost and events – so sign up on spotlight blogs to not miss out.