The double doors at an old Chapel in Betws Gwerfil Goch in Wales were once lovingly created from timber and for many years will have created a welcoming entrance to many Worshippers. The existing design incorporated a shaped angle frame with two panes of triangular shaped glass above the door, with the panes of glass separated by a timber mullion. It was common-place historically to construct timber doors with wooden panels for security and privacy and then to install a shaped glass frame above the door, to allow natural light into a room. Incorporating shaped glass above a door is now referred to as a Top light, Fan light or occasionally, Borrowed light.

 

Traditionally, front doors were hand-crafted from timber, as this material was readily available many years ago. As can be seen in the photograph, the two timber panels at the top half of the door have been painted in a lighter blue paint than the rest of the door, possibly to give the effect of glazing.

Bespoke uPVC Shaped Door Frame

Eventually, it became time to consider replacing the existing timber doors in the Chapel and much consideration was given to finding a new set of double doors which closely replicated the existing design to retain the character and appearance of this historic building. It was decided that the new doors could be replaced with Composite Double Doors with a uPVC Shaped frame, if a suitable design was found.

Solidor offer a wide range of composite double doors to suit any style of property, all made to bespoke dimensions with a large colour range to choose from. Browsing through the range, it was decided that the Style ‘Flint 4’ in a Standard Blue colour would make an ideal replacement with 2 panes of Satin Obscured glazing to allow some natural light into the building, whilst maintaining privacy. The previous door was a little draughty, so when the new door was supplied, an AM3 Aluminium threshold was fitted to the base of the door, which offers protection from the weather. Get in touch

 

As with many old buildings constructed from stone, the door opening to the Chapel wasn’t square, so a 30mm uPVC add-on was added to each sloping section of the frame to ensure that the door would fit perfectly.

Angled door frame incorporates fan light above

Universal Arches manufactured a bespoke welded frame with transom in White uPVC for the door, with an Angled frame for the fan light. Using CAD drawings for accuracy they supplied a template for the triangular double glazed unit.  

Once the door had been supplied and installed, feedback from the customer was “All things considered, with the wonky nature of such an old building and the fact it was not a true triangle, it was a great achievement by all involved”

 

Universal Arches manufactures shaped door frames and windows in a wide range of uPVC colours and finishes. For more information contact our customer services team on 01744 612844 or email chat-to-us@universalarches.com