Case study: Hemploe View, Leicestershire

10 years on since it was built and the VELFAC windows and doors in Alec and Stephanie Wilson’s self-build home look as good as they did on the day they were installed.

Overlooking the valley towards Hemploe Hill, close to the Leicestershire-Northamptonshire border, it’s a home that Alec says has been a joy to live in, “even on dull days, the house floods with light, lifting your mood”.

Choosing VELFAC for a second time

For retired builder Alec, it’s the second home he has built for his family, and both have featured VELFAC windows:

“I’d used VELUX rooflights in lots of building projects over the years, but I hadn’t used VELFAC vertical glazing until I built my first self-build in 2000. Back then, they were made entirely of wood, the external frame as well as the internal. They were great, but when I discovered that they’re now composite construction, with an aluminium external frame, I didn’t hesitate for a moment in choosing VELFAC for this house, too.”

The Wilsons had lived in their previous self-build family home for 10 years. It was a large oak-framed house, featuring extensive glazing across the rear to maximise the views. It was retirement that prompted the couple to take on another self-build. This time, they wanted a smaller, more contemporary home that would be cheap to run.

Maximising light and views

With a desire to stay in Leicestershire, they managed to find a plot with an old 1960s bungalow on site. It was surrounded by Leylandii, and the position didn’t make the most of the extensive countryside views. Fortunately, they were able to obtain planning permission to demolish the bungalow and start from scratch on site, positioning the new house and windows to maximise both light and views.

The Douglas fir-framed home is divided into two sections – one single storey and one two storey – angled to create privacy. A fully glazed, single-storey entrance space connects the two parts.

The two-storey section hosts the bedrooms. On the first floor, the primary bedroom suite features a living area, which opens onto a balcony via a huge 3.5m VELFAC sliding door with fixed lights either side.

The main living/dining/kitchen area is contained in the single-storey part of the house. A large, electrically operated roof lantern lets light in from above, and lets warm air out in the summer. The entire south-facing wall is glazed to make the most of the views over the garden and countryside beyond.

Managing solar gain

To manage solar gain, a verandah, with four VELFAC sliding doors opening onto it, runs the full length of the building. Fixed lights sit between each door to create the perfect combination of access to the outside and protection from gusts of wind that might send papers flying inside.

It’s Alec’s favourite part of the house. There are no windows or blinds to impede the view: “I love it when it’s wild outside and we’re sitting inside, all cosy, looking out,” says Alec.

Triple glazing for the perfectionist

Building a house that would be energy efficient and as maintenance-free as possible was a priority for Alec and Stephanie. In addition to the high thermal performance of VELFAC 200 double glazed windows and doors throughout, the house also benefits from a ground source heat pump, solar thermal panels and rainwater harvesting.

Alec has just one regret: “I just wish I had chosen triple glazing instead of double glazing. Don’t get me wrong, the VELFAC double glazing perform beautifully, but there is a part of me that wishes I had gone the full stretch in terms of energy efficiency – triple glazing would have pacified the perfectionist in me.”