How can I upgrade my Home to Double Glazing?
Retrofit
Retrofit is the process of replacing the glass in your existing windows by making small alterations to the existing frames to suit the increased thickness of double glazing. Most often, we replace your sashes (the opening windows), fit a different style of bead to the fixed window and make alterations to any sliding door frames.
Retrofit is usually the lowest-cost method and with the minimum impact on the homeowner
Insert Windows
We use just the perimeter sections of your existing timber window frame and remove all the internal framing components. Then we fit insert frames into the opening and make good any discrepancies. Insert Windows can be a great way to upgrade old, draughty timber frames into thermally efficient and well-sealed frames.
This solution provides a low maintenance solution, thermally efficient window and is still less expensive and less intrusive than full replacement.
Replacement Windows
When your joinery is too tired and old to retrofit, we can remove and replace it with new joinery. We’ll take care of removing and disposing of your old joinery. It is a great time to reconsider where openings are located or whether take out unwanted framing members that block your view.
More expensive but also comes with more options. You can choose from aluminum frames, thermally broken aluminum frames or uPVC frames.
Reduces Heat Loss
Double glazing helps to stop the heat from escaping out your windows, creating a comfortable room atmosphere.
Cooler Summer Home
A cooler house in summer is created by reducing heat gain through the double glazed windows.
Reduces Condensation
With a warmer home, the chance of condensation forming on the windows reduces, keeping your home drier and healthier, all year round.
Improved Safety & Security
Single glass is easy for intruders to smash and enter your home. Double glazing makes it more difficult especially if you have safety glass.
Noise Reduction
Double glazing can help reduce outside noise, making it a great investment if you live near a busy road.
Lower Heating Costs
Double glazing helps to keep the heat in your home, meaning less need for heating, so you’ll be reducing energy consumption, saving on your power bills.
Retrofit
Every home is unique and there are many different types of Aluminium Joinery in New Zealand homes which makes every Retrofit project different. We’ll provide a free consultation to review your joinery type and condition and advise on the cost to retrofit your windows along with advising you on what options are available to achieve your goals for a more comfortable home.
Retrofitting your windows is the least intrusive option when upgrading to double glazing. No need to paint the frames or to replace drapes and blinds. The majority of the aluminum frame remains intact.
Fixed Frame Windows
Fixed frame windows are the easiest to upgrade. We simply exchange the sloping bead that retains your thin glass for a flat bead that creates a wider glazing pocket that suits the thicker double glazing.
Sash Windows
Opening windows are commonly referred to as Sash Windows. Awning sash windows hinge at the top and Casement Sash windows hinge on one vertical side. We replace the sash frame, stays, and handles to suit double glazing.
Sliding Doors
Opening windows are commonly referred to as Sash Windows. Awning sash windows hinge at the top and Casement Sash windows hinge on one vertical side. We replace the sash frame, stays, and handles to suit double glazing.
Insert Windows
Do you want to retain your home’s original style but modernise your windows with double glazing to have a warmer and more comfortable home?
Simple…. We can replace the inner frame of the window with either aluminium or uPVC Insert frames fully glazed with WM Double Glazing. The wooden fascia and sills from the existing windows remain in place maintaining the original character.
During this time, you can reconfigure or alter the windows to:
- Add, remove, or relocate openings within the overall window
- Remove unwanted transom or mullion lines that interrupt your line of vision
- Change windows to sliding doors
- Have windows taken right down to the floor
- Improve the performance of the glass – reduce noise, reduce fading, keep heat in during winter and keep heat out during summer.
This home has been improved using uPVC window inserts. The client took advantage of the upgrade to increase the opening size of the sashes to allow better ventilation. They had extra transom lines removed making the windows appear larger and they improved the glass performance using the latest double-glazing options that ensure this home is now comfortable all year round.
uPVC Inserts offer superior thermal insulation properties and provide an aesthetic appeal that looks very similar to wooden joinery. The high-quality German hardware used in the opening windows and doors, seals the openings tight removing draughts and minimising noise entering the home.
The finished project still manages to retain the original charm.
Why you should choose WM Insert Windows:
- No more draughty windows – It may be possible to retrofit your existing timber joinery to take double glazing, however you could be left still with frames that don’t close properly with gaps around the openings. Inserts windows pull tight and seal around all openings to provide a draught-free solution.
- Better thermal performance – Your current timber joinery is probably a very narrow frame which limits the thickness of the double glazing you can incorporate. Window inserts allow us to use the most efficient double-glazing options available.
- Reduced Maintenance – No more painting window frames. WM Insert Windows are pre-finished and do not need to be painted. Only the fascia’s and sills need to be painted and we can provide the option to over-clad these in powdercoated aluminium to eliminate the maintenance here also.
Replacement Windows
Sometimes your existing windows are too old and tired to be upgraded and the best solution is to replace them with new thermally superior windows and double-glazing enhancing the value of your home and providing you with a more comfortable, happier, and healthier life.
WM Replacement Windows are designed and manufactured in New Zealand for New Zealand conditions. We offer you a choice of either WM Aluminium, WM Thermally-broken Aluminium or WM uPVC frames. Talk to our consultants today to get a better understanding of which one is right for you and your home.
The installation process is relatively simple. We remove your existing joinery and replace with a thermally enhanced joinery solution. Usually there is just a bit of painting to do afterwards, and the job is done.
During this time, you can reconfigure or alter the window layouts to:
- Add, remove, or relocate openings within the overall window
- Remove unwanted transom or mullion lines that interrupt your line of vision
- Change windows to sliding doors
- Have windows taken right down to the floor
- Improve the performance of the glass – reduce noise, reduce fading, keep heat in during winter and keep heat out during summer.
This home has been improved by changing an old joinery item that no longer opened and closed easily to a new WM Aluminium BiFold Door system. The client chose to use WM SuperComfort to keep the home warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Why you should choose WM Replacement Windows:
- No more draughty windows – New joinery will seal tightly eliminating draughts
- Better thermal performance – New joinery suites are designed to allow us to use the most efficient double-glazing options available.
- Reduced Maintenance – No more painting window frames. WM Replacement Windows are pre-finished and do not need to be painted.
- Better Hardware – WM Replacement Windows will come with the latest in hardware options much of which can be colour-matched to your joinery colour.
- Windows done your way – This is your chance to reconfigure the location of sashes, mullions, transoms and how things open to suit your preferences and lifestyle.
Low E Coating
How does Low-e Glass work and do I need it?
Low-e glass has a microscopically thin, transparent coating of silver that reflects radiant heat back into the home. Low-e coatings are generally invisible to the human eye as they are thinner than the thickness of a human hair.
Double glazing can decrease the amount of heat lost though your glass by up to 50% but with a Low-e glass in the double glazing, that figure becomes a decrease in heat loss by up to 80%. This makes a big difference to how much energy is required to heat your home and improves your Winter comfort.
There is no compromise to how much light enters the home with WM Superwarm Low-e glass.
How much warmer does WM SuperWarm Low-e Double Glazing make my home?
