New French doors above the tea room

The cold came in through the kitchen

Above a tea room in the centre of Bagnères, the French doors in the owners' kitchen, upstairs, no longer closed properly: cold air came in, and the evenings were spent with it. The brief came down to two points: get real thermal comfort back so they could settle in for the evening, and respect the premises and the customers, since the tradesman comes through the shop with his tools and equipment.

Scots pine in the colours of the façade

French doors with two leavesLeaf: the opening part of a door or window. French doors with two leaves open wide, like shutters. Known as a vantail on a French quote. in Scots pine, made to measure, with a solid lower panelSolid lower panel: the solid timber lower section of French doors, panel rather than glass. It takes the knocks of everyday life. The soubassement of a French quote. and glazing barsGlazing bars: the slim bars that divide the glass into small panes. They give an older-style joinery its character. Known as petits bois in French., in the spirit of the original joinery (the porte-fenêtre of a French quote). The finish is two-tone: white lacquered on the kitchen side, green on the outside to match the colours of the façade. On the glass side, high-performance double glazing with low-emissivity glassLow-emissivity glass: glass treated to reflect heat back into the room. Combined with an argon-filled cavity, it insulates far better than ordinary double glazing. and an argon-filled cavity: that is what keeps the heat on the right side.

Every seal redone, a clean site

I worked in renovation fittingRenovation fitting: the existing sound frame is kept and the new unit is fitted onto it. Faster and with no damage to the walls, unlike full removal. Known as pose en rénovation on a French quote.: the old joinery removed, the new doors fitted onto the existing frameFrame: the fixed part sealed into the wall, on which the leaves hinge. The dormant in French., without touching the masonry. The heart of the work is invisible: every seal around the perimeter was redone, with expanding polyurethane foam and compression tapeCompression tape: an impregnated foam tape that expands into the gap between wall and joinery. It keeps air and water out for good. Known as compriband in French., with careful weatherproofing and finishing. And the premises left immaculate on the way out.

The questions I often get asked

How long does it take to replace French doors? Renovation fitting or full removal, how do you choose? Does wooden joinery need much upkeep? What difference does high-performance double glazing make day to day?

I have practical answers to all of that, and two articles to dig deeper: renovation installation or full removal and when to replace your windows. For your specific case, call me: the quote is free.