New windows - any advice?

Two houses in our road have grey upvc ones and they look very smart.

I wanted UPVC for this house. It was built in 1988, and one window was double glazed!

I also was informed that nobody would give a quote unless Mr. C was present. We were divorced but to embarrass this clown I said it would be a tad difficult as he was 6 feet under!

I also went for a local firm, and in the early 90s, it cost me over £5K for a three-bedroom standard house with no bay windows.

Unfortunately, they are still trying the trick of "for this day only, our price will be X".

Do your homework and good luck.

I think the ‘big boys’ are still playing the hard sell/limited offer/speak to the Manager ploy, etc. They also want you to take credit, so they get a reward, then say to pay it off 48 hours later, if you have the cash.

When we were looking for windows for DD1’s first house, we could only get 3 companies to quote, as she was my tenant. One was there hours! Eventually, I rang a local company, who visited, measured up and sent me the quotation. Since then, we’ve used them for windows, a porch and conservatory and 4 houses on this development have also used them. Brown PVC, but that’s in the covenant.

My partner, who was in sales, even haggles when he buys things from John Lewis. He was buying some bed linen once and got a buy one get one free deal!

MayBee70 my husband once haggled over the price of a sack of potatoes on a market stall on Christmas Eve.
I was mortified 🫣

I would get the whole house done then the wondows are all the same age. Go for plastic and choose a good local company. Look at reviews on sites like Trustpilot, seek reviews on FaceBook.

DD live in a conservation area and was allowed to put plastic double glazing in. They were to repalce existing single glazed plastic windows. More recently in our Conservation area, someone in a listed houe like ours was allowed to replace very ugly unsuitable aluminium double glazing (fitted pre-listing) with pvc double glazing, but with a glazing pattern more appropriate to the house.

Doodledog

Thanks all, this is very helpful. The sizes won’t be standard as it’s an older house and nothing’s very straight either 😀. Mr D is keen on UPVC as it won’t need upkeep, but I am keener on wood.

Whether they’re still going I don’t know, but we had some DG windows from Bygone Windows. They’re a form of UPVC but until you get really close up you really can’t tell that they’re not wood. They included period features, brass fittings, etc.
Obviously more expensive though.

We had our previous Victorian house reglazed from top to bottom. I am sorry, I can't remember the price, as we had it done in stages. The third floor was an emergency, as the original window was falling out! I would not advise having them done in the winter. We were freezing and the poor workmen arctic!

I think that those "escape windows" are blooming dangerous, because they open at the bottom and a magnet for toddlers and dogs. You must get window guards, which are pretty unsightly. Many years ago, one of my Retrievers decided to go walkabout out of the study window and onto the porch roof beneath. Fortunately, I was in the room and had to haul him in using his back legs. 30+kg of unwilling hound was not the easiest of manoeuvres!!

We have aluminium windows, black outside and white indoors. It’s more expensive than upvc but isn’t as wide as upvc which means more daylight gets in. We had it done about 10 years ago and I can’t remember how much it cost but we have an older house with big windows and bays. We found a local company.

Our Escape window has clips within the frame on both sides that only allow a few cms of opening. To open it fully you must use both hands an press firmly. Fortunately I don’t think a child or dog could do this 😊

I don't think this is the best place to ask TBH, I would ask people you know in the community you live, sometimes small independent companies are better as they have a reputation to maintain in the community, rather than the bigger national companies with salesmen you can talk the talk but their prices are often inflated . Your windows will be covered for under the Fensa scheme , make sure the company you go with us registered and you will get a certificate. Most of the units ( the glass for windows & doors ) are made by other companies and ordered in, Whoever you use.

So , I am coming from a slightly different angle for something to consider. Have lived abroad and visited many countries and especially in Sweden I was very impressed, when we went to stay in a single story house. It had only one kilowatt heater but it was fine. It was a wooden house, and had triple glazing all the way round, and more importantly than it being triple is that the gap between the glass is much more than the double glazing you tend to get in england. Now the bit that isnt mentioned is not only do you get good insulation but also peace and quiet!! You can see what is going on outside but it is very quiet, with little extra noise. So as y ou are changing the windows anyway, I suggest you check up and do a bit of research about double versus triple glaze , but also consider the sound level too. Much better for you if you stay there and a great selling point if you have to leave in the future.If you check up on what you could have even if you pay a bit more than the standard price you will be quids in, not only for the warmth but all the other things as well. A stupid little double glazing with hardly any gap between the glass is not worth happening. If you find someone who does the triple glazing or at least have double glazing with a large gap in between try to visit somewhere that has had it done. If you are going to the expense and hassle of changing the windows, then I would get the best kind you can afford and think you will pleased with the results. And of course the cost of electricity wont be going down so you will recoup your investment.

If you do come to sell I don’t think most buyers will want wooden frames. Beautiful as they are there is at some time work to be done.

Thanks again everyone.

I will go locally, but was really wanting to know which features people have found good or not so good, and general advice, such as I've had about the escape windows.

petra, Mr Dog agrees with you about wood frames not being maintenance free, and I can see his point, although it does look nice and is better for the environment.

Good point about triple glazing, thanks, madeleine45. It's quiet here, but there is no harm in asking about it.

Is there likely to be a lot of mess? We have recently decorated, and I don't want to have to do it again. I'm sure the sales teams will insist it will take half an hour and we won't know they're there, but what is realistic time and mess wise?

I had 6 windows (that were UPVc double glazed) replaced about 8 years ago. The previous windows were not the best - draughty, and the cost was approx £5k. They are triple glazed, and UPV.
I live next to a busy road, it is an old cottage.

I also have secondary glazing, this was here already when I moved in 14 years ago; the window company thought I may not need it with the new windows, but I decided to keep the units and I am so glad I did.

The secondary glazing is priceless, so I would suggest that you have a look at this first. My secondary glazing is by Everest, and it is on 7 windows. I really notice it if I open them to open a window for example, and the noise reduction is wonderful compared to another house close by in a similar situation that does not have secondary glazing. The heat loss is much less with it too.

We live in a conservation area, can't have pvc windows. We need eight new sash windows, they're quite large. We have just been quoted over £30000, yes that number is correct by alocal firm!

Is there likely to be a lot of mess? We have recently decorated, and I don't want to have to do it again. I'm sure the sales teams will insist it will take half an hour and we won't know they're there, but what is realistic time and mess wise?

We'd 26 fitted across the back of our home. Many were very large, within a foot of the ceiling, also wide French doors.

The window fitting took 3 days. Woodworkers for casements and painting were separate, accomplished in 4 days. Plus a second paint later.

DoodleDog
You can buy double glazing made from recycled frames.

www.chigwellwindowcentre.co.uk/double-glazing/recycling-upvc-products/#:~:text=100%25%20recycled%20uPVC%20windows,leading%20specialist%20in%20plastic%20recycling.

I would recommend triple glazing as well Doodledog, we're pleased with ours.

Doodledog

We are going to have to grasp the nettle and get our windows replaced 😢. This is not something we have done before on any sort of scale, although we did get double glazing in the kitchen and bathroom when we moved in (about 25 years ago!). The boot room is also double glazed and 25 years old.

The rest are single glazed and ok, but a bit draughty and I want to get the house as close as I can to needing no work done before my 70th birthday in 5 years. This is partly so we could sell quickly if we wanted to, and partly so we are comfortable in older age if we stay put. It will be sure to save money on heating, too, but we have 2 large bays, three other bedrooms and the downstairs loo, as well as the bathroom, kitchen and boot room, so it will be expensive.

Does anyone who has done this recently have any do’s and don’ts to pass on, please? Double glazing salesmen don’t have the best reputation, and neither of us has much of a clue. Is there a good time of year to get it done? To book it? Would you get the whole house replaced or just the single ones? The existing ones are wooden sashes - would you brace yourself and get like for like, or go for something cheaper? Anything to do or not do from your own experience?

All advice welcome, please.

Get a few quotes, also I would go for the easy clean hinges, especially for a window over a conservatory. You may have a window cleaner) but down the line, you may sell to a young couple who would like to clean their own windows.
It’s not much more for these types of hinges.
I also went with a Juliet window (two panels that push out in case of fire, when closed just looks like a normal window.
Make sure you get your guarantee, had to pester the company for mine.

Doodledog you can get wood grain windows that look like period windows in all sorts of lovely colours now.
I was in a conservation area & they wanted me to put single glass, sash, soft wood windows in at £1500 each & that was back in the 90s. I compromised on getting pvc light oak/ leaded windows that looked like cottage windows. House was much warmer. Windows have come on a long way today.
Good luck choosing.

Mt61

Doodledog you can get wood grain windows that look like period windows in all sorts of lovely colours now.
I was in a conservation area & they wanted me to put single glass, sash, soft wood windows in at £1500 each & that was back in the 90s. I compromised on getting pvc light oak/ leaded windows that looked like cottage windows. House was much warmer. Windows have come on a long way today.
Good luck choosing.

Should have pointed out composite or pvc - These new windows don’t get wet like my old sash windows, are warmer, as they use a gas between the glass which helps to insulate.

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One window in my house needs replacing and that's what I'm going for and not a replacement of every window in the house .
It's a bathroom window and the design isn't crucial and there's no risk of it spoiling the look of the other windows by not matching.
I'll use a local firm .

We moved to a house with triple glazed wooden windows but the wood had warped so many windows were really draughty. Plus they needed regular maintenance. When we changed them we chose UPVC in a wood colour/pattern for outside and white inside, which brightened indoors amazingly!

We had several quotes, having been to showrooms beforehand to familiarise ourselves with what’s available before booking any appointments. We went with a local company, who told us about some neighbours with the same windows and we were able to speak to them and have a look for ourselves.

Don’t be afraid to ask for different options eg double v triple from the same company - if they’ve come out to measure, it’s easy enough for them to do that. Also, at the risk of texting grannies about eggs, don’t sign anything on a home visit or indeed until you are 100% certain you’ve made the right choices!

WRT mess, we’ve had DG done in two different houses and it’s not as disruptive as a new kitchen or new flooring, ime. You need to allow access to the window areas, of course, but no cupboards need emptying or anything! We also found that the modern finishings were wider than the old ones so covered any gaps or scrapes in paintwork. If you have blinds or curtains attached to the window frames rather than the walls obviously they’ll need to be accommodated somehow.

If you want the work done before it turns into a bigger problem in a few years, it helps to plan now. Wooden sashes can be replaced like for like and still keep the house’s look while fixing the draughts.

When we replaced ours, I actually bought from The Soundproof Windows and that made it easier to understand how proper double glazed timber should perform. Seeing the quality in person helped me separate the solid companies from the ones that only sound convincing.