Most wooden windows are still in good condition even after seventy years. It remains to be seen whether they will last another seventy. Where they have needed replacement, sometimes the result has been disappointing because some feature of the original has not been faithfully copied. A clever feature of the Collins design was to make the small opening light at the top of a window inconspicuous because the frame has the same thickness as the other glazing bars. A new factor is compliance with Part L, Conservation of Fuel and Power, of the Building Regulations for which the replacements will have to be double glazed. The rebates will need to be deeper and the glass no longer held in by putty but beading which is usually put on the inside. In the two cases where we know this has been done the appearance has changed and one was the subject of planning enforcement.
HCERA would very much like to hear from people who have had wooden windows made either as replacements or in extensions which are good matches to the original windows so we can recommend the maker to other residents.