‘Let in as much light as possible,’ was the brief to bespoke window and door company, Benchmark Windows when tasked with supplying products for a new build extension.   

The property, based in the coastal village of East Preston, backs onto the beach with far-reaching views across the English Channel. The homeowners decided to demolish an ageing extension and rebuild to make the most of the vista and maximise natural light within.

“The client was sent our way by their builder, who is a long-standing Benchmark Windows’ customer,” commented Josh Brown from Benchmark Windows. “The requirement was to get as much light as possible into the new extension and for daylight to reach deeper into the plan. They also wanted the best products we can offer.”

The product specification was said to be heavily influenced by the coastal location, including self-cleaning glass for the rooflight. For this, Benchmark Windows turned to trusted supplier, Howells Patent Glazing.

“We have worked with Howells for 12 years now,” said Josh. “They are reliable, and our fitters like installing their products, plus our customers love them too. We selected the company’s glass rafter rooflight, Ultraline, for this project because the client wanted an uninterrupted view. The Ultraline is perfect for this because its glass rafters give the illusion of one large pane of glass across the 6.6m x 1.6m opening.”

Howells designed and manufactured its Ultraline aluminium rooflight with six panes of 28mm double glazed units and five 175mm glass rafter dividers, at a pitch of four degrees.

The aluminium frame is powder coated in anthracite grey on the outside and satin white inside. The coating provides added protection against the coastal conditions.

To meet the requirement for self-cleaning glass and to combat the effects of solar gain, Howells used heat soaked toughened glass with an easy-clean coating and solar control properties.

The rooflight was delivered to site unglazed due to the weight of the glass, with each pane weighing 35kg.

If an Ultraline rooflight measures less than 5m by 2m, the unglazed rooflight can be delivered preassembled, direct to site in an unbranded vehicle. If the rooflight exceeds these dimensions, such as the one installed in East Preston, then it can be delivered in multiple parts. According to Howells, early morning drop-offs mean the Ultraline rooflight can be installed in a day.