Two single storey barns in South Devon, rebuilt from the ground up and glazed in RAL 9005 Jet Black. Installed by our approved partner Aspect Windows of Exeter, working alongside the architects and the homeowners.
The owners wanted heritage character with modern performance and in this style of building the heritage aesthetic was ideal. Additionally the windows had to be slim enough to allow the best possible views to the landscaped terraces and the hills beyond.
This project of heritage windows and doors in Devon works alongside sliding doors and casement windows in a contemporary style. Our products feature premium grade aluminium, rolled steel profiles, advanced polyamide thermal breaks, high performance glass and a Qualicoat approved RAL 9005 Jet Black finish.
The two barns look different. One is clad in black stained vertical timber under a standing seam roof. The other is natural stone with red cedar above and black wood cladding on other elevations.
HERITAGE WINDOWS IN A SOUTH DEVON BARN
The main window to the black barn is a four module Aluco Elite casement, designed as two side hung sashes with two fixed panes. Two 20mm horizontal glazing bars run the full width, dividing the window into a grid of twelve.
On a casement with opening sashes and fixed panes side by side, there is the option of dummy sashes in the fixed panes with the intention of having equal glass and sightlines. For this project the client opted for the standard window version, giving larger glass sizes in the fixed panes with less visible aluminium.
Aluco Elite Windows are our own design. The outer frame carries the rolled steel profile of a classic metal window, with the face widths and bar proportions taken from the originals rather than approximated. Sections are latest generation premium aluminium with a deep polyamide thermal break, finished to Qualicoat approved standard in RAL 9005 Jet Black.
Trickle ventilators are concealed within the frame, so the head of the window stays clean and the ventilation requirement is met without a slot cut through the face. Glazing beads are internal, which means the glass cannot be removed from outside the building. Multipoint locking is fitted as standard across the opening sashes, with colour matched hardware throughout.
The side hung sashes here are hung on colour matched hinges and run on multipoint gearing, so a sash of this size closes and locks at several points along its height rather than at the handle alone. On a twelve module window, that is what keeps the sash straight and the weather seals in contact along the full length of the leaf. Glazing to the window is 28mm annealed units with a soft coat low emissivity coating, warm edge spacer bars and argon gas fill.
HERITAGE FRENCH DOORS INTO A STONE OPENING
Set into a natural stone surround on the second barn is a pair of Floating Lock French doors with side panels. The doors form the larger central element, with narrower fixed panels either side, and 20mm glazing bars divide the set into sixteen modules.
Floating Lock is our own design and it exists for one reason. On a conventional French door, the lock case and backplate interrupt the glazing bars and sit as a visible block in the middle of the leaf. Ours uses an ultra slim backplate, so the door keeps its proportions and the bars retain their aesthetics.
Hardware is colour matched black throughout, with Art Deco lever handles and matching hinges. A colour matched trickle ventilator is integrated at the head to satisfy Part F of the Building Regulations.
The doors are glazed with toughened safety glass, again with a soft coat low emissivity coating, warm edge spacer bars and argon gas fill. Multipoint locking and a high security three star cylinder are fitted as standard, with a matching cill completing the set.
One detail is easy to miss and worth the attention it took. The doors are set low, so the cill lines through with the ACO drainage channel on the terrace outside. You get a level transition from the floor inside to the paving outside, with no step and no visible change in level across the threshold. That requires the drainage, the paving levels and the door cill to be agreed before anything is made, not after.
MADE IN BRITAIN, HERITAGE WINDOWS AND DOORS IN DEVON AND NATIONWIDE
Every Aluco window, door and screen is made to order in our Cambridge factory and showroom, and installed through a nationwide network of trained and approved installers. Every product is largely handcrafted, with a hand finished final inspection before it leaves us.
Contact us today for details of your nearest installer, and for more information about the Aluco Elite Exterior Collection and the Aluco Interior Collection.
PROJECT DETAILS
Location: South Devon
Property: Two single storey barn conversions, rebuilt from the ground up. Natural stone with red cedar cladding, and black stained vertical timber
Products used: Aluco Elite Exterior Collection. Elite casement windows and Floating Lock French doors with side panels
Colour: RAL 9005 Jet Black, Qualicoat approved powder-coated finish
Glazing bars: 20mm
Window glazing: 28mm annealed units with soft coat low emissivity coating, warm edge spacer bars and argon gas fill
Door glazing: Toughened safety glass with soft coat low emissivity coating, warm edge spacer bars and argon gas fill
Hardware: Ultra slim Floating Lock backplates, Art Deco lever handles, colour matched hinges, colour matched trickle ventilation to Part F, multipoint locking with three star cylinder and matching cill
Supplied and installed by Aspect Windows of Exeter, our Approved Aluco Installer for Devon.
