Don’t just dream...get a porch fitted to your home

One fine day you found yourself thinking how wonderful a porch would look at your front door. You would choose some warm tinted wood for the floor and a nice matching door flanked by windows where you would hang baskets with flowers. In the warm months those baskets would sport some campanulas with Christmas bells and by autumn you could see yourself filling them with Fragrant Panama roses.

Then you think about the cold months, standing in front of your door – from the inside! – thinking how that porch you imagined in summer would be perfect for stopping cold drafts from coming through the door or warmth escaping from inside.

Well, the advantages of a porch go further than these. Cold, mud and humidity are brought into your house every time someone opens the door and lets themselves in with soaking coats, dripping umbrellas and soiled wellies. Many people come to me because they want advice on how to stop this from happening (without stopping all visitors!). A porch is the best option.

Add quirky little wooden shoe boxes, decorative coat hangers and umbrella stands; make a cosy porch that will keep you warm and clean inside and give your house facade a noticeable revamp. Add plants and flowers and a few sensor or dimmer switch lights.

Every home is different and can benefit from a porch. Security doors in composite and well insulated windows in PVC-U will need very little or no maintenance, adding more security and warmth. So, just like fashion, you can blend in with the existing look or add character by making a statement. The possibilities are up to you, give me a call to chat further.

Porches are us! We'd love to help make your dream a reality, we'd love to advise. How about a chat or some free tips tailored to your home and your necessities?

How to choose my new doors?

You’ve decided to change the doors in your home and you want good quality that will last. Doors need to look good, be secure and in harmony with your home. Well, to give you some advice from someone who’s been in the business more years than I can remember, go for composite doors.

The great thing is, modern, well crafted composite doors give fantastic performance and there’s a much wider range of styles to choose from compared with traditional wooden doors.

Well, how about gothic style for history lovers? Or the sleek lines of super modern? Plastic, glass, PVC U, fibre glass, aluminium...it’s all yours.

So, what exactly are composite doors? The term refers to the materials and components that have been used in the manufacturing of these doors, making them so resistant to our infamous weather!

Ok, let’s get choosing:

1. Take a look at what’s on offer. Choose a reliable and experienced supplier, one who will monitor and inform you of progress from start to finish.

2. Look at style. Match your doors to the existing style of your home. Go for the expert supplier, not just the cowboy who will be keen to sell anything.

3. Pay attention to colour. The colour of the door frame should match or compliment the colour of your window frames.

4. You want to feel safe. So avoid a company that tries to dismiss this necessity or sell you a cheap, inferior product.

5. Get several quotes. The cheapest deal is not always the best. Factors like company image, background and staff appeal can be the greatest indicators.

Well, hope this helps because composite doors mean noise reduction, low maintenance, good insulation, secure locking, great on cost.

Need any more tips? I’m Andrew - give me a call and I’ll do my best to advise.

How to choose window and door styles

Winter is around the corner and your windows need replacing. You also want them to look attractive and in harmony with your home so chances are you are looking for good, professional advice.

Keep in mind the style/period of your house. People looking for a change in windows and doors often don’t realise manufacturing parameters or they may have a style in mind that would not suit the property. My advice is to have windows in keeping with the ones that were fitted when the house was built. There have been trends of styles over the last few decades and all too often you see houses that have been changed and the new windows don’t match the property. And don’t forget regulations such as fire escapes and ventilation which can also dictate designs.

Does it always follow that someone with an Edwardian town house should have Edwardian style sash windows fitted? Well, this kind of house would probably not look too good with ultra modern ‘tilt and turn’ style. So how about PVC-U vertical sliding sash windows to match the original timber ones? However these are a premium window and you might find that a casement one with a 50/50 transom - or other configuration to replicate existing - and mock sash horns, is a better financial option. As budget is another important factor, this may not cost as much as you fear as there are some good alternatives to suit different budgets.

You could also compliment the style of your home with windows and doors that bring in the feeling of fresh air and sunshine, whilst keeping out the cold.

A chat with a good supplier who knows his stuff is worth gold. Ask them to talk these factors through with you and recommend what is best, without taking away your opinion and choice. It’s well worth sourcing out someone who is experienced and knows what they are talking about, rather than just selling to you.

Winter, warmth, winter style, hey, here we come.

It’s a Salford Winner!

So the man in charge of the BBC relocation to the North has said that he will be moving to Salford. Yoo, hoo! Well, he was ridiculed a bit wasn’t he, when he comes from Burnley and was keeping his roots firmly down south in London town.

Well, Peter Salmon is moving, he has revealed, although he hasn’t made it clear...er...when. Still, never mind, the sentiment is there and it’s one up on the scoreboard for Salford.

Furthermore, he knocks all those old stereotypes about the North being a pretty run down, miserable place to live. So, good on you Peter, let’s give it to them straight: Salford has some of the best businesses around and it throbs with the stuff of life.

Now that’s not to knock London and the south or infer any kind of inverted snobbery. But Manchester has a lot on offer and it’s embedded in its genes, for heaven’s sake.
Look at the number of entertainers that hail from Manchester, the literary giants, good old Coronation Street. Wait a minute, wasn’t that around long before Eastenders? It has great people, affordable and some pretty stylish housing.

Hey, look at the fantastic trades people that keep it intact: the electricians, plumbers, bricklayers, bathroom and kitchen people and those that give homes a stunning exterior, installing upmarket windows and doors. Yes, it’s even sunny enough in Salford to have a conservatory!

Well, the list is endless – talking of sunny conservatories, I guess the tiling and furniture people come next...