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Double glazing is made up of two layers of glass, with a layer of argon gas in between. This type of glass can be used in Aluminium windows. The gas is a poor insulator, helping heat to stay in your home and making your windows more efficient. As well as trapping the argon gas, the second layer of glass reduces the amount of noise that enters your property, and helps to make your windows stronger and more secure.

A front porch is a glorious addition that would be a blessing to have in any home. It gives you a good floor space to enjoy your neighbourhood as well as your surroundings in the cool atmosphere of the outside living space. The question however is, how do you build a porch? Constructing the structure can be a very challenging task but with proper guidance and lots of practice, you can also be a skilled porch builder. To protect your investment, it’s advisable to hire the services of a professional for help with your porch especially if you lack proper training and experience. This way, you’ll get to save time and money. This guide is prepared to give you some insight into the porch building process.

lAssess Your Location

• Consider the location before proceeding with the project. It’s essential to select a location that’ll reduce the sunlight coming in.

lPlan The Materials Required For Your Porch

• You’ll have to decide the type of porch you’ll be going for. For example, your porch can be built out of wood, composite decking or if it’s going to utilize some stone flooring, brick or even tile.

lBuild Your Porch Foundation

• Dig the foundations deep to ensure stability while also putting in mind any pipework or cabling

• Fit a damp proof course

• Add the subfloor - this can be concrete or timber

lStart To Lay The Brick And Floor

• Lay the bricks evenly up to the DPC level

• Lay the floor

• Add the flooring protection

• Once done, you can lay the bricks to the window level

• You can fit in a window sill if required before proceeding the brick and block work until it reaches the roof timber’s height

• Fit the linter when you get to the top of where the window will reach.

lConstruct The Roof

• Build a timber framework

• Fit a breathable roof membrane

• Install the roof battens and lay the roof tiles.

• Add gutters

One of the essential factors that makes a home truly a home is the convenience and comfort it provides us. As a result, we usually have a long to do list comprising things that come together to make sure our home is comfortable with ambient temperature at the very top of the scale of preference. After all, no matter how greatly designed your furniture and home decor is, it probably would amount for nothing if the temperature is either too hot or too cold. Some of the most common ways we incorporate to make the temperature a lot more conducive and warm during the winter months is by installing air conditioning system or through top notch insulation materials, but the fact still remains that a lot of heat would escape through the doors and windows. And that’s exactly the use of double glazing. So how exactly does double glazing work?

Double glazing basically works by preventing the escape of air and trapping it between two panes of glass. It’s the trapped air which serves as an insulation barrier which delivers 3 major functions. First and foremost, it stops the escape of heat through the window as the barrier created insulates the room from varying air temperatures at both sides of the glazing unit. The second major function is the double glazing works to keep down noise pollution coming from outside. While the third major function of double glazing I the fact that it helps minimize condensation which usually occurs on the single glazed windows’ inside as the cold outside air works to cool the warm air inside the house. When you install a double glazing window, the insulation barrier generated will work to stop the air temperature transmission which ultimately helps prevent the occurrence of condensation.

It depends on a few factors whether a new double glazed window will look different to existing ones. If your existing windows are very old, perhaps 10 years or more, then it’s likely that there will be some small differences.

The first thing to remember is that your double glazing is exposed to the elements as soon as it’s installed. So over time, unless you’re very good at cleaning and maintaining your windows, they’re likely to look a bit dirty. Window frames that are south-facing may also become slightly discoloured from the sun, so if you install a new window right next to it you might notice a difference.

Also, there have been lots of technical advances in windows over the years. If your existing windows are significantly older, you might notice a difference in the handles on openers, and if your existing windows were installed before 2010 they might not have trickle vents, which is an extra strip on the inside of your window to keep air flowing through your home. While it’s not a legal requirement for replacement windows to have trickle vents if the original one didn’t, it’s a good idea to have them installed as they help prevent condensation and mould.

The only truly noticeably different elements to a new double glazed window compared with existing ones are likely to be on the inside, which might not be a problem for you if you only have one window in a room. However, if you know the brand of your existing windows, you can ask your window installer if they can source the same ones. Even if they’ve been updated slightly, the difference should be minimal.

Most window installers will be able to provide you with one double glazed window and fit it for you. If you’re replacing one double glazed window in your home, ask them to try and source the same windows that you already have or find one that’s very similar. Externally, you probably won’t be able to notice the difference, but if your existing windows are very old there may be some exterior discolouration and the locks and handles might look slightly different.

If you want one double glazed window so you can fit it yourself, there are lots of online companies that can supply you with one window. However, window fitting is a skilled trade and you might want to consider whether you have the right tools and experience to fit it yourself. Of course, you’ll save money on installation costs, but if something goes wrong, you might end up shelling out to get it fixed anyway.

The other thing to consider is that any replacement windows need to be certified that they meet Building Regulations. If you fit the double glazed window yourself, you’ll need to apply to your local council building control officer to get a certificate that confirms that you fitted the window within the regulations. You’ll have to pay a fee for this, and it will be even more expensive if Building Control say that the window hasn’t been fitted within the regulations and you have to start again.

The alternative is to ask a reputable window installer that is registered with a self-certification scheme, like FENSA, to install the window. That means that they can self-certify that the window meets building regulations once they’ve finished the installation.

1. Using a rubber mallet and a strong pallet knife, remove the beading around the window. You might think they’re part of the frame, but they’re actually separate on the inside of the frame and can be taken out by using pallet knife to prize them out. Start with one of the longest beads first and leave the top bead until last.
2. Give the glass a little tap to loosen it if it doesn’t come out straight away, then the whole unit should slide out easily. Just make sure it falls towards you and not back out onto the ground below!
3. Clear any debris that has found its way into the frame with a brush. Add spacers at the bottom of the frame – these could be pieces of plastic.
4. Get your new sealed unit (make sure you measure the glass before you buy one so you know which size to get) and carefully take it out of the packaging. Look for the British Standard mark – that shows you the bottom of the glass.
5. Lift the glass into the frame, starting with the bottom first, and make sure that it fits square in the frame before taking the spacers out.
6. Use a little washing up liquid to spread along the beads to make it easier when you slide them back into the frame. If they simply push and clip back in, you can use something like a block of wood to help you push them in correctly. Put them back in reverse order to how you took them out.

Double glazed windows are one of the most popular window options for home and property owners in the United Kingdom and reasonably so. They are able to offer a wide range of benefits to home owners which includes being energy efficient, reducing the build up of condensation on windows and black mould growth, significantly reducing background noise for a better relaxation or night rest, increasing the value of your property as well as adding to the aesthetic appeal of your home. So if you’ve decided to lay your hands on a double glazed window, you’d probably also like to know how much it’s going to cost. Well, providing a simple and accurate answer to the question of double glazing window cost is almost impossible as there are so many factors that influences the price including the materials and style.

Several suppliers usually provide the list of their double glazing windows on their websites, however these prices are only for basic off the shelf window and most often without the installation cost. Furthermore, if you require some special features to your double glazed window, then this will also tell on the total cost of the window.

So how much will a double glazing window cost? The cost of a double glazing window usually ranges between £100 to £3,200 per window, depending on the available options.

To have a more accurate estimate of the cost of a double glazing window, you’ll need a obtain a survey from a double glazing installer who can take into account any possible complications that may arise when installing your windows while also giving an advise on the most suitable window style for your property.

The simple answer to this question is... they can be! Although there are many types of porch designs that are available in the market, the uPVC porch happens to be one of the most loved and cost effective. Most home and property owners prefer the installation of a uPVC porch for a number of reasons. These includes:

• Value for money

It’s no coincidence the uPVC is widely accepted across the building industry with a plethora of uses. Not only is it relatively inexpensive to manufacture, but even the recycled uPVC is now becoming more and more useful. UPVC’s main rivals are wood and aluminium, and both are way more expensive to incorporate for frame profiles. Therefore, making use of uPVC is going to make your initial costs relatively low.

• Life Span

Although the main rivals in both hardwood and aluminium can also boast a lengthy lifespan just as uPVC. However, considering the price that you can get a uPVC, the lifespan is just incredible as it can be measured in decades.

• Aesthetic Appeal

UPVC gives you a wide range of foil colours that’ll fit your home perfectly well while also enhancing it’s visual appeal. You can actually get a porch that looks exactly like it’s manufactured from timber frames. To achieve this, all you need to do would be to make use of a wood grain surface finish. This is also long lasting, strong and resistant to fade.

• Little Maintenance

This is a very common feature of uPVC that makes it even more advantageous when used in making a porch. Unlike timber or wood which swells due to absorption of water or shrinks, you’ll never need to worry about all these distortions and more with uPVC. No painting, no sanding and ultimately, low maintenance required.