In the late seventies/early eighties, I was the new kid on the block, spending my days surveying old Georgian and Victorian buildings for manufacture of replacement joinery and traditional sash windows. I really started understanding all about the importance of window design and fenestration.
Sadly, timber was not a popular material for windows at this time – everyone wanted white PVCu, regardless of their property’s architectural style or surroundings. This is because earlier post-war windows had been poorly manufactured with cheap softwoods that had fallen victim to rot.
In the next decade or so, I worked my way up through the ranks, and, with my team, started working on crafting a high quality timber window that would challenge and change the market. We instigated a number of technical industry firsts, including industrialised application of wooden bars to glass, factory-fitted glazing, knot-free laminated timber sections as raw material, and product weather testing, to name a few.
Over time, these processes came to be adopted as a new standard by all of the British timber window companies. And timber started to win the tug-of-war against PVCu.
Timber Demand Flourishes
The timber window industry started flourishing, leading to great technological developments. With this came more precise jointing methods, and cutting edge advancements in software. We brought in durable, laminated raw materials such as European and Siberian larches as an environmentally friendly alternative to the solid hardwoods and pines.
Traditionally, windows would be supplied to the site unglazed and unfinished, and the end product was not always that good. When we switched to factory-fitted glazing and paint finishing, there were two main effects; firstly, a major transition in factory processes, forcing manufacturers to think more about design for the best quality finish.
Secondly, builders and site workers had to change their methods, learning how to handle and fit a finished product rather than build it into template openings. Overall, this was one of the biggest changes I have witnessed in the industry, transforming the performance and appearance of timber windows.
A Window into The Future
With the rise in contemporary residential projects aluminium is becoming increasingly popular because of the perception it holds in terms of maintenance and aesthetics. That said, I’m also seeing more aluminium-clad timber, too, so once again, timber is still winning its way. When we apply what we know about fenestration design, timber is the clear winner, offering a flexible material for producing shapes and curves as well as being more economical and sustainable than aluminium.
On the whole, I’m finding today’s consumers care a lot more about the origins of their purchases; they want to know where things come from, how they are made, if they are sustainable and environmentally friendly.
When it comes to windows, they want a product that not only performs well and offers longevity, but also one that looks amazing from the inside and the outside.
With Brexit looming, and import charges set to surge, I imagine a future where consumers will lean more towards products that have been designed and made in Britain to keep their outgoings down where possible.
The timber window industry is on top of these trends, and we’ve got all of the technology and techniques to make sure it will continue to develop in these ways.
A major hurdle we are working to overcome at the moment is in educating consumers about the many benefits of engineered timber joinery. If we can continue to be successful with this then the timber fenestration market will continue to grow as consumers start understanding the advantages over PVCu products. Engineered timber for example will offer superior environmental and energy credentials, and a long lasting durable finish.
Moving forward, there will be challenges along the way – but there always have been – and our industry is strong and resilient to these. Timber window manufacturers such as Westbury have had to rethink their entire manufacturing processes to ensure detailed design of fenestration products and the quality of the raw materials.
As the move toward high quality engineered timber proves necessary for producing a stable, secure product, we are seeing less and less solid raw timber being used.
My opinion is that our materials and processes are really dominating the market right now, and this is just the beginning of what is to come.
