Georgian, Modern Renovation Essex House

A formerly aged Essex house with old Sash Windows is transformed by local architects Edward Parsley Associates and Westbury Windows and Joinery, with stunning results.

‘Our clients had plans to extend and renovate their property, bringing much-needed modernisation to the building while at the same maintaining a traditional feel,’ explains Westbury Windows and Joinery’s Sales Manager, Rob Owens.

The house, with rooms now filled with sunlight, is a testament to the client’s vision for their home and the skills of local architects Edward Parsley Associates.

The clients asked Edward Parsley Associates to expand their home with a two-storey extension to the side elevation and an additional single-storey extension to the rear. As the original sash windows needed replacing, Westbury was asked to join the project and design bespoke windows and doors for the whole property. Our architectural-led approach and innovative products, which are modern yet traditional, made us the ideal choice.

All existing sash windows were replaced with our high-performance Spring Balanced Sash Windows, painted in a fresh Westbury White. Sash windows have always been associated with elegance and prestige, and particularly suit grand period homes. If you own a period property and love the idea of having traditional windows, then our timber Sash Windows are a modern take on a Georgian classic, with outstanding security, thermal and acoustic qualities. Two sashes make up each window, sliding open with a smooth movement using a modern pre-tensioned spring balance. We’re currently seeing an increase in demand for these elegant windows – find out more in our recent article: The return of the timber Sash Window.

The single-storey extension to the rear has an Orangery feel with a timber roof lantern and acts as an additional exit point, with the introduction of 6 & 3 leaf folding door sets that open out to the garden. The flat roof extension has been raised upwards with a magnificent square glazed roof lantern that serves to bring plenty of natural light into the room below.

The fine lines and characteristics of traditional wooden joinery can’t be replicated with uPVC alternatives, and providing the right materials are used, a timber door or window can last for years to come. We always use Accoya® for the outward-facing layer of our engineered wood, in addition to the more exposed parts of our products such as the external window cill. Accoya is CO² neutral throughout its full lifecycle, making it one of the very few building materials to have acquired Cradle-to-Cradle certification at Gold level. It is 100% biodegradable and offers exceptional performance and longevity.

To maintain a consistent style throughout the house, we produced traditional Georgian 6 over 6 sash window glazing bar designs, which complimented the 6 pane door designs with lower bolection-moulded panels. This style is in stark contrast to the original margin style glazed sash windows.

We painted all the doors in a crisp Westbury White colour, except for the entrace door, which was boldly painted in Westbury Grey to perfectly contrast against the surround frame. All the joinery was spray-painted with three coats of Teknos paint, a high-quality, water-based, microporous paint system. As the water in the paint evaporates, it leaves the joinery with a flawless, protective layer of colour that shields the timber from UV exposure, weather conditions and fungal damage. Providing the door and window frames are given a gentle wash down with soapy water on a biannual basis to remove any organisms on the surface, the paint will stay smooth and crack-free for up to 12 years before they need repainting. By combining Accoya® and Teknos paint, your joinery frames will last for 50 years or more.

From the outset, the clients wanted to create a show-stopping entrance to their home. We discussed different design options with them and manufactured a large double doorway with a beautiful, glazed fanlight featuring a traditional fishtail glazing bar design. ‘The advantage of a glazed fanlight is that you can bring in plenty of light into dark and gloomy hallways,’ explains Rob. ‘An entrance door is the first thing that draws your eye as you walk up to a house and sets the tone for what lies beyond the threshold.’

Locks, door handles, and other ironmongery fittings may seem like little details, but in fact, they should feel secure, stable, and functional whilst still looking visually attractive and in keeping with the style of the house. For this project, we fitted Polished Chrome ironmongery on all the doors and windows to add a modern feel, which nicely contrasts with the traditional timber joinery.

The whole property was then fully rendered to tie all the different sections of the house together, making it look as if the new extensions had always been there.

This property was designed by local architects Edward Parsley Associates who we work with regularly on new build and renovation projects. Westbury Windows and Joinery design exceptional bespoke windows, doors, and roof lanterns from our workshop in Essex. If you would like to come and see our work, you are welcome to book an appointment to visit one of our showrooms.