The existing single-glazed aluminium frames were in good condition. Replacing them all with thermally broken double glazing was beyond our budget, so we settled with double-glazed panels (argon-filled, e-coating) throughout, but with new thermally broken frames in the living areas, and retroglazing the old frames for the remainder of the house.

The new frames were bulky, but I managed to hide much of their periphery through the reveal detailing.

Cladding support is via vertical battens placed on the 900mm grid, fixed through the insulation to the wall behind. The cladding is fixed to horizontal battens, with the assembly forming a rain screen which diverts most of the rain, and includes large pressure equalisation cavities to lower the speed of wind-borne water.

We opted for sliding doors and windows to prevent slamming in the wind.