Aluminium windows in Epsom: slimline, flush and steel-look frames for 1930s and detached houses

Aluminium is the frame we would look at first for most houses in Epsom that are not listed or covered by an Article 4 direction. It suits the borough's two biggest groups of houses: the 1930s semis of Ewell and Stoneleigh, and the larger detached houses of Ashtead, Woodcote and the Downs.

Three kinds of aluminium window

Slimline casements

The narrowest frames, best on houses where the original windows had thin sections and lots of glass. On a 1930s detached house in Ashtead or Langley Vale they bring back the proportions that chunky replacement windows from the 1980s and 1990s often lost.

Flush casements

The opening sash sits level with the outer frame, like a traditional timber casement. This is the closest aluminium gets to the look of the joinery on a 1930s semi, and it works well on the canted bays that line streets in West Ewell and Ewell Court.

Steel-look windows

Black or dark grey frames with slim glazing bars, made to look like the steel windows of the 1920s and 1930s. They suit Arts and Crafts houses, inter-war detached houses and garden rooms. In Headley and on the edge of Ashtead, where houses sit in big gardens, they are a common choice for a back elevation.

Where aluminium is the wrong answer

The council's appraisals for Stamford Green, Ewell Downs Road, College Road and Church Street all say the same thing: uPVC and aluminium are generally out of character, and new windows should be of traditional construction, design and materials. In Stamford Green, Ewell Village and Ewell Downs Road an Article 4 direction makes that a planning matter for the front of the house. If your house is in one of these streets, read the permission guide before choosing anything.

Colour and glass

Frames are powder-coated, usually in a dark grey or black outside and white inside, though dual colours and other shades are available. Double glazing is standard. Triple glazing and acoustic glass are options worth asking about if you live near the A24, the A240 Reigate Road or the railway lines that meet at Epsom station.

Aluminium does not need painting. Wash the frames a couple of times a year and lubricate the hinges, and that is the upkeep.