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Archive for the ‘Composite Doors’ Category

Apr1

Decent drip bars on doors help prevent wet floors!

Author: Mark Austin  |  Leave a Comment >>

The online Free Dictionary definition of a door drip bar is “A wood or metal strip which is fixed to the sill of an external door or a window to resist the penetration of water.” The primary function of an external door drip bar is to direct precipitation away from the door frame, door sash and door threshold onto the external ground.

Most modern double glazed door manufacturers should fit a drip bar onto the bottom of the external door sash to improve the products overall weather rating. Does the presence of a drip bar make a real difference? Absolutely, and when it comes to opening in doors, it matters even more so, as these need the protection of an external drip bar more than…

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Feb1

Nowadays a door needs to be so much more!

Author: Mark Austin  |  Leave a Comment >>

With climate change causing greater extremes of weather here in the United Kingdom, the vulnerable parts of our properties surely therefore need to be more weather-proof than ever before, whilst still performing the task for which they were designed. The problem with this is that sometimes the England & Wales Building Regulations are somewhat contradictory in this regard.

Take new front and back doors for extensions or on new build homes for example. UK Building Regulations require all new entrance doors fitted into home extensions or installed into new build dwellings to have low thresholds to allow wheelchair access, even though the vast majority of homeowners don’t use wheelchairs. Obviously they might sell their house to people with disabilities, so one can understand the requirement…

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Dec1

Are Ultimate composite doors products with no flaws?

Author: Mark Austin  |  Leave a Comment >>

Are Ultimate composite doors products with no flaws? No replacement door, be it made of timber, PVCu, aluminium, steel or composite can surely be 100% flawless? Well, no, but some doors are far nearer 100% perfection than others, aand the Ultimate range of composite doors comes closer than any other type of standard bespoke residential door in my opinion.

Hardwood timber doors look the best initially…….until they need re-varnishing or painting, PVCu doors cost the least to install, aluminium is a great compromise between strength, security and cost, steel doors are great for preventing burglary and fireproof, but high quality double glazed composite doors, like the Ultimate composite door is as close as you can get to all round perfection……apart from the cost! Whilst there…

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Sep1

Door in or out? Shake it all about!

Author: Mark Austin  |  Leave a Comment >>

When replacing an existing external residential door it is a unique opportunity to consider changing or improving the current way the door operates, whether currently hung left or right, opening in or opening out or whether with a standard or low threshold. A replacement bespoke double glazed door can also be designed to improve security, appearance, thermal efficiency, access and egress etc.

Made to measure replacement double glazed or triple glazed doors are a great way to improve a home, entrance and living space, all at the same time. Choose the right design, colour, specification, material and model, and you’ll add value as well as kerb appeal to your property. Choose the wrong door in…

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Aug1

Why an “Ultimate” composite door offers more

Author: Mark Austin  |  Leave a Comment >>

Door Energy Ratings were introduced by the UK authorities in 2012 to provide a simple and effective way of assessing the energy efficiency of residential doors (similar to the ratings shown on white electrical goods). Manufacturers Rockdoor were one of the first to design a composite door with double glazing that was A-Rated as standard, regardless of the size of glass or threshold option a property owner chooses.

According to the free online dictionary the word composite as a noun is “A complex material, such as wood or fiberglass, in which two or more distinct, structurally complementary substances, especially metals, ceramics, glasses, and polymers, combine to produce structural or functional properties not present in any individual component.” When using the word composite as an adjective, the free…

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Jul1

Even replacement doors have their limits!

Author: Mark Austin  |  Leave a Comment >>

Whether a property owner has decided on a replacement aluminium, composite, steel, timber or UPVC door(s), each type of material, as well as each “door system” has its limits. The minimum and maximum opening widths and heights that can be achieved vary considerably from one product to another, and also from one type of door to another.

Regardless of whether one is replacing a front, back, garage, French, sliding, folding or stable door, not every size of opening or configuration can be achieved. For example, when it comes to bi-folding doors, there are practical limits set by the systems manufacturers for their products, outside of which not only will the doors be likely to fail operationally, but they will not be covered by the manufacturers…

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Jun1

Buying a door? Get best type of threshold for the floor

Author: Mark Austin  |  Leave a Comment >>

It may not seem like a big deal what height and type of threshold a replacement door has, but choose the wrong one for the wrong installation and UK homeowners may live to regret their decision. Most of us would prefer all our external doors to have a low threshold from both a practical and aesthetic point of view……….However!

Whilst low thresholds are essential for internal floors to avoid trip hazards, they need careful consideration before being specified for external residential entrances. Whatever a double glazing salesman may tell you, the simple fact of the matter is that whatever type of replacement doors you are considering (i.e. aluminium, composite, hardwood or UPVC doors), a low threshold has a poorer weather rating than standard thresholds. The…

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May1

UK bespoke made from scratch composite doors

Author: Mark Austin  |  Leave a Comment >>

All the replacement composite doors supplied and fitted by Hazlemere Window Company, the door place, are tailor made in the UK to the highest standards, not imported from abroad at knock down prices. None of the double glazed bespoke composite doors are shaved down to size, thereby weakening the overall door, neither is there any clip on glazing. Every one of the composite front doors installed by Hazlemere Windows are made from scratch utilising top-of-the-range materials, which are reinforced to the hilt and fabricated to each customers own requirements.

Consequently a high performance well made composite door is something UK property owners can rely on. All made to measure composite doors fitted by Hazlemere feature a unique “inner frame” which holds all the locking components,…

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Apr1

Energy rated doors important energy savers

Author: Mark Austin  |  Leave a Comment >>

In September 2011 the British Fenestration Rating Council (BFRC) commenced their Door Energy Ratings Scheme (DER). Another official body, the British Standard Institute (BSI) has also introduced a Kitemark for replacement doors, enabling UK householders to select external doors tested by either of these recognised bodies so that they can choose external replacement door products that  have the highest possible rating.

The BFRC door scheme is simply an extension (to all kinds of domestic doors – external pedestrian doors and French, folding and sliding glazed doors) of the BFRC’s Windows Energy Ratings (WER’s) label scheme . The BFRC label makes the levels (A to G) for energy efficient doors understandable and easily visible, allowing UK home owners and specifiers alike to assess for themselves the energy efficiency properties…

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Mar1

Where is the most sensible place for a letterbox?

Author: Mark Austin  |  Leave a Comment >>

Where to locate your letterbox may not seem that important to start with, but it is one of those decisions that can have a big impact on how well your composite, hardwood, metal or PVC front door performs thermally efficiency wise, as well as sadly on how secure a UK property is.

Fitting a letterbox into an otherwise well insulated double glazed or triple glazed door is not the brightest thing if you want to exclude draughts from the internal lobby in your property. Even with nylon brush draught “excluder” fitted in the gap between the inner and outer flap of your letterbox will not be sufficient to keep out the extreme temperature we have experienced over the last 3 years, the most recent sustained…

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