Homeowners looking to maximise the kerb appeal and value of properties can look to considerations from improvement experts when searching for the perfect front door. A front door is the face of any home and the first feature that visitors and passers-by will notice in a property, so ensuring yours delivers impact is key. Whether you are looking to place your property on the market and want to increase its appeal to potential buyers, or simply wish to enhance your home’s security and energy efficiency – a new front door is a worthwhile investment to add value to your home. From style and colours, to materials and thermal efficiency, the home improvement experts at Stormclad have highlighted the main factors to consider when choosing a new front door to upgrade your property. “A new front door can significantly transform the overall kerb appeal of a property, as well as providing added security and peace of mind. Choosing a front door with excellent energy efficiency can also drastically decrease the heat loss from your home, potentially saving you money on energy bills. Choosing a new front door for your home can seem somewhat daunting with so many options available, and as property experts with more than 20 years of experience, we have compiled a list of considerations to help you make the right decision for your home,” said Managing director of Stormclad, John Evans. Here are five things to consider when choosing the perfect front door: Budget The easiest place to start when deciding which front door is right for your home is to choose a realistic budget. This will help you to narrow down the options that are available to you, as well as helping you prioritise what aspects of the front door are most important to you. For example, is improving your home’s security a top priority? Do you wish to find a bold and colourful style that is going to make your property’s exterior more attractive, or do you want something that offers both excellent functionality and kerb appeal? Asking these questions initially will help to decide on a budget and do your research to find out what options are going to work best for you. Style With hundreds of front door styles on the market, making the right choice can be challenging. There are, however, several styles you will encounter in your search which all fit into more streamlined categories – traditional, contemporary and ultra-modern. Each offer their own style and performance benefits, and the one you choose will depend on the design of your property. Traditional styles will suit character properties and cottages alike, and modern designs will compliment new-build and more contemporary style homes. Consider choosing a front door which includes glass to increase the natural light into your property – doors with large or small rectangular panes, translucent or patterned glass, and even sidelight windows can make all the difference to natural light at the front of your home. It is important to browse different options before choosing a design that is bespoke to your needs, and considerations include – if a property is north or south facing, or if you have a wide or narrow entrance. All quality glass should meet British standards in terms of security.  Materials Materials are one of the most important considerations when browsing front door options, as different styles offer a variety of benefits and finishes. UPVC doors are strong, sturdy and can be easily customised, as are composite doors, which have an authentic wooden finish and do not require painting. While traditional wooden doors are attractive and highly desirable, they do require more maintenance than other styles, with regular painting and varnishing recommended. They can also depreciate in harsher weather conditions over time, and are often less insulating than UPVC and composite option – so consider if you are willing to maintain the door in years to come to ensure that it lasts. Colour There is a growing trend for choosing a front door that has an unusual, striking or pastel colour – if you are feeling bold, a mustard yellow or vibrant teal can make a real impact to the exterior of your property. For something more subtle, pastel greens and blues can brighten the front of your home without being too excessive. If you are planning to sell your home, consider whether a bright colour may be off-putting to potential buyers – in which case, selecting a subtle or more traditional colour may be the right choice for you. Consider if you are planning to paint the outside of your property in the near future, as this will help to determine the right colour to choose. Most UPVC and composite doors come in a range of colours and are customisable if there is a particular colour that you desire. Energy efficiency Preventing excess heat loss where possible in your home is so important, as you want to live comfortably and efficiently when it comes to energy bills. Poorly fitted, old or damaged front doors will allow heat to leak out through the sides and glazing – so choosing a quality, well-fitted door is key to preventing draughts. Modern door styles can also ensure that your home stays cooler in the summer months, and this helps to balance the interior temperature to provide comfortable living conditions. All quality doors will meet performance standards and will be awarded with a ‘U’ value, rated on a scale from E to A ++ based on materials.

Considering the environmental impact of a new building Inspired by the Italian novel The Baron in the Trees, Bosco Verticale — or Vertical Forrest in English — are two tower blocks situated in Milan, Italy. What makes these structures significant is the abundance of greenery that encapsulates them. To be specific, the towers hold 900 trees, 5,000 shrubs and 11,000 perennial plants. The aim — to eliminate city smog and improve air quality. So, what can the UK’s construction industry learn from these environmental structures? Nick Cowley, managing director at windows and doors manufacturer, Euramax explores. Towns and cities across the globe constantly require new buildings. The UK alone needs to build 340,000 new homes every year until 2031 if its housing supply is to meet demand. While we cannot fail to fulfil this need for more buildings, it’s equally important that the building and construction industry acknowledges the environmental impact of building more. Bosco Verticale Considered the European capital of fashion and football, Milan is also one of the most polluted cities in Europe. In fact, the city was named Europe’s most polluted city in 2008. The industrial region is surrounded by mountainous terrain that gathers heavy smog. To help reduce the health and environmental impact of Milan’s atmospheric pollutants, Italian architect Stefano Boeri conjured up the concept of Bosco Verticale. Constructed in 2014, the towers are designed to combat air pollution by using the trees and plants to produce more oxygen. It’s predicted that the trees and plants in the towers convert approximately 44,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year.    The greenery also helps to moderate temperatures in the buildings during winter and summer, by shading the interiors from the sun and blocking harsh winds. This use of vegetation is an effective way to reduce the towers’ energy emissions as there is less need for thermostat heating and air conditioning. Furthermore, the towers’ variety of plant species attracts different birds and insects to the city, improving wildlife conservation. This is important because building and construction often causes irreversible damage to the natural habitats of wildlife and plants. While Milan is proactively reducing pollution and emissions, what’s happening in the UK? Natural England Natural England is the government’s statutory adviser for the natural environment. The group supports the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, its ambitions for agriculture, fisheries and the natural environment and commitment to becoming a net zero country by 2050. Natural England is dedicated to rebuilding sustainable ecosystems and protecting habitats, species and landscapes to help nature thrive. The Chair of Natural England, Tony Juniper, has called for the government to change its thinking towards housing and ensure that environmental considerations are incorporated into the design of new housing estates. He believes that politicians and developers must incorporate green thinking into the design of new infrastructure. According to Juniper, “we need healthy nature to catch carbon, to clean up rivers, to reduce flood risk, to improve public health and wellbeing. All of these have economic upsides, which I fear have been invisible in the development planning process.” Much like the concept of Bosco Verticale, using vegetation to reduce emissions and pollution is something that Natural England wants the government to recognise. Green Homes Grant As well as Natural England’s support, the government announced its Green Homes Grant in July 2020. As part of the scheme, the government will provide vouchers up to £10,000 to make homes more energy efficient. The scheme will run from September 2020 to March 2021 in an attempt to reduce energy emissions and costs. Homeowners and landlords must apply for the vouchers that will fund around 66 per cent of the cost of hiring tradespeople to upgrade the energy performance of their properties. The renovations that qualify for vouchers are categorised by primary and secondary measures. Primary includes a range of insulation and low carbon heating such as biomass boilers and solar thermal. Secondary measures involve draught proofing, double glazing and replacing and updating thermostats. For new buildings and those that need updating, it’s important to minimise their environmental impact where possible, and maximise the energy benefits of the buildings. Updating windows and doors is one action that can offer major energy saving benefits. Using double glazed low emissivity glass units, Euramax’s windows and doors have been rated A for their energy efficiency by The British Fenestration Ratings Council (BFRC). The council rates fenestration products from A to G, with A the most energy efficient, helping to cut emissions and costs to run the building. The Energy Savings Trust UK states that a detached home could save up to £160 on energy bills each year with A rated double glazed windows. While meeting housing demand is vital, so is minimising the environmental impact of construction projects. The UK has already made efforts to improve the sustainability of its buildings with the Green Homes Grant, but it must also demonstrate environmental support from the very start of a construction project. In addition to investing in sustainable materials and energy efficient windows and doors, the UK could take a physical leaf out of Bosco Verticale’s book and rely on natural sources to make construction greener.

Profile 22 Optima windows were specified in the development of 26 one and two bedroom apartments in a retirement development in Upper Norwood, London. Lewis House is a development of 26 one and two bedroom retirement apartments in Upper Norwood in London from McCarthy & Stone, the UK’s leading retirement housebuilder. As in all McCarthy & Stone developments, high quality was a top priority – it is the only housebuilder of any size to have been awarded the five-star rating for customer satisfaction by the Home Builders Federation every year since the awards began. When it came to the 97 windows and 26 door and sidelight combinations required on the project, McCarthy & Stone approached Epwin Window Systems. The systems house recommended the Optima system from Profile 22 and put the developer in touch with local Profile 22 Approved Window Installer Newview Homes Ltd. The company is one of the largest installation companies in the South East and is the one of the few UK installation companies to hold both ISO 9001 for Quality Management and ISO 14001 for Environmental Management. Profile 22 Optima Chamfered Windows deliver specifications required. The window specification required a U value of 1.4 wm2/k on all windows and Secured by Design accreditation on ground floor and easily accessible first floor windows. Acoustic glazing was also required because Lewis House is situated on a busy road so traffic noise needed to be minimised. Visually, the local authority had requested a grey exterior to give a modern appearance and provide a close match to aluminium. Newview used Profile 22’s Optima 70mm casement windows in smooth slate grey on white with 28mm Low E sealed glass units. Secured by Design accredited windows were fitted where required. Michele Wietscher, Commercial and Finance Director at Newview, said: “The Optima profile is always well-received because of its ability to meet demanding requirements at a competitive price.” The windows were manufactured by Newview’s long term fabrication partner, Emplas Window Systems Ltd, one of the UK’s largest window and door fabricators. Michelle said: “We work with Emplas because they are consistently reliable and offer excellent quality and good customer service.” Newview is an experienced commercial installer used to working on new build developments so was well-placed to ensure installation ran smoothly and coordinated with all other trades on site. It was the first time the company had worked with McCarthy & Stone and Michele said the team appreciated the developer’s meticulous approach. “McCarthy & Stone are well organised on site and their efficiency helped us be more productive. The installation process went well.” Everyone involved is delighted with the finished result. Senjey Sehmi, Senior Technical Manager South East, McCarthy & Stone Retirement Lifestyles, said: “We are very happy with the appearance of the windows, as they give a clean and contemporary look, which is in keeping with the architectural style of the building.” The quality of the Optima profile and Newview’s standard of workmanship have also been well received. Michele commented: “It was the perfect little contract for our first time working with McCarthy & Stone. We have priced two other sites in the South East now and hope to be working with them again soon.”

Over 300 Spectus Elite 70 System windows were used in the construction of a new build retirement village in Chorley town centre. Chorley Council commissioned a 65 apartment retirement village to provide those aged 55 and above with an independent living space with access to care and support. The development, Primrose Gardens, is in the centre of Chorley and is part of the Council’s strategic masterplan for the town centre. The development partner for the build was Eric Wright Construction. The window contract on the build was awarded to Spectus Approved Window contractor JADE Window and Door Specialists, a family run company based in Batley with over 25 years’ experience in the industry. JADE won the contract because it was able to demonstrate its ability to meet the demanding requirements of the window specification and deliver the project in line with the reduced timeframe required. The 65 apartments had over 300 windows in total. Thermal efficiency was a particular focus to keep running costs on the apartments to a minimum. The Elite 70 System from Spectus was able to meet this requirement and within the budget. It is a five-chamber system, which increases thermal performance, meaning it is capable of achieving a Window Energy Rating of A+ and U-values to 0.8W/m2K. The system is Secured by Design accredited where a high level of security is a requirement. Primrose Gardens’ town centre location meant careful programming and logistics planning was required to ensure minimum disruption and safe access. The construction was also on a reduced timeframe to enable Chorley Council to start delivering services as quickly as possible. JADE Window and Door Specialists are an experienced commercial contractor, so the team was able to take these factors into account and still deliver a high-quality installation to the timescale. The construction was completed on schedule in Autumn 2019. Councillor Alistair Bradley of Chorley Council said: “What is important is that the scheme will not only provide much- needed affordable accommodation for older people in the town who may need extra care and support later in life, it will also bring residential areas back into the town centre which is part of our town centre masterplan. And it will also generate much-needed income for the council which is vital with the cuts in central government funding that can be spent on providing services to our residents.”