Genesis vertical slider gets green light for a Conservation Area property in Cardiff

Pontcanna is a district in Cardiff that’s rich in heritage and consequently much of it is in a Conservation Area. So when one Pontcanna homeowner wanted to replace the windows in his turn-of-the-century property, not only did he want to make the most of his home’s original heritage, he was bound by the regulations to do so.

The property had originally had timber sash windows, but these had been replaced forty or fifty years ago by timber casements. The homeowner wanted to replace the ageing and out-of-keeping casements windows to bring back the original period looks and approached local family-owned fabricator and installer The Welsh Glasshouse for advice. The company introduced him to the Genesis vertical slider developed by Bison Frames and he was immediately impressed with its authentic detailing of a traditional sliding sash with all the added thermal efficiency and low maintenance benefits of a PVC-u window.

Of course, because the house was in a Conservation Area, the homeowner needed to have his choice of window approved by the conservation department of the City of Cardiff Council. Shaun Armstrong of The Welsh Glasshouse takes up the story, saying, “The conservation department officer was initially very sceptical, as we had expected. But we worked closely with the homeowner and Bison Frames over a period of weeks to provide all the documentation and samples that were required. In the end the department was happy that the Genesis met all the criteria, especially in relation to the look and appeal of a traditional vertical slider. We were delighted!”

Once the homeowner and The Welsh Glasshouse had got the permission required, work rapidly commenced. The inefficient and unattractive timber casements were replaced with 14 authentically beautiful and thermally efficient Genesis windows with Chartwell Green exteriors and white interiors – and the results are stunning.

Shaun Armstrong comments, “It is testament to the design of Genesis and the meticulous attention to detail by Bison to replicate the windows of 100 years ago that we got the approvals required. It’s great news for other homeowners in the Pontcanna area too. They will still need to seek approval for their choice of window, but we hope that our work on this property should make future applications much more straightforward.”

Bison’s Genesis vertical slider was developed to provide a solution for people living in Grade II listed or conservation area properties with a low maintenance, thermally efficient alternative to the timber sliding sash. This latest example of an installation demonstrates that it’s meeting the objective!