Fircroft house

Fircroft House in Essex has been completely transformed from a tired 1980s detached property into a distinctive home with a contemporary edge.
Renovated throughout, Fircroft House features a new ground ﬂoor extension, pale grey timber-eﬀect external cladding (replacing a brick and render façade), and brand new Rationel alu-clad windows and doors. In fact, sixteen new windows are installed across the property, including opening and ﬁxed units, two large sliding patio doors, and a solid, grooved front door ﬂanked by glazed side lights and set beneath an arched portico.

When planning the refurbishment of Fircroft House, window and door replacement was a project priority, as the original property had single glazed, leaded, all-timber windows which made the interior very dark and were thermally ineﬃcient. All-aluminium glazing was initially considered because the homeowners wanted an aﬀordable, durable and contemporary frame design which looked more attractive than uPVC. They changed their mind, however, when they saw Rationel AURAPLUS alu-clad windows installed at a friend’s home: ‘The idea of a frame which combined timber and aluminium was very appealing,’ they say. ‘It oﬀered the best of both worlds with hardwearing aluminium outside and thanks to the wood, a more tactile ﬁnish to the inner frames, so we decided to ﬁnd out more.’

The front door are combined with two ﬁxed lights to bring more light into the hall

After talking to Rationel the homeowners were quickly contacted by Ipswich-based distributor okoHaus, and they then worked closely with okoHaus founder John Lewis on window design and speciﬁcation. ‘We helped guide the choice of windows to make sure they achieved the result they wanted,’ says John. ‘For example, we suggested installing full height ﬁxed windows on either side of the front door to bring more light into the hall, and to install sliding rather than bi-fold doors. While bi-fold doors can make a real statement,’ John explains, ‘if you rarely plan to open them fully then sliding doors are more practical, especially in terms of easy ventilation, and to allow for more glass and slimmer frame sight lines.’

Fixed lights windows

Two existing waist-height windows have been replaced with larger full length Rationel ﬁxed units. ‘It’s surprising the diﬀerence they make to the room,’ say the homeowners. ‘The windows really open up the space and as the frames are so slim they let in much more light and give us some great views out to the garden.’

Internal colour on windows & doors

All windows and doors are ﬁnished in anthracite grey inside and out. Initially the homeowners assumed they wanted white frames but changed their minds when they saw how stylish the darker ﬁnish looked in other properties. ‘The frames are now a real feature of every room and help draw the eye to the garden beyond,’ they say.

The homeowners are delighted with their new windows and doors and would happily recommend both okoHaus and Rationel: ‘We are very impressed with the package oﬀered by Rationel,’ they say. ‘The windows and doors are all high quality, low maintenance and look great, and the service we received from okoHaus was amazing from start to ﬁnish.’

Large sliding doors provide a practical solution with great views out to the garden

The Rationel Distributor diﬀerence

John Lewis, founder of okoHaus, worked with the homeowners right from the start of the project, helping reﬁne window speciﬁcation, and liaising with their joiners to ensure installation went smoothly and the build stayed on schedule. ‘John was a key reason why we went with Rationel,’ the homeowners say. ‘He and his team provided excellent service from start to ﬁnish, guiding our choice of windows, explaining any technical or design issues, and always providing a quick response to any questions.’
Fitting was also very straightforward, says John, despite the number of units involved: ‘Installation usually takes place early in a project, and at Fircroft, this meant ﬁtting windows and doors before the exterior cladding or internal plastering.’ Early installation always comes with the risk of damage to the windows from other trades, but the homeowners were surprised – and delighted – by the Rationel solution: ‘John explained that key Rationel door and frame components are easy to replace,’ they say. ‘As bumps and scrapes are almost impossible to avoid during a building project, the ability to oﬀer swift repairs as standard was very reassuring.’