Local Practice

There are nearly always good reasons why a traditional building has an awkward feature like a step in the floor

Local builders mostly tend to follow good local practices in construction while satisfying Building Regulations

Reasons Why

Single rebated casement window in cottage renovation near Hawkshead

This is how to do it right - single rebated casements please not double rebated (see below)

The No 1 Detail People Get Wrong

A pet hate of mine is to see double rebated casements in a traditional cottage or barn conversion (see further down)

The above image is how it should be done with the casements (the opening part of the window) flush with the front of the frame.

Note also that there is no timber sill in local windows - the slatestone sill is let into the walling either side so as to prevent rainwater getting in at the ends of the wall opening, it slopes back up and sits under the bottom of the window frame.

The bottom of the frame itself should have an angled rebate to receive the stone sill and the frame is scribed to fit the uneven slate sill (you can see that the wood is thicker on the right than on the left where the timber frame meets the sill).