We’ve all done it, haven’t we? Looked around at our friends and neighbours possessions. That new car, the drive’s been done, new front door… ‘Ooo look they’ve got new plant pots outside the front, they look nice don’t they’. Whatever way you look at it, it’s not entirely a bad thing to notice what is going on around you and take inspiration. Even if one is looking at it from an aspiration point of view – to aspire to get to a certain point or save up for something whereby you want to improve what you have.

Keep up with the Joneses

I know when we bought our current house just over a year ago, it needed quite a bit of work doing to it. It still looked the part down the street, and although I’m biased, was almost certainly one of the nicest looking houses out of all our neighbours. But still, I always thought it could look better and more ‘polished’. It needed new windows for a start, and luckily I knew a place with a face, a man who can, a team with a dream… My house is a lovely, typical 1930’s semi-detached property. It had the original timber windows – black frames with white sashes, single glazed. However they were not secure, were not keeping the house warm, were very noisy and were streaming with condensation. They even rattled a bit in the wind and when cars passed. Whilst they looked lovely and traditional they were not practical in this day and age, and knowing all the benefits of having uPVC, and double glazing in particular, they had to be changed.

Competing with a neighbour’s material possessions

Although the properties are not all the same down our road, there are a few rows with houses of our style, all of which had uPVC double glazing. Yet when looking around nobody had chosen to replicate the 1930’s black frames with white sashes style. When thinking about whether to have the frames-only in a black wood grain foil with white casements, I did start to question myself. Am I doing the right thing? Will it look OK against the neighbours windows? Seeing as that is what had been there originally I stuck to my gut instinct. And I’m so glad I did – I was so pleased with the result. They look authentic and play in well to the 1930’s style. I cannot count how many of our friends, and how many of the neighbours for that matter, have commented on how nice they look. It made me feel proud. Should I change our name to Jones yet?

Saying that, here at Cosyhomes one of the ways we give our customers vision and help them look at changing their windows or doors is to suggest looking at what their neighbours have done. Now their call may have come into us because we have completed an installation for somebody down their street in any case. Most of our work comes through word of mouth, recommendation and people seeing us in action – a Jones Effect some might say. By seeing what other houses have chosen, gives a good indication of what yours will turn out like. And to take the opposite of that, you can also see what to avoid – what doesn’t suit or look good. This is particularly the case when looking at how to split the window or whether to chose lead or Georgian bars. At the same time Cosyhomes has a wealth of knowledge and experience to be able to advise on what will be aesthetically pleasing to your style of house, your size of window. We have been doing this many years and seen every eventuality.

So, has next door just had a new composite, or upgraded their glass? Has the house down the road had all their windows changed or added a porch? Have you always fancied having a conservatory? Or are you just curious for a price. Whatever you’re thinking and whether you’re keeping up with the Joneses or have merely seen someone change something that you think looks great, why not give us a call to get an estimate. We offer a free no obligation quote and price everything individually. If you only want one window changed or a repair to a door, we’re flexible and can do things at a pace to suit your budget and your needs. Taking inspiration from your neighbours needn’t be a negative thing.

Cosyhomes Windows. Honest. Reliable. Family-run.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.