Our award winning range of hand-made, timber windows, and sash windows, are installed with care by our trained and experienced craftsmen. They come in three distinct styles – Traditional, contemporary and Historic – making them perfect for houses of any period. Through careful design many of the age old complaints associated with wood have been eliminated; our products will not stick or twist, require very little maintenance, offer modern standards of security and significant energy savings. Stormproof windows feature rebated openers which lip over the front face of the window frame. Our Storm proof system is packed with innovations – innovations that bring the benefits of security, warmth, warp resistance, weathering and modern double glazing performance. The design of our vertical sliding sash window is the product of an extensive collaboration between our technicians and consultant architect to ensure that our box sash reproduces, as faithfully as possible, the simple grace of English sash windows progressively developed from early use by Wren through their peak of elegance in the late Georgian period and in common usage by the Victorians and Edwardians. In particular, the dimensions of our sash frames, meeting rails and glazing bars have been made slim, with traditional mouldings subtly modified to suit modern construction technology. To carry the extra weight of double-glazed units, our sliding sashes are hung on tradional cords retaining the long proven reliability of simple counterbalance weights.
Quadruple draught strips stop rattles, and extremely high insulation (1.1W/m2K) glazing units minimise heat loss and down draughts. Multi-layer timber and very careful attention to detail, minimise the swelling and warping that causes jamming on windows of lesser quality during wet weather.
Flush casement windows are characterised by openers that close into the frame and finish flush with the face of the window. Our challenge has been to make flush casement windows which look simple but are actually quite sophisticated. Some details, like our decorative butt hinges, are merely to reinforce the illusion of simplicity. Hidden away is modern technology: warp resistant timber, locks which engage in multiple points around the perimeter of every opener, ventilation grooves, drainage channels and glazing units which lose approximately half the heat of ordinary double glazing.
Listed Buildings and Conservation
If your property lies within a Conservation Area, Conservation Article 4 or Listed Grade 1 or 2, you will need to take advice. We as a Company offer this advice free of charge and without obligation, so please feel free to pick up the phone or email us for some free guidance.
Different Authorities offer similar but varied guidelines, some being more rigid than others, coming to us first may save you money and heartache.
The Bishops Avenue
The Bishops Avenue, London. This prestigious residential property situated on Bishops Avenue in London, required the manufacture of windows and doors to replicate the original designs including the astragal bar detailing. George Barnsdale manufactured a combination of sliding sash, tilt and turn and storm-proof casement windows and door-sets. The select location of the property demanded both careful aesthetic detailing and high-performance specifications.
We specialise in this field and our timber window and door partner George Barnsdale are also specialists in this field. Established in 1884, George Barnsdale master individuality, providing a truly bespoke product and service, no matter the project. Their windows and doors are meticulously made and highly customisable, making them the ideal partner for listed building and conservation projects.
This whole field is best compared to a mine field without a map, so please call or email for a free chat to learn much more. Below is an array of information, timbers, sections, glazing and warranties.
CASEMENT WINDOWS
There are principally two types of casement window, Stormproof and Flush Casement, the later, being more traditional and often insisted upon by listing officers. Both systems come in three different depths, front to back, 68mm, 81mm and 94mm. The frame widths can also be different, Traditional, standard width 59mm and Historic, 44mm.
The Menders is a new build property, which replicates a traditional Tudor period farmhouse. George Barnsdale supplied traditional timber flush casement windows, an entrance door and French door set, helping the property to fit seamlessly with its rural surroundings. Admiral worked directly with the client and concluded with fitting the windows and doors.
GLAZING
Glazing is available in multiple options, from triple glazing to very slim Historic and even single glazed. There are so many options available in terms of performance, whether this is insulation to sound blocking and even privacy glass.
Decoration to glazing is another area of choice, whether it be leaded designs with colour, or Georgian bar designs, either face applied or through bar designs, where each section of glazing is individual.
Mulberry House
The above property, Mulberry House is a modern home. The builder chose to give a sliding sash window look to the house, in fact the windows are storm-proof casements with sash horns. In consultation with our client, we jointly decided to replace them in the same style, this avoided cutting back the internal plaster to accommodate the much deeper sash boxes of sliding sash windows.
Our client, who also commissioned us to design and build them an Orangery is delighted with the efficiency, longevity, and low maintenance of their George Barnsdale windows. To finish the job, we replaced the entrance doors in Oak, giving a draft free, secure, aesthetically pleasing finish to whole property.
SASH WINDOWS
When most people talk about sash windows, they usually mean sliding sash windows, these can be Vertical sliders or Horizontal sliders, often known as Yorkshire or Norfolk Sliders. Both of these types are available as Traditional or Historic.
This image shows a triple sliding sash window, unlike many timber window companies, this window made by George Barnsdale in the traditional way, with all sashes opening and made as one, using traditional sash operation. It is quite often the case that many companies just stich three individual sliding sash windows together, making very wide timber sections with less glass, in simple terms it just looks wrong!
WHICH TIMBER AND WHY?
Engineered timber is the order of the day, this is where, whether hardwood or softwood, the timbers, crossed grained ARE LAMINATED IN 25MM THICK PIECES. All of this means the wood is more stable and estimated to be 6 times stronger than standard cut timber.
There is a general mis-understanding regarding softwood and hardwood
Hardwood comes from angiosperm trees that are not monocots; trees are usually broad-leaved. Has vessel elements that transport water throughout the wood; under a microscope, these elements appear as pores.
Softwood comes from gymnosperm trees which usually have needles and cones. Medullary rays and tracheids transport water and produce sap. When viewed under a microscope, softwoods have no visible pores because of tracheids.
Not wishing to blind you with science, the useful information you can take from this is Softwoods are not necessarily worse than Hardwoods, Balsa wood is classified as a hardwood. More useful is to say that most hardwoods and those selected for the making of windows and doors are close grained and more resilient to knocks and therefore hardwoods are nearly always selected for door sashes.
Oak
European oak is our main offering, and this is also Engineered, like our Red Grandis. The reason for mentioning this again is mainly due to the fact the Red Grandis is a light coloured Hardwood and with a light Oak stain applied most of us would mistake it for Oak.
Timber Windows that last a lifetime
ACCOYA The World’s Leading High Technology Wood
Accoya is the world’s leading high technology wood. Created from sustainably sourced softwood, Accoya wood matches or exceeds the durability, stability and beauty of the very best tropical hardwoods. The Accoya wood production process takes sustainably-sourced, fast growing softwood and, in a non-toxic process that ‘enables nature’, creates a new durable, stable and beautiful product – that has the very best environmental credentials. Our windows and conservatories can all be specified with Accoya. Accoya is helping to protect the world’s precious hardwood resources and is guaranteed for 50 years in exterior use and 25 years when used in the ground. This long life also provides an added benefit – helping to reduce carbon emissions.
PRODUCT FEATURES
DIMENSIONAL STABILITY – Swelling and shrinkage reduced by 75% or more – Windows open effortlessly year round – Paints and varnishes last 3 or 4 times longer, greatly reducing maintenance costs CLASS 1 DURABILITY – The most durable wood possible LONG LASTING – Lasting at least 50 years above ground and 25 years in ground PERFECT FOR COATING – Easier to coat: less preparation and sanding between coatings required. NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL WOOD – The process does not compromise the wood’s natural beauty IMPROVED INSULATION – Accoya offers improved thermal insulation in comparison with commonly used wood species FROM SUSTAINABLE SOURCES – Sustainably sourced, including from FSC, PEFC and other regionally certified woods UV RESISTANT – Accoya wood has superior resistance to UV degradation when translucent coated and its natural appearance lasts longer RETAINED STRENGTH & HARDNESS – The process does not compromise the wood’s strength – Hardness is increased – High strength to weight ratio, making it suitable for challenging applications 100% RECYCLABLE – Fully reusable and recyclable – Reuse is recommended but Accoya wood may be safely incinerated for bio-energy or composted
The technology behind Accoya wood is based on acetylation, a process that has been studied by scientists around the world for more than 75 years. This method of improving wood has been proven to deliver such superior performance that it has long been used as the “gold standard” against which other methods are measured. The physical properties of any material are determined by its chemical structure. Wood contains an abundance of chemical groups called free hydroxyls. Free hydroxyl groups absorb and release water according to changes in the climatic conditions to which the wood is exposed. This is the main reason why wood swells and shrinks. It is also believed that the digestion of wood by enzymes initiates at the free hydroxyl sites – which is one of the principal reasons wood is prone to decay. Acetylation effectively changes the free hydroxyls within the wood into acetyl groups. This is done by reacting the wood with acetic anhydride, which comes from acetic acid (known as vinegar when in its dilute form). When the free hydroxyl group is transformed to an acetyl group, the ability of the wood to absorb water is greatly reduced, rendering the wood more dimensionally stable and, because it is no longer digestible, extremely durable.
Timber costs
When we are looking to order quality windows and doors in Timber it is useful to have an idea of the cost differences, after all the warranties are the same for all, so from top to bottom, top being the least cost:
- Redwood
- Hardwood
- Oak and Accoya
As an idea Oak and Accoya are at least 50% more than Engineered Redwood with Red Grandis somewhere near the middle.
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We’re Federation of Master Builders Accredited
The Federation of Master Builders has been instrumental in leading the campaign for safer window treatments in the UK via its Make it Safe campaign.
to about 70% satisfaction. The installers were contracter’s that had no commitment to what they were doing and it showed. We needed a new set of patio doors, thinking here
we go again going to get another job done that I know I won’t be overall happy with. I passed Admiral Homespace by chance, popped in had a chat with one of the sales team
who was not a cheesy sales guy in fact nice and pleasant to talk with (good start). We arranged a site visit he came over I explained what I was after which was to limit the
amount of surround and centre join of the doors he offered me a new to the market product that gave a centre join of 20mm and minimal surround. To cut a long story short,
bought the product it has been fitted by an excellent team who are employed with the company so have vested interest in doing a good job which they did. overall from sales
to surveying to organising and fitting the whole team are excellent very professional and actually care, the fitters Andy & Wayne look genuinely pleased with the doors and the
fact I was so pleased. I would highly recommend them looking to get new windows fitted so am going back to them. Happy to pass on pictures to them to forward to potential
customers’
a very helpful sales process. We were able to move at a comfortable pace, arriving at the final solution, in a timely but very professional manner. All trades conducted themselves
in a very professional manner, on time and as described. Even late changes were accommodated without issue, we would have no hesitation in recommending Admiral and their
comprehensive professional approach throughout
Admiral installed our doors and windows in 2012. In 2026 our front door lock broke and the manufacturer didn't make them anymore nor had any spare parts !
Nadine and Andy road to our rescue. Andy researched a potential fix, Nadine ordered the parts and Andy promptly repaired our lock mechanism and then installed it back in the door.
Absolutely super service and support - even years after our initial install!
Admiral Homespace care for their customers !
and professionally and customer service is really important to me, particularly when I'm making a substantial purchase. I had a slight issue with the lock on my door and an engineer visit was arranged quickly and efficiently. The matter was resolved in a few minutes with a few adjustments. Very happy with the service.’
Installation went well and we are very happy with the result.
I'd definitely recommend Admiral Homespace to anyone looking for custom, handmade windows & doors for their project.
