Dormer windows a touch of style in French Provincial Design

          A French Provincial gem, located just off the Golden Mile, Mount Albert Road in Surrey Hill, and built by renown boutique artisan Chris Hardy (www.frenchprovincialhomes.com.au) recently sold at a significant price tag.

          This is what you can expect when you get it right from scratch, and at The Good House we've been promoting and supporting good design, complemented with the right choice of materials, for more than 16 years. If you are unsure where to start, feel free to seek advice for your next project, this is what our Consultancy Service is all about !

         This project features our dormer windows, a simple item that proves there is no need to spend big money to achieve balance and style, but a genuine product is the key. These dormer windows are the exact reproduction of a traditional French roof window, only a lot easier to install than the original ones that were made of cast iron !
          Also featured but somehow hidden in the greenery are our genuine Anduze garden vases, in their ever popular weathered finish.

          At The Good House we try hard to make your life easier !

The most beautiful door in Melbourne ?

                      If you ever wondered where is the most beautiful entrance door installed in Melbourne in recent years,  you might as well travel to Malvern. With so many leafy streets and hidden gems concealed within lush gardens, Malvern is a place of past and present wonders.

                    Our featured door is impressive in more ways than just the look.

• Facing North, it was made out of European walnut, a species known for its resilience to sun exposure. 
• Measuring 2.7m in height, and 1.8m in width, weighing approximately 400 kilos all together, this is not a flimsy door ! The frame is 54mm thick, and with the mouldings it goes up to 70mm !
• It's all traditional workmanship, mortice and tenons assembled with pins.
• It's fitted with a recessed, multipoint safety locking mechanism (top / middle / bottom) 
• A full peripheral rubber seal ensures complete air and water tightness.

               I guess when the owner comes home after a tough business day, the silky touch of the walnut timber, the quiet thud of the heavy leaf closing, and the clear click of the brass locks, all contribute to  leaving the worries outside, and feeling the strong sense of well deserved ownership softly rushing in his veins.

   

          All our doors are custom made in France by renown French cabinet making and wood carving company Bruno BERTOLI - Follow this link to their website: http://www.bertoli.fr

Mediterranean roof tiles: Beautiful things always come in small package ...

This is all what feature roofs are about, a cute, intricate, low level piece of roof that seats next to the pool in your backyard, or in a secluded spot in your estate, and gives you that little ting of pride in the chest every time it catches your sight.

Being a small object means you can afford the right materials and craftsmanship, turning a simple building into an outstanding piece of art.




The pool cabana pictured here has a timber structure built entirely from reclaimed Tasmanian bridge timbers complimented by traditional Mediterranean barrel tiles, that have the under side exposed, to add authenticity to the genuine look.

These traditional Roman tiles are found throughout the whole Mediterranean region from Portugal, Spain and South of France, to Italy, Greece and the Middle East. They are said to have followed the Roman conquests, as part of the spreading out of the Roman civilisation.
They are known by quite a few different names: Unders and Overs, curved, barrel, Spanish, Mediterranean or simply Roman tiles.
History has it that the typical shape was being given to a clay pan fashioned around the thigh of the maker.
They are very well suited to hot climate conditions, providing natural ventilation to the roof space, capable of handling sudden and torrential rains. They actually are more of a piece of engineering than you think at first glance, because the drops of rain hitting the top of the Overs are directed to the channels of the Unders where they form little streams that run much faster than drops crawling over a flat tile.

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On the other hand, heritage terracotta shingles are roof tiles designed for the cold and rainy countries of Northern Europe, where they also have to deal with snow falls, hence the steep roof pitch. The Gazebo pictured below exudes serenity in a peaceful Paul Bangay garden surround.





Terracotta shingles are the most expensive type of traditional roof coverings. Their small size makes installation quite labour intensive, with high roof angle requiring tiles to be secured. The need to overlap for water tightness means there is an average 60 to 70 tiles per square meter, which requires the roof frame to be stronger than average.




Feel free to contact us for your next roofing project. Over the last 20 years we have supplied and installed a very significant number of roofs covered with genuine French roof tiles across Australia.

Double Glazed Windows: Our 350th Anniversary … !!!

Well … !!!! ALMOST … !!!

In 2015 our supplier of  double glazed windows and French doors SAINT GOBAIN GLASS will be celebrating their 350th anniversary. The company was first created in 1665 under the name:

 "Manufacture Royale des glaces " 

by French king Louis XIV. For more information about the century long history of this company, follow the bellow link and learn more about the events scheduled over the course of 2015:

www.saint-gobain.com/en/group/our-history

Says Pierre-André de Chalendar,  Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SAINT GOBAIN:

"We are celebrating Saint-Gobain’s 350th anniversary. The history of the men and women who together have built the oldest company included in the CAC 40 French stock market index and one of the oldest manufacturing companies in the world. We have decided to take advantage of this exceptional opportunity to promote our strategy, values and the bonds that link us to our stakeholders. In particular, this is an opportunity for us to remind our customers of our commitment to working at their side and at their service. Indeed, we have been fulfilling our customer-sensitive mission for more than 15 generations by finding solutions to the problems they encounter and by helping them build long-lasting successes.

This anniversary is an opportunity and an occasion to remind everyone of the strength that is acquired through 350 years of history and 350 years of ongoing innovations. Our experience means we understand and focus on the long term. It also gives us the composure and agility to adapt to the ever-changing world. Our history is proof that we are a company that has consistently pushed back boundaries and taken up technological challenges. As we look back over our past and examine today’s world and what we do, we are convinced that there are many reasons to believe in the future. So, it is with our sights set on the future and innovation that we are celebrating this anniversary. It is our optimism that we want to share with you in 2015."

Duchess of Berry visits the factory in 1822

At The Good House, we are proud of being part of a bit of this history by making our full range of Double Glazed windows and French doors. Come back to our website over the next few weeks and check our new pages dedicated to Aluminium, PVC and timber windows. Or simply give us a call and send a window schedule for pricing.

SEE YOU SOON !!!

Barrel tiles: Our workmanship stands the test of time ...

Under the Tuscan sun... or the Australian skies ...?

Clients always want to know what their roof will look like in 10 years time.
     The answer is simple: 

Our roofs always look better and better with accumulated ageing patina .

     And if one needs to be convinced, have a look at this iconic French barn in Balnarring, Victoria, where we originally hand crafted the installation of heritage French barrel tiles, about ten years ago.

Simple, symmetric, splendid …!

We have recently returned to complete maintenance and restore the heritage ambiance towards our original installation works, but all we could do was to witness that time had once again done its magic, and will do so for more decades to come.
     See below and compare with a picture taken at the time of installation, 10 years ago !

Medieval interlocking barrel tiles installed in 2005

French Terracotta Shingles in a contemporary project ...

We have just completed a project in Melbourne that demonstrates terracotta shingles fit perfectly in a modern design.
Traditional shingles are usually associated with period home designs, replete with intricate shapes, heaps, ridges and gables, as well as steeper roof pitch. But on this project, architects Kennedy & Nolan chose the sheer lines of a pyramidal shape, and the plain and vivid colour of raw terracotta.
The result is a landmark that will age nicely and stand the test of time, probably becoming a classic example in a future near us.

This is not in Egypt, but in a Melbourne leafy inner suburb...

Indeed, it wont take too many years before this roof blends with style and originality, just off one of Melbourne's most recognized golden miles.

Making sure the shingles are aligned !

Getting there ...

Always on top of things !

A timeless pyramid shape ...

Another best kept secret in one of  Melbourne's leafy suburbs ...

With a range of French roof tiles that also includes Mediterranean curved profiles, TGH is able to respond to any request for a genuine French look, supply only, or supply and fix as well. With 17 years of experience in Australia (and far more in old Europe...), we can certainly direct you to a location in Melbourne or Sydney that will very likely resemble what your next project is going to look like !
          But to keep it simple, we have a number of picture galleries on our website, for you to draw inspiration from. And if it is not enough, we are just a phone call away for some serious advice. We shall speak soon !

The Cremone bolts: an element of Classic French architecture

A bit of history

Cremone locks first appeared in France during the 18th century. Although a lot of details are missing on its origin, specialists believe the product was imported from the Cremone region in Northern Italy.

At this time two window lock devices were used in homes: the Espagnolette and the Cremone. With increasing urbanisation in the 19th century, Cremone locks became more and more popular in France's large cities.

Nowadays, a lot of Parisian apartments are still equipped with this traditional window lock to protect the building's authenticity.

Gearbox with olive knob (white epoxy / polished brass)

How does it work?

This system is very simple and is composed of three main elements:

- Rods: each Cremone set has two rods, one at the bottom and one at the top. When you turn the knob, they slide up and down on the outside surface of your window or door and lock into sockets that are fixed to the door / window frame or the floor itself.

- Handle: it can be either knob or lever form.

- Cast housing: this cast iron box is where the mechanism is installed. The handle rotation engages a pair of rack gears which then push the rods upward and downward at the same time into the sockets.

A full Cremone set showing upper rod section and gearbox

An heritage product into contemporary projects

This traditional locking system is widely used in France even today. The variety of modern colours and finishes has given this product a second life. Few companies can supply it in the variety of options we have.

The best example is as per above picture, for clients who were looking for a different combination, to match their contemporary interior. We custom-made the Cremone sets with a Satin Nickel finish for both knob and rods.
The result is stunning, giving this piece of art a bright future in contemporary interior design.

Brass olive knob / steel box

Pewter lever and box

Nickel satin rods and olive knob / white epoxy box