Doors & Windows (Internal/External)
Windows and doors serve a purpose far greater than being openings in a wall. They contribute to the aesthetics of your home and impact your home’s insulation, sound proofing, and security. When properly installed, doors and windows can enhance the functionality of a home.
We manufacture and install internal and external doors and windows and can use your preferred softwood and hardwood choices. We provide fitting services if you have purchased an item from a manufacturer. We will craft a custom piece in our workshop if you desire to have one made from scratch.
External Doors
External front doors are exposed to the elements and potential damage. They must be made of a durable material and installed properly to stand the test of time. For external doors, we recommend hardwood if you want something long-lasting and treated softwood as a budget friendlier option.
We prioritize security as well. We employ quality mortice locks, areostatic multi-point locking systems, and durable non-tamper hinges. Your front door should offer security to your home and not just be an aesthetic feature.Each doorset we complete for back doors, side access doors, and utility entrances, we coordinate to match any style of new or existing features as well as the style of the property. For example, some customers like stable doors for a cottage feel. Others like the glaze style for letting in additional light in their kitchen or hallway. For access to a garden, customers like french and patio doors which, for timber construction, we either fit manufactured options or build our own.
Internal Doors
New build houses often come with hollow core doors for internal doors which have a feel of cheapness. Replacing these with solid internal doors massively transforms the feel of a space. You’ll get a satisfying weight and sound for when a space is closed off.
We can either make internal doors to fit your existing frames or, if the frames are too damaged or the wrong size, we can replace the whole lot. Depending on the exterior style of the house for internal doors, options we provide are in the style of a panel door, ledge and brace door, or a glazed door.
There are often period properties where doors need to match the original style and we have made reproductions of the internal doors we made in Victorian and Georgian properties where existing doors were damaged or missing entirely. To get the mouldings and proportions right for the style is worth the effort as it makes the whole property appear in sync and like everything was always meant to go together.
Windows
Windows are more complex than doors due to their additional functions like keeping the weather out and surviving the effects of weathering, rot, and warping over time. Depending on the design of the building, we manufacture casement windows, sash windows, and fixed panes.
In listed buildings and conservation areas, you cannot install modern uPVC. Instead, you install timber windows, which look like the original design. If you are restoring a building, we can work from the architect’s drawings or replicate the original design from existing windows if you need to replace a few that are too damaged to restore.
If you are not interested in changing the look of your property, we can install double-glazed units, which are mounted in the timber frame, to provide the property with additional insulation without changing the look of the building. We construct the timber frames for the sealed double-glazed units that have been supplied by our specialist.
Fitting Work
If you have purchased windows or doors from a different retailer, we can provide you with our skills in fitting doors and windows. We have found that many DIY fitting jobs have resulted in issues because the windows or doors have not been hung level, or the gap size is incorrect, resulting in problems. The presence of draughts, doors that are difficult to open, and windows that are difficult to close are often problems caused by poor fitting, rather than a design issue.
Sealing, squaring, and plumbing everything should work just fine, but with external work, we do weather bars, drip grooves, and leave expansion gaps so timber can move with the temperature changes and leave swelling gaps.
Draught-Proofing and Repairs
Old timber windows and doors can often be resurrected instead of replaced. We add our preis draught excluders, we replace rot, we do hinge adjustments, and, where necessary, we re-glaze. In some cases, this maintenance work actually prevents total replacement and saves money, but much more importantly, it preserves the original character of your home.
In sash windows, particularly. They are lovely, but due to years of paint and worn, over-pulleyed cords, their windows get painted shut. We do slick them back, and replace the cords and weights so the windows can slide.
Materials
Hardwoods, like iroko and oak, are good for external work where you want to last for decades. They rot much slower than softwood, and can be oiled, or weathered.
Less skids over budget is fine, for internal work too. They last for generations, and take paint or stain well, but you should keep them away from moisture.
We receive timber from suppliers we have worked with for a long time. As quality is variable, reliable suppliers contribute positively to the appearance and functionality of the end product.
Areas We Cover
We service the whole of Oxfordshire and the mid-counties area. For larger scale projects such as multiple windows, or several doors, there is no distance issue. For single door fitting jobs, we are a bit more time limited, but feel free to get in touch and we will look to see what we can do.
## Get a Quote
For door and window making or fitting, send an email to info@candc-carpentry.co.uk detailing what you need. If you are looking at replacing them, pictures of the current arrangement are helpful. We will come to your site to do a proper measurement needed, before we can offer you a final price.