FAQ

Yes.  Many people believe, quite wrongly, that if you want to have double glazed windows your only option is uPVC but most styles of timber windows can incorporate double glazing including traditional style vertical sliding sash windows. As our windows are custom-made, we can also replicate traditional mouldings and features from the existing style. 

If the existing windows have slim glazing bars, 14mm or 16mm double glazed units can be used or, alternatively, you can have 24mm double glazed units with applied glazing bars.  Examples of windows with slim double glazed units can be seen in our Case Studies 'Replacement windows and doors' and 'Listed Cottage in Lindfield'.

We are always happy to advise on the options that are available.  With properties in Conservation areas it is advisable to make an initial enquiry with your local Planning Department.  Alterations to Listed Properties will always require Listed Building Consent.

Yes.  We offer an insurance backed company guarantee on all of our installations through our membership of the Consumer Protection Association.  This entitles our customers to a five year guarantee on softwood products and ten year guarantee on hardwood products against defects arising from faulty workmanship or materials.  Please refer to the section entitled 'Consumer Protection Association' on our website for further information.

In some circumstances it is possible to zero rate approved alterations to protected buildings provided that these meet with the criteria as set out by HMRC.  The work must be considered to be an 'alteration' rather than 'repair or maintenance' and must be approved usually via Listed Building Consent.  'Alterations' can include extensions to the property, opening/closing doorways, replacement of UPVC joinery with copies of the originals for aesthetic reasons or installing a window where one did not exist previously.  For further information please refer to www.hmrc.gov.uk

Conservation areas are 'any areas of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance'.  If an area has been designated as a Conservation area, the local authority is encouraged to implement conservation policies over these sensitive areas.  In these areas, the emphasis is on the external appearance of buildings and the detailing of the windows is considered to be a very important element of the character and appearance of a building and anything which will alter the design, detailing, materials or method of operation of the window requires very careful consideration.  We would, therefore, strongly recommend that you contact your local Planning Services to discuss your proposals in the first instance. For example, our local authority, Lewes District Council, offer extensive advice on their website at www.lewes.gov.uk/planning on 'Windows in Historic Buildings'.

We can incorporate double glazed units into most window designs and, therefore, improve their thermal efficiency whislt payment particular attention to the existing mouldings, the design and operation of the window as we will manufacture custom-made replacements.  Where the windows have Georgian style slim glazing bars, we can either incorporate slimmer double glazed, krypton gas filled units or, alternatively, offer 24mm double glazed units with inset spacer bar and applied glazing bars to the exterior surface of the unit to give the appearance of single panes of glass.

If you are advised that double glazed alternatives will not be considered appropriate and your existing windows still require replacement as they have deteriorated to the point where they are considered beyond repair, we can manufacture like-for-like replacements which can match the design, detailing and material of the existing whilst incorporating draught strip and security ironmongery.  As your property is within a Conservation area, your windows will be exempt from the thermal efficiency requirements of the Building Regulations but other less obtrusive measures could be implemented such as loft insulation, cavity wall insultation or a new energy efficient boiler.

The hardwoods that we use are generally more stable and weather resistant than joinery quality softwoods.

All of our softwood windows are manufactured with hardwood cills as it is this component of a window that is subjected to most of the effects of weathering.  We would prefer to manufacture exterior doors in hardwood as the door stiles will be be more stable and less inclined to warping and movement once fitted.  All of our bi-folding door sets are manufactured in hardwood.

For further information about hardwoods and softwood, please refer to the appropriate section under our About Wood tab.

As we manufacture a custom-made product, we can tailor make a design to your particular specification.  Here at Parsons Joinery, there is no such thing as a standard range of designs to choose from.

We would recommend that you look in your area for similar style properties with front doors that are aesthetically pleasing to you and, if you have a camera handy, take a photograph of the door for us to look at.  Alternatively, look through magazines for inspiration.  Once you have an idea of the style of door that you would prefer, either email this to us with rough measurements for an idea of budget or telephone us to book an appointment for Trevor to discuss your requirements and take measurements and then we can provide you with a free quotation.

We are always happy to show customers and potential customers around our workshop in Ringmer so that they can see the quality of our work.  We do not have a showroom as all of our joinery is custom-made to our customers' individual specification and we do not manufacture a standard product.  Our hours are Monday to Friday, 8.00am - 5.00pm.  Please call us to arrange an appointment.

Timber is both sustainable and renewable as a resource.  However, illegal logging and poor forest management pose a hugh threat to the sustainability of forests, the survival of their eco-systems and the economy of the producer countries.

For this reason we carefully select reputable timber suppliers who take their environmental responsibilities seriously, endeavouring to source timber either from independently certified sustainable forests or from those who have been independently verified to be traceable, from legally harvested forests and from forests where management practices are actively improving to achieve credible certification.

For further information about Sustainability in Construction, please refer to the Sustainability tab on our website or call us to discuss your choice of timber.