Installing Replacement Casement Windows

Time was, when installing replacement casement windows was costly, difficult and in no way guaranteed to succeed without some serious building work. Fortunately, that time is past, and it’s now a lot easier to get a replacement casement in place without knocking half a wall down and rebuilding it.

Modern casement replacement is done by sourcing the windows from a firm like Marvin Architectural, which has developed its own brand of replacement specific casements. The replacement casement is designed to slot, frame by frame, into the place of the old windows: which means no costly breaking of walls, removal of wallpaper and so on. These modern casement windows can be inserted from the outside, by a qualified fitter, without so much as touching the inside of the house. They’re designed to fit seamlessly and of course are available in a huge range of finishes – so they’ll match any existing house style.

A casement is basically any window that hangs from its frame, or is attached thereto, by one or more hinges. They’re installed in most houses, old and modern alike. In most cases these days, casement windows will be framed either in plastic, aluminium or wood, according to the overall aesthetic design of the house or flat in which they are sited. Interestingly enough, the sash window was originally a replacement for the casement, which had its first days in the architectural sun before sashes were introduced. Modern casements often show an affinity with their Tudor forebears, and first began to reappear on upmarket homes built in the Tudor style. Leaded glass windows, for example, are almost always casement windows.

Modern casements can be installed with a range of 21st century features – including the outstanding easy clean feature promoted by the aforementioned British firm Marvin Architectural. Their replacement casements, using the same feature that allows them to be slotted into an existing window space with comparative ease, can be removed for easy cleaning: meaning that outside surfaces can be buffed to a sparkle without worrying about ladders and window cleaners any more.

All modern windows, of course, have a dramatic effect on the energy efficiency of a house or home. The glass isn’t the only consideration, though double glazed casement windows are naturally a great help in retaining heat and rebuffing cold. What really matters, or matters just as much, is the quality of the frames. That’s particularly true of casements, which, with hinged joints and easy-clean access, need to be excellently insulated and sealed in order to maintain energy friendly heat retention.

Again, the total removability of a new style casement window has big part to play. First, because these new look replacement casements can be fully taken out, they have extra insulation and a high standard of finishing ensuring no air can get in. And second, should the new casement windows ever start to evince a problem with insulation; they can simply be whipped out while the seals are replaced which saves as much time and money as installing them in the first place.