When you are dealing with draughts around your windows and doors, you do have options. There are different professional and DIY solutions.

But, before opting for standalone professional draught proofing services, which may not be your best value choice, or trying out DIY methods that leave you without substantial or long-lasting results, take a look at how draught proofing – performed by professionals and seamlessly integrated into an insulating window system for minimal expense – works.

You don't want to overspend or waste your time on something that doesn't work when there is a really practical option available.

Why Worry About Draughts?

Draught proofing involves installing a material that will block cool air currents from seeping into your home through cracks, crevices and gaps. As you already probably know, those cold draughts that come in through the tiny openings around your windows and doors – 24/7 – are causing two problems:

• High energy bills – you pay more each month to heat your home and you’re using up more aaaenergy than you really need to. This also increases your household’s carbon footprint a lot when aaayou consider the cumulative impact.

• A cold, draughty home – even with the heat turned up, the cold is still getting in. You’re aaaspending more money on energy and you’re still left needing an extra sweater or extra pair of aaasocks just to feel comfortable inside.

With the right draught proofing work, however, you can put a stop to the cold air streaming in.

Why Professional Draught Proofing Is More Effective

There are lots of different ways to approach draughts, from putting a sand-filled fabric door snake under your door to installing rubber, metal, plastic, wooden or brush seals around your doors and windows to block the air currents.

The problem with DIY options is you aren’t going to get substantial results. Also, you may run into common problems, like the draught seals falling off or having to remove what you put up every time you open the door or windows.

There are other, less obvious pitfalls you want to look out for. When you don’t have the experience to identify what’s causing the draught, you may have difficulty stopping it. 

For example: 

If there is a gap in your window because the house has shifted over time, something that can happen with casement windows, when you install a new sash, you’re going to end up with the same gap.

With professional draught proofing, on the other hand, you can have all your draughty window and door areas fixed, eliminating most draughts, not just some of them. If you don’t get all your draughts resolved, you’ll still have that constant stream of cold air entering your home.

But, also, the draught seals are going to really make an impact without making your doors or windows look funny with foam pads and tape, or without making it hard to open and close them. A professional will take the time to carefully measure and to expertly install a solution.

But, there’s still a catch.

Not All Professional Draught Solutions Are the Same

Draught proofing, when you get into the nuances of your windows and doors, isn’t as simple as putting on a seal and calling it a day.

For example:

• If your floor has cracked or moved, you could have a curved door. In this case, a regular, flat seal aaawill leave two openings for air to pass through around the curve.
• Brush seals, metal, and even the top draught proofing material – a high-quality rubber – end up aaacreating an unsightly rim around the windows and doors.

Because draught proofers have to take down the doors and windows to put on the draught seals, the job ends up being time-consuming and expensive, just to get those seals on properly.

You may spend hundreds on your draught but if you don’t have insulated windows, you still have your high energy bills and a chilly home.

The Best Professional Draught Proofing Is Seamless

But you can escape the high prices for standalone professional draught proofing, the aesthetic issues, and even poor quality work, with the right solution.

At Thermawood, when we retrofit your timber windows and doors with our unique, dry double glazing system, we always include draught seals in the process. The way we see it, draught seals should be a standard when you have your windows insulated with double glazing because if you still have a draught, your insulation isn’t doing its job. Likewise, if you have draught proofing done, without the insulation benefits of double glazing, your draught proofing isn’t going to make much of a difference. 

There's no point in doing half a job when it comes to window and door insulation. Half a solution still leaves you with most of the problem.

So, instead of taking down the windows and doors just to put in draught seals, we machine the seals in to your timber when your windows and doors are retrofitted. This means you get to keep your existing timber, which in the case of heritage windows, may be valuable, old-growth timber that you definitely don’t want to lose.

The old, single pane of glass is removed and a double glazing unit is installed into the current frame instead. During this process draught seals are machined directly into the frames or sashes, giving you optimal thermal insulation as well as acoustic benefits – our seals also decrease noise pollution. That’s why we use high-quality acoustic seals.

At Thermawood we machine the seals into the wood. When the seals are machined into the windows and doors, you can’t see them. This way, you get a seamless aesthetic and a perfect seal.

Taking a solution-oriented approach, our draught proofing is always customised to suit the specific needs of your home, whether you have a curved door, a gap from a shift in the building or any cracks between your window sashes or at the window sill.

Even better, when draught seals are machined into your frames or sashes during double glazing, the cost of the actual draught proofing is a fraction of what it would cost to do the work as a standalone solution.

You’ll have your draughts not just addressed but fixed. No more high energy bills. No more uncomfortable home. And, timelessly beautiful windows and doors.