“It’s been said that I never take the easy option. I like to think that I thrive on a challenge!”
Meet Jeremy Westcott of Westcott Construction Ltd, a title which he’s the first to admit is a bit of a misnomer these days. The company has been gradually transitioning from construction to supplying and fitting glazing. They now specialise in bespoke windows, doors and glazed extensions with a focus on Danish and German manufacturers.
The company was formed over 10 years ago when Jeremy decided to leave his full-time job with an engineering firm to focus on what was then a sideline – renovating properties. He worked with Carl as the architect on the kind of challenging jobs he finds the most rewarding; adding an extra storey and a roof terrace to a listed building in Old Portsmouth, creating a mansard roof and attic room on a fiddly property nearby and building this detached home in Southsea. The pièce de resistance was building his own home in the South Downs, on which the abundant use of remarkable glazing is notable. Maybe it was a sign.
In fact, it was when he was invited on a course by Danish glazing company, Velfac, that was the turning point. It led to more opportunities and eventually he opened his own showroom in Portsmouth. The products were so successful and demand so high that he decided to take on fewer building jobs and focus on developing the glazing business.
The other brands he partners with include Solarlux and Spitfire, and he’s genuinely passionate about his suppliers because he believes in the quality, the craftsmanship and the versatility of their products. “The design and quality are simply superb, and they will create the kind of things other manufacturers can’t fulfil, like outsized or pivoting doors, glass canopies and glazing for winter gardens and full glass extensions.”
I speculate that a large amount of glazing on a property means compromising on insulation, heat loss and thermal gain, but Jeremy is quick to put me right. “Glazing technology has come a long way since the 1980s and 90s – it’s had to evolve to meet building regulations and its inspired manufacturers to get creative and develop energy-efficient, climate-friendly products.
“The products we supply are designed to generate more energy than they lose, so rooms are always cosy in winter and don’t heat up excessively in summer.” As someone whose kitchen currently sports a small but poorly insulated glass roof and 20-year-old patio doors it certainly gets me thinking that it’s time for a replacement.
Talking of doors, he also tells me that not all folding doors are created equal. I need to consider the quality of the tracks required to support a heavy door and look for slim frames that create better sight lines, not to mention top-notch security. Noted.
I mention a new front door – something else on my list – and he’s got that covered too. In fact, he’s just back from a business trip to Greece, as part of a new collaboration with a company specialising in aluminium front doors made from thick thermally enhanced slabs with ultimate weather seals. Given our last UK winter this certainly sounds attractive.
