17th Century Grade II Listed Granary
When James moved into the 17th Century Grade II Listed building in Wokingham in 2017, one of the home improvements he was planning to carry out was to replace the existing timber windows. The windows were single glazed and were draughty and having been in-situ for a long time without regular maintenance, they were rotten, letting in the wind and rain. The window on the landing was particularly in need of repair and let pools of water in, causing some flooding indoors. 
The beautiful home, part of a farm estate featuring the original house, dairy and barn, was a former granary. James approached the local planning officers for approval to fit new timber windows. At first his request was turned down as local planning argued that, as it was a Listed building, the windows could not be changed.
James visited his local Timber Windows showroom in Hartley Wintney, run by Sherborne Windows, and discussed his dilemma. James said “The Sales and Design Consultants at the showroom were really supportive. We spoke at length several times and they were able to guide me in terms of completing each of the steps required when consulting with the planning department.
James continued, The local planning department originally said that the windows couldn’t be changed as it was a listed building, but it was successful in the end on the basis that the granary would have never had windows to start with, so should not be affected by planning conditions”.
Once approval had been given, Sherborne Windows carried out a full survey and were able to recommend a timber window design which was both authentic and sympathetic to the style of the building. Rather than painting the windows, they were stained to bring out the natural grain in the wood. Leaded glass and traditional black monkey tail furniture was chosen to complement the character of the house. The windows in the house itself were installed in two phases, with the outbuilding to follow in phase three.
James said “Since having new windows installed, we have noticed that we are able to control the temperature in the house in the Winter and can open the windows in the Summer to keep us cool. We no longer have any draughts coming in through the windows. We used to ask the window cleaner not to clean a number of the windows in our home as this caused water to leak in. Now though, we can clean all of the windows without having to worry about any water leaking in!”
If you’d like to talk to us about improving your home, our experts are on hand and ready to help. Get in touch online or give us a call on 01252 370917. We would also love to welcome you into your local Sherborne showroom and introduce you to our product range.
