British Study Schools, Brighton and Hove Sash Window Restoration Project, East Sussex

Phase 1 of Cromwell Road Hove, Sash Window Refurbishment

We started by getting all the windows prepared for our carpenter to refurbish and restore the sash windows to the standard that they were originally made. The windows on this side of the property were really rotten on the window frames, sills and the sashes themselves, because they faced the sea. Damage here is mainly caused by south and south west prevailing winds and rain; this happens all over coastal areas. Everyone knows what the corrosive and bleaching aspects of salt in the air and rain on the south coast from the English channel salt water does to paint on cars and metal structures. Salt water has a similar effect on wood as well and if the windows haven’t been looked after with good maintenance or been painted properly from the start then rot will start to appear. Rectifying salt damage can be a very costly business if this is not kept up. Water ingress doesn’t just affect the windows but the whole property and this can significantly affect the value of the house itself.

The procedure that we followed on this sash window refurbishment was as follows:

We took out all the sashes to burn off all the old paint off and inspect the sash windows and the box sash frames to see what needed doing

We took out all old ugly putty and any old filler that had been used due to the fact that 2pac filler cracks and gathers water behind it causing more rot and we took back any damage that water had done back to the solid wood

We replaced any glazing bars, jambs, rails and styles. Where the windows have spread where the styles meet the rails we will try to cramp them back up or fill with the dry-flex system but always save the sash itself.

We try not to use new materials as we have a store of reclaimed old windows which are air dried, seasoned and have a tighter grain to ensure the same lifespan and shrinkage of your original sashes. These are also different widths to new sashes and a different molding to ensure the best possible result, if it has been fixed using the dry-flex method then we will carve and router the original moldings into the window itself.

We repaired the box sashes and replaced any material that had been damaged due to water damage and rot – this was mainly the sills and areas up to the top sash window mainly where the rendering had cracked and fallen away and let water in. When this happens you have to remember that water travels to the place of least resistance and due to bricks and plastering being porous this can get into a lot of other places and be very expensive to rectify if left too long without a professional to inspect it.

We glaze any windows that require it due to ill fitting glass and cracks.

We re-puttied, undercoated, primed and routered all the windows ready for the draught excluder system to the top rail, mid rail, staff and parting beads.

We rebalanced the windows and reseated them due to movement in the window frames so the top-rail, mid-rails and bottom rails did their job properly once more. We polished up the all old brass pulleys and re-corded with the best quality waxed sash cord and rehung the windows.

And the last process was to give the windows two coats of gloss and fit all the new furniture, polish the windows, and fit all the blinds ready for the students that day…

South Facing Windows And The Weather Impact On Original Sash Windows.

The property on Cromwell Road Hove is next to the cricket ground so it has no protection from the Sussex coastal weather. The attack of salt water on the property’s windows made a massive impact on the integrity and stability of the windows and had made them rotten to the extent that all the other companies that came to price the sash window refurbishment project insisted on new windows at quite a cost. This gets rid of all the charm of a period building that used to be part of a nunnery. The windows that were rotten were all repaired and restored to their original beauty, thus keeping the integrity of the period building. In total we had to only make one window from new due to the fact a previous company had just left a board there.

Phase 2 of Hove Media College Cromwell Road Hove sash window refurbishment

We are currently starting the next Phase on this project and we have published the results on another page so that you can see the progress that we made. This started in August 2014. If you are thinking about doing restoring your sash windows in the future do contact us.

Sash Heritage Restoration are highly recommended professional sash window restoration and repairs experts, Specialists in grade 1 and 2 Listed buildings in Brighton, Hove, Lewes, Eastbourne, Shoreham, Lancing, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, Worthing, Chichester, East Sussex, West Sussex and Sussex, Sash Window Restoration And Repairs Project For The British Study Schools in Brighton And Hove.