Services Suspended Until Further Notice

Updated September 2023

Handyman Services Wirral

Sash Window Repairs and Maintenance Services

 Repair or Replacement of Doors

  Sash and Casement Windows.

Handmade Joinery Services

Wirral

Traditional Values - Quality Service ©

Tel 07463 117790

Old Versus New : Should I keep what I have ? or go for UPVC.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s many home owners replaced their sash windows and old wooden front doors faster than you can say "oops",  in favour of more modern wood or aluminium

replacements. In most cases removing the characterful look of the property.

Over time , many a skip has seen the sheer waste of historic lead lite windows and beautiful wooden front doors that gave the property it's own identity. These once skipped items can now be found in reclamation yards and antique shops up and down the country and are sold at a premium. 

Many home owners today are lured by the prospect of replacing their old wooden windows, doors and frames for so called maintenance free UPVC Double Glazed Replacements. items that have gone on to prove to be far from maintenance free, and in one instance one of my customers who had a snapped window locking mechanism that could not be freed, after a lot of time spent adjusting and attempting to free the rusted mechanism without success - unfortunately It resulted in the window needing to be replaced!!!.

Why Replace,  Why not Repair?

We have to thank the designers, builders and architects of the past for giving Britains buildings their wonderful character and features.

I love woodworking and the prospect of saving Historic Windows and Doors, so with this in mind its my opinion that replacing them does not have to be the only route.

After all the reason they have lasted so long is a testament to the quality of the timber and the construction techniques they used , the timber selection was also a very important part of the process.

It's because of this the timber windows and doors of yesteryear where built to provide longevity and integrity,  it would be interesting to see if a UPVC Window or Door will last a century or so - I very much doubt it.

Please don’t get me wrong I'm not knocking UPVC products they have their benefits too,  and I do fit them when requested,  but in an older period property why not consider a program of repairs to your existing wooden windows & doors as an option.

In many cases this type of detailed renovation work can actually add value to your property with many prospective home buyers looking for character and original feature.

The Process

Repairs can be undertaken to suit all budgets and traditional joinery or modern techniques are used,  for existing timber framed windows,firstly I start the removal of damaged or rotten wood,  then splicing or scalf jointing to the original sections using selected seasoned timber for solid structural repairs.

The use of specialist wood fillers is kept to an absolute minimum, I try to only use fillers to fill nail head holes or small blemishes. Repairs use only timber to avoid huge lumps of resin based fillers.

Where the window or door is truly beyond repair I can manufacture a Hand Made replacement that would be  constructed from the same or similar species of timber.  For finish,  The use of trade quality coatings are my main stream methods.

However,  for a more authentic approach to restoration ask about the bespoke traditional coatings that can be used to complete the work providing a lovely finish and longevity.

The following photos are examples of  replacement casement window and door manufacturing,  and the right hand side slide show contains examples of sash window repairs.

From Repairs to Full Restoration call me to discuss your project

Tel: 07463 117790

Handyman Wirral Joinery Services

07463 117790

Please leave a message and I will contact you to discuss your requirements