I was so pleased with the utility room window, and indeed with the various jobs I’d had this building firm do for me, that two years ago I decided to have the next worst window dealt with. This was a big window in the kitchen, that I’d always hated. It was in fact a double-glazed unit, but must have been a very early example of one. The gap between the two panes of glass was only a millimetre or so, and the seal had failed so there was moisture trapped between the panes and hence it regularly steamed up. The frame itself was made of metal, which conducted the heat far too well and rather negated the point of having double glazing. But worst of all, from my point of view, was that the locks and fittings were placed well out of my reach, so that I could only actually open any of the windows by standing on a chair! That’s really not what you want in a kitchen window – apart from being dangerous it’s extremely inconvenient.
So I got back in touch with the builder / joiner, and asked them to make and fit a new kitchen window. But there were a couple of provisos. I’d recently had the kitchen redecorated, including new tiling around the sink, so it was imperative that they didn’t damage any of the interior decor. Plus, it was a condition of the job that I should be able to unlock and open the casement windows by leaning across the sink – without standing on tiptoe, and definitely without having to stand on a chair! So, given that I’m pretty short, the fixtures had to be much lower down the window frame than usual. Again, I had a bespoke wooden double-glazed unit made, and the fitter was very careful to ensure that I could open the windows comfortably. There was no mess inside at all – the window fitted flush up against the new tiles as if it had always been there.
I still smile to myself whenever I open the kitchen window. If I’d realised what a surprisingly big difference a decent kitchen window made, we’d have done something about it years ago!
