Selling a flat - fit double glazing?

lyndasharp

My H2B has moved in with me, and we're in the process of redecorating his flat before we put it on the market.

It's in a Victorian building and has the original sash windows. Unfortunately the frames are in very poor condition, and obviously they are single glazed. Money is pretty tight at the moment paying for two mortgages, so we're trying to spend as little as possible on his place. I'd be interested in people's opinions as to whether it's better to just leave the windows as they are, and say we're setting a lower asking price to reflect that, or to change them - and if so is it better to replace with sash ones to keep the original look, or fit double glazing?

The flat is realistically worth around £75k as it stands, so it wouldn't be worth spending more on the windows than the increase in value. Any suggestions as to what sort of value increase there might be with decent windows?

Thanks!

Chris2685

Personally, I see double glazing as a valuable thing to have. So if I was looking to buy, I would definitely look at yours if it had double glazing, and less likely if it didn't.

It is not necessarily all about adding value either, increasing your saleability is also important.

daveb975

lyndasharp wrote: »

My H2B has moved in with me, and we're in the process of redecorating his flat before we put it on the market.

It's in a Victorian building and has the original sash windows. Unfortunately the frames are in very poor condition, and obviously they are single glazed. Money is pretty tight at the moment paying for two mortgages, so we're trying to spend as little as possible on his place. I'd be interested in people's opinions as to whether it's better to just leave the windows as they are, and say we're setting a lower asking price to reflect that, or to change them - and if so is it better to replace with sash ones to keep the original look, or fit double glazing?

The flat is realistically worth around £75k as it stands, so it wouldn't be worth spending more on the windows than the increase in value. Any suggestions as to what sort of value increase there might be with decent windows?

Thanks!

I wouldn't do it. A lot of people prefer the original windows on Victorian houses, so may be prepared to have the windows refurbished after buying it - they would certainly not be prepared to pay any more for DG windows that they do not want.

Other people will prefer DG, but you would be lucky to get back what you paid for the windows and fitting imo.

If you do decide to go ahead, check with the council first. In my area, conservation rules do not permit changing windows to DG in Victorian properties.

besonders1

DG can look horrible in some Victorian houses so the sash windows could also be a good selling feature. It might be cheaper just to repair/replace the wooden frames. It it was council flat then yes DG would sell.

googler

Seconded - check with council, speak to Duty Planning Officer - every council should have one.

Are you likely to get consent to replace them?
Have there been previous applications to replace in same block or same area that have been accepted or rejected?
Are you in a conservation area? This will increase the difficulty of getting consent.
Is it a listed building? This will again increase the difficulty.
etc
etc

poppysarah

Selll as is. You're struggling now - so just price it sensibly and let someone else worry about new windows.

penguine

I was looking at Victorian properties last year -- personally I would find modern double-glazing a big strike against a period property, even if it was permitted by the council. I would sooner buy a property with windows in poor condition (if that was reflected in the price) and look at getting new windows installed myself that were in keeping with the character of the property.

Also in a falling market you are much less likely to recoup the money you spend improving a property before sale.

housesitter

As a FTB, have made an offer on a modern house which does not have double glazing and the offer reflects that.
Coments made to the EA from other viewers also said much hte same.

Factor it in to the price negotiation but don't do it yourself.

I've lived in property with sash windows and agree with the others, it would not do it justice to spoil it.
If I was moving in now, I'd be looking to replace them around September if they are really really bad.

gmgmgm

According to the Energy Saving Trust, double glazing an average property will save about forty pounds per year in heating. It also increases the chance of ventilation problems e.g. mould.

Keep the original sash windows!

lyndasharp

Thanks for all your answers so far, it's been very helpful! As far as I know, it is in a conservation area so there may well be restrictions on window types.

We hadn't considered the repair option for the windows, so I appreciate the suggestion. There's a pane of glass in need of replacement anyway, which we were planning to have done before selling. I've found a company locally that can apparently repair frames and replace the glass, so will see if they can do a quote for the repair, which we can wave at potential buyers so they have some idea of cost.

daveb975

gmgmgm wrote: »

According to the Energy Saving Trust, double glazing an average property will save about forty pounds per year in heating. It also increases the chance of ventilation problems e.g. mould.

Keep the original sash windows!

I agree, but there are other advantages with DG windows - noise, draft exclusion and security.

I would not fit them onto a Victorian property regardless, but I think that it actually fails building regs not to fit DG windows onto anything outside of a conservation area. I know someone who was not permitted to fit single-glazed windows to a 1950s house even to to replace the exisiting single-glazed ones! He was allowed to repair the existing windows, but any replacements had to be DG, even though the originals were not.