Window film for original and leadlight windows
For the bay, the sashes and the fanlight on a Federation or inter-war front. Film goes on the room side of the clear panes in a low-reflective finish, so the front reads the same from the footpath, and it can be taken off later. Leadlight is looked at in person before anything is decided.
Film, blinds, secondary glazing or new glass
Four ways people deal with sun and glare through an original window, and what each one does to the glass you are trying to keep.
| Option | The original glass | From the street | In the room |
|---|---|---|---|
| New glass | Removed. The old glass, often with a slight ripple in it, is gone for good. | A flatter, newer look in an old frame. | Depends on the glass chosen. |
| Secondary glazing | Kept. A second pane is fitted inside the frame, which is joinery work rather than ours. | Little change, though a second frame can show. | A second layer of glass and frame on the sill. |
| Blinds and curtains | Untouched. | Covered windows when they are down. | Dark when drawn, and the leadlight is hidden. |
| Film on the inside | Kept. Film sits on the inside face of the clear panes, and it can be peeled off and the glass cleaned later. | With low-reflective film, glass that still reads as glass. | Daylight kept, with less heat, glare and fading. |
The glass at a period front
The fronts we measure are Federation and inter-war houses along the Ku-ring-gai ridge from Lindfield to Wahroonga, in the older streets of Willoughby and North Sydney, and in Mosman and the Longueville, Riverview and Northwood side of Lane Cove. In Kirribilli and Lavender Bay it is often a low-rise walk-up with its first glass still in the sashes.
A front like that is rarely one kind of glass. The bay can hold clear sashes under leadlit highlights, the front door has its sidelights and fanlight, and the bathroom has obscure glass. Each pane gets its own line on the schedule and its own answer.
Film needs flat, smooth glass to sit well. Clear sash glass usually is. Leadlight is not: the lead stands proud of every piece, and the glass between is often textured or coloured. That is why a leaded pane is always seen in person.
Clear sashes and casements
The lower sashes of a bay, casements in an inter-war front, a bedroom window onto the street. Low-reflective or clear film on the inside face, chosen to suit older glass, which can be thinner than modern glass.
Leadlight and coloured glass
Upper sashes, highlights, fanlights, sidelights and door panels. We look at each one on the measure and tell you what we would do. Leaving a pane alone is a real answer, and film on leadlight is never assumed.
Textured and obscure glass
Bathroom and hall panes with a pattern pressed into the glass. Also looked at in person, because film does not sit on every texture.
Old glass in doors and low windows
A different job with a different film. Safety film for older glass
Heritage listings and council
A listed house, or one inside a heritage conservation area, needs council's view before its front changes. We will tell you what the film is and how it looks. We will never tell you it is approved, or that it does not need approval: only council can answer that.
Ku-ring-gai's heritage controls ask for original front and side windows to be kept on houses that contribute to a conservation area, where the windows add to its significance. On leaded glass they say:
The retention, repair and restoration of original leadlight and coloured glass window and door panes is encouraged.
Ku-ring-gai Development Control Plan, Part 19C.5, control 24
Willoughby Council lists twelve heritage conservation areas and says consent is needed for most changes to buildings inside them, with its staff available to say whether a piece of work counts as maintenance or minor work. North Sydney Council points owners to its LEP map and the NSW State Heritage Inventory to check a property.
Not sure whether your street is listed? The NSW Planning Portal spatial viewer shows heritage layers by address, and council can confirm it.
What to ask council
- Is the house a heritage item, or in a conservation area?
- Does film on the inside of original glass need consent?
- Does it matter whether the film is clear or low-reflective?
- Is the leadlight mentioned in the listing?
Take the schedule from our measure with you. It names each pane and the film we suggest for it.
How a period front is measured and fitted
Measure
Every pane on the front, with its glass type. Leaded, coloured and textured panes are looked at closely, and each one is marked on the schedule with what we suggest, or that it stays as it is.
Cut
Film cut to each clear pane, with the film for the front chosen for how little it changes the look of the glass.
Fit
Laid on the inside face and trimmed to the glass line. Putty, paint and timber beads are left as we found them, and panes marked to stay alone are not touched.
What the quote covers
The quote is built from the schedule, one line per pane, so you can see what each window adds. A leaded or textured pane is only on the quote once we have agreed on the measure what to do with it. Mark the street side on the drawing before you book and we arrive knowing which panes bother you.
A street front on the schedule
- W1Street side, front bay, left sash: Glare, Keep the look
Keep the look: low-reflective film, so the front reads the same from the street.
- W2Street side, front bay, centre sash: Fade
- W3Street side, front bay, centre highlight: Heat
Leadlight: we look at this pane on the measure. Film is not promised.
- W4Street side, fanlight over the front door: Fade
Leadlight: we look at this pane on the measure. Film is not promised.
- W5Street side, front bedroom, lower sash: Privacy
Where film on an old front goes wrong
A mirrored front
Reflective film turns a Federation bay into a row of mirrors, the change a neighbour or a heritage officer notices first.
Low-reflective film at the front, unless you choose otherwise.
Film pressed over leadlight
Laid across lead and textured glass, film lifts at the edges and traps air.
Every leaded pane is looked at before anything goes on it.
The wrong film for old glass
Some films are not suited to older or thinner glass.
The glass type of each pane goes on the schedule, and the film is chosen against it.
Told it does not need approval
Someone says film on a listed front is fine with council, and the front changes before anyone asks.
We point you to council and give you the schedule to take with you.
Questions about original and leadlight windows
Will film harm the original glass?
It is laid on the room side of clear panes only, and it can be peeled off later with the adhesive cleaned from the glass. We choose a film that suits older glass, and we do not put film on a leaded pane without looking at it first.
Can you film the leadlight itself?
We will tell you on the measure, pane by pane. Some leaded panes can be dealt with and some are better left alone. We do not promise film on leadlight before we have seen it.
Will the house look different from the street?
Low-reflective film is chosen so the glass still reads as glass from the footpath. We talk through how each film looks before anything is ordered, and a mirrored finish is only ever your choice.
Do I need council approval for window film?
Council decides that, not us. Ku-ring-gai, Willoughby and North Sydney each keep their own heritage list, so check yours before the front changes.
The hall gets hot through the coloured glass. What can be done?
Sometimes the leaded pane stays as it is and the heat is dealt with at the clear glass beside it or in the next room. We look at the whole front on the measure before suggesting anything.
Can you do just the front bay?
Yes. A single bay, or one sash of it, is worth a measure, and it goes on the schedule like any bigger job.
More for the front of the house
- Privacy on the street side
- Safety film for older glass
- Film on Federation leadlight: what to ask first
Period fronts we measure
References
- Ku-ring-gai Development Control Plan, Part 19: Heritage items and heritage conservation areas. Section 19C.5 covers doors and windows on houses in conservation areas, and 19D.5 the same for heritage items.
- Ku-ring-gai Council: Heritage conservation areas.
- Willoughby City Council: Heritage conservation areas, including when consent is needed and who to ask.
- North Sydney Council: Heritage property protection and regulations, with how to check whether a property is listed.
- NSW Government: Search heritage databases, including the State Heritage Inventory.