Countrywide UPVC installs 88 Profile 22 vertical sliding windows

Westcliffe Court is a prominent private apartment building in Southport, Merseyside. It had been built with soft wood framed sash windows but its location near the sea meant the frames were wearing badly and needed to be repainted every three or four years – an expensive undertaking for the building’s residents. When the windows’ seals started to fail too, the building’s management company sought a more thermally efficient PVC-U alternative.

Because the building is in a conservation area, any changes to the exterior of the building needed to be approved. The local planning department specified that vertical sliding windows with a white woodgrain finish needed to be used and stipulated they needed to feature mechanical mortise-and-tenon joints rather than a welded 45 degree joint.

The building’s management company researched alternatives and selected Profile 22 and approved installer, Countrywide UPVC in Ormskirk. 

Countrywide UPVC worked closely with Westcliffe Court’s management company to secure the necessary planning permission. They were supported throughout by Profile 22’s Specification Manager, who completed all the designs for the windows and attended both residents and planning department meetings, with samples, making a complicated process run as smoothly as possible.

Planning permission was successfully secured and installation began in 2016. Countrywide UPVC ran the schedule of works to suit the residents, working from flat to flat rather than from one side of the building to the other. The work ran extremely smoothly and all installations were completed by February 2017 on time and on budget. 

Les Moon, Project Leader for Westcliffe Court Management Company and building resident said: “All the residents are absolutely delighted with the new windows. They are extremely pleasing aesthetically and only under very close scrutiny can you tell that they’re not wooden frames. They are also performing exceptionally well with many residents are reporting that they’re not having to switch their heating on half as much as they were previously, so the windows are already saving us money on our heating bills. It’s a relief to know that these windows not only look and perform well but will be able to remain in situ with very limited maintenance required for many years to come.”

The project is a perfect example of how Profile 22’s exceptionally well-thought-through system can deliver the most demanding of requirements. It’s also a perfect demonstration of two companies working closely and proactively together to deliver a high quality, low maintenance solution that has enhanced the lives of a building’s residents.