A high-end family home with glazing to match
This luxury Hertfordshire home benefits from a full Schüco spec with high-quality windows and doors filling it with light and connecting indoor spaces with surrounding greenery.
Situated in a picturesque village in the South of England, the homeowner of Birch Green wanted to create a contemporary building sensitive to its location. Two buildings existed on the site previously, a small house and a separate garage
Products: Schüco ASE 60 Doors, Schüco ASS 70 FD, Schüco ADS 70 HI, Schüco AWS 70 HI, Schüco AWS 70 SC
Architect: Suttonca
Specialist contractor: Multitrades Windows and Doors
Main contractor: RNB Construction
Photo credits: Matthew Smith
Keeping the original dormer-style roof of these structures, the home’s modern feel was achieved by combining modern materials on its façade. Two core structures, one clad in timber and one finished with render are linked by a metal-clad middle section giving the exterior an eye-catching, contemporary look.
Subject to Green Belt restrictions, any enlargement of the property footprint was limited, so the design needed to maximise what space could be created. Incorporating lots of windows and big, glass doors into a home’s design helps to make it feel bright and spacious. Birch Green for example has 21 windows, two sliding doors and one bi-fold door.
Suttonca architects designed the high-end home. Managing Director Chris Sutton explained that he was happy recomending Schüco systems to the client due to his confidence in their lasting quality.
“Schüco is a reputable company offering good systems that are tried and tested. That’s what you want for someone’s home, a long-lasting product that performs, particularly in England where the weather can be unpredictable.”
When quality is the priority
Every door was made with a level threshold, meaning no trips and seamless connections to outside space. This works particularly well in Birch Green’s living kitchen-diner. When open, a huge sliding door extends the already large room, linking it to a pleasant patio area surrounded by garden greenery.
All the windows and doors were manufactured and installed by Multitrades Windows and Doors who worked closely with main contractor RNB Construction. Multitrades Director Ivo Boytchev said: “The client had great technical knowledge and knew exactly the level of finish he wanted. The architect explained to him that Schüco was the best on the market and was the top choice for what he was looking to achieve. And, speaking from experience working with Schüco systems every day, it is true. Schüco is the best you can buy if you want that high-end quality for your home”.
Unique design and specialist performance
One of the challenges for this home was seamlessly integrating the numerous aluminium windows with the different façade finishes. A combination of expert fabrication by Multitrades and flexible Schüco systems helped to achieve the client’s vision for the stylish home.
As with all modern, new builds, creating a comfortable, energy efficient house was a priority. “With Birch Green, we weren’t designing an eco-house but were looking for achievable ways to make the home thermally efficient,” said Chris from Suttonca. Schüco systems are inherently very efficient due to being made of aluminium, with all the windows and doors at Birch Green achieving U-values below the requirements set out in the most recent update to the Building Regulations.
Schüco also offers a range of high and super insulated products. Several highly insulated windows and doors were used at Birch Green, helping to enhance the home’s energy efficiency.
An important factor in making doors and windows thermally efficient is the type of glass used. This is often decided with the manufacturer which may offer different options such as double or triple glazing, or speciality glass. In the case of Birch Green, the homeowner requested a special solar control glass be used to reduce heat transference through the glazing, large expanses of which were installed throughout the home to maximise daylight.
Ivo explained why he used Schüco and why its windows and doors are always the best choice for homeowners. “In the past, Multitrades have offered other glazing systems but working with cheaper systems posed several problems that you just don’t get with top quality systems.
“The benefit of using Schüco is two-fold. For us, we rarely get callbacks to fix problems with Schüco doors or windows; we’ll do the job once and might not hear back from the homeowner for the next 10 or 15 years. For clients, they get the peace of mind that the doors or windows they invested in will provide lasting quality.”
A full roster of Schüco doors and windows perfectly complement Birch Green’s high-quality details and top end finish, helping to create a cohesive, contemporary family home that is built to last.
Find your Schüco partner
Schüco works with a network of partners, who are trained to manufacture and install Schüco systems. A Schüco partner will support you with your project, from tailored design advice to the manufacture and installation of your bespoke Schüco products.
