Replacing wooden French doors

Catpuss66

Hi wonder if anyone has any thoughts. Had wooden French doors made in the 1990”s when I renovated the house they were single glazed & poorly made. . However I have Always looked after them they have lasted nearly 30yrs so cannot moan. Just thinking about the future not as able as I once was so looked into composite + uvpc doors got some quotes . The composite was not fully glazed came in at  nearly 3k, uvpc 1900k - 1600k . My house was built in 1820”s only a terrace but still has a period feel which I want to keep. 
. The garden is south west so gets very hot, neither of these doors are really what want told uvpc can warp & composite cracks, so it looks like wooden is there anything I can do that cuts down on maintenance? & also improve heat loss in winter & keeping heat out in the summer.  Any tips? I live in conservation area but these doors on the back so would not make any difference. Got a local handy man / chippy thinks he just wants to upgrade existing doors. 

Eldi_Dos

I am a fan of powder coated aluminium for longevity and minimum maintenance, a relative got these type of french doors three years ago and has been pleased with them.

NeverTooLate

We also have recently had aluminium french doors installed in 2 rooms, no maintenance and they look great, not cheap though.

FreeBear

Catpuss66 said:  The garden is south west so gets very hot, neither of these doors are really what want told uvpc can warp & composite cracks, so it looks like wooden is there anything I can do that cuts down on maintenance?

Wood can distort and crack especially if it is poorly seasoned. You can get treated timber such as Acoya which is supposedly stable and rot resistant. Costs a ruddy fortune though.. Well seasoned oak has potential to last a lifetime if properly cared for, but again expensive. Aluminium and steel will certainly last - Crittall are still in business if you wanted a traditional style steel frame, but make sure you are sitting down when you get a price from them.

Regardless of which type of door you go for, if the frame is being replaced at the same time, it will have to meet current standards for energy conservation. Just don't be conned by claims that "our frames are better than ....". Most of the heat lost is through the glass, not the frames.

Note - I have a South facing uPVC door. Not noticed any warping due to temperature.

Catpuss66

FreeBear said:

Catpuss66 said:  The garden is south west so gets very hot, neither of these doors are really what want told uvpc can warp & composite cracks, so it looks like wooden is there anything I can do that cuts down on maintenance?

Wood can distort and crack especially if it is poorly seasoned. You can get treated timber such as Acoya which is supposedly stable and rot resistant. Costs a ruddy fortune though.. Well seasoned oak has potential to last a lifetime if properly cared for, but again expensive. Aluminium and steel will certainly last - Crittall are still in business if you wanted a traditional style steel frame, but make sure you are sitting down when you get a price from them.

Regardless of which type of door you go for, if the frame is being replaced at the same time, it will have to meet current standards for energy conservation. Just don't be conned by claims that "our frames are better than ....". Most of the heat lost is through the glass, not the frames.

Note - I have a South facing uPVC door. Not noticed any warping due to temperature.

Thanks for that, where can you find the current standards for energy conservation? 

FreeBear

Catpuss66 said:

FreeBear said:

Catpuss66 said:  The garden is south west so gets very hot, neither of these doors are really what want told uvpc can warp & composite cracks, so it looks like wooden is there anything I can do that cuts down on maintenance?

Wood can distort and crack especially if it is poorly seasoned. You can get treated timber such as Acoya which is supposedly stable and rot resistant. Costs a ruddy fortune though.. Well seasoned oak has potential to last a lifetime if properly cared for, but again expensive. Aluminium and steel will certainly last - Crittall are still in business if you wanted a traditional style steel frame, but make sure you are sitting down when you get a price from them.

Regardless of which type of door you go for, if the frame is being replaced at the same time, it will have to meet current standards for energy conservation. Just don't be conned by claims that "our frames are better than ....". Most of the heat lost is through the glass, not the frames.

Note - I have a South facing uPVC door. Not noticed any warping due to temperature.

Thanks for that, where can you find the current standards for energy conservation? 

Building regulations - Approved Document, Part L - Section 4.7 on page 24. Doors & windows should have a u-value of 1.4 W/m²K or better.As from June 15th this year, there is also a requirement to have "background" ventilation. Many door/window fitters take this as to mean trickle vents must be fitted. But if you have other sources of ventilation aside from a door or window that can be opened, trickle vents are not mandatory (have had this argument with several fitters already this year...).

Catpuss66

This is new builds thought surely, cannot imagine trickle vents on grade 2 building. Also would that be relevant to wooden doors? 

FreeBear

Catpuss66 said:

This is new builds thought surely, cannot imagine trickle vents on grade 2 building. Also would that be relevant to wooden doors? 

Nope. Part L covers changes to existing buildings as well as new builds. It can be a little confusing when wading through that document. But you mention Grade 2 - Is your house listed ???

If it is, that opens up a whole new can of worms such as listed building consent - If the house is listed, uPVC will almost certainly be out, as would steel & alumininium. The Conservation Officer would probably insist on timber, and could conceivably limit you to single glazing (Part L be damned).

Catpuss66

Not it”s not grade 2 thank god, was told nearly 30yrs ago the frontage was but that seems to been replaced with conservation area. Had the original sash’s draught proofed by Ventrolla , as wooden double glazed sash”s would have been a 1k a piece. Thanks for taking the time to find that document, sure it will be most helpful.

FreeBear

Catpuss66 said: Not it”s not grade 2 thank god, was told nearly 30yrs ago the frontage was but that seems to been replaced with conservation area.

Check here to see if the building is listed - https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/map-search - Whilst the frontage may have been deemed worthy of preservation, listed status covers the entire building (inside and out), the grounds it sits in, and any boundary walls. There is also a thing called "local listing" where a council can impose protections on a building in addition to it being in a conservation area - Having a chat with the local Conservation Officer may well prove valuable before you go spending money.

Catpuss66

FreeBear said:

Catpuss66 said: Not it”s not grade 2 thank god, was told nearly 30yrs ago the frontage was but that seems to been replaced with conservation area.

Check here to see if the building is listed - https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/map-search - Whilst the frontage may have been deemed worthy of preservation, listed status covers the entire building (inside and out), the grounds it sits in, and any boundary walls. There is also a thing called "local listing" where a council can impose protections on a building in addition to it being in a conservation area - Having a chat with the local Conservation Officer may well prove valuable before you go spending money.

I will he might even give a recommendation. Much appreciated invaluable info.