Sliding sash upvc windows

i_hate_the_csa

I am looking to replace the windows in a old house.Currently has wooden sash windows but was thinking of fitting upvc type instead.So i am after some advice please.

Are they any good? Would wood be just as good?

Been quoted £11000 to replace 8 windows by Everest.Only quote so far but seems expensive.

Thanks for any help.

McAzrael

Modern UPVC sliders work fine and look, well that's a matter of taste. Modern timber sashes are in a different world to their Victorian or Georgian counterparts - no drafts, no massive sash boxes (they work on springs now, like the UPVC ones) and they can take double glazing units. Well made and fitted, they look fantastic and if you are lucky enough to have a house with the right shape holes then sashes are far and away the best windows. They are expensive mind.

Without seeing the styles or your house, £11000 for eight UPVC windows does seem quite a lot. Get a couple of prices from local, independent companies.

If you do buy timber sashes, or timber windows of any type, then I beg you to look after them. It's a tragedy to see people spring thousands for fantastic new windows and then fail to find a couple of hundred quid every two or three years to have them decorated.

i_hate_the_csa

Thanks for that.I'm guessing upvc is more expensive and am getting more quotes this week. Because of decorating is the reason i'd prefer upvc.

chrisg1985

i_hate_the_csa wrote: »

Thanks for that.I'm guessing upvc is more expensive and am getting more quotes this week. Because of decorating is the reason i'd prefer upvc.

If your still fortunate enough to have your originals in position you would do well to consider refurbing them. The cost of refurbing 8 windows typically would be 25% of the costs above.

11K to replace in plastic is far too much. You will almost get Dougle Glazed Timber Sash for near enough this cost.

McAzrael

UPVC should be considerably cheaper than hardwood. Don't be bothering with softwood* - it's well on its way to costing as much as hardwood and won't be nearly as durable. You'll be decorating it every year.

*Redwood, the yellow coloured pine they used to make all windows out of when labour was cheap and materials were expensive. There are some very good, very durable softwoods, but they cost as much as a decent hardwood so there's no point if you are going to paint them.

vegasvisitor

This thread is of interest to me because a house we're considering has sash windows (wood with double glazing, painted white), and I was thinking I would have to eventually replace them.

Are people suggesting they're actually quite good then? The house only has them to the rear, there's UPVC windows to the front.

AGBAGB

Many old softwood windows have lasted 150yrs and more. My opinion, its the modern cheap paint that kills them. Look in to refurbish, stripping and linseed paint.

I've had to replace and refit quite a few 10 year old UPVC windows. So much for low maintenance.

If youv'e got old wooden sashes my advice is to look after them and keep them going.

McAzrael

lesley74 wrote: »

This thread is of interest to me because a house we're considering has sash windows (wood with double glazing, painted white), and I was thinking I would have to eventually replace them.

Are people suggesting they're actually quite good then? The house only has them to the rear, there's UPVC windows to the front.

They're expensive and they have to be looked after, but they're the best. Open them top and bottom and allow the air to circulate - warm air rises, remember - and there's no need for air conditioning.

UPVC sashes, I think, are ugly. Some people love them.

leveller2911

AGBAGB wrote: »

Many old softwood windows have lasted 150yrs and more. My opinion, its the modern cheap paint that kills them. Look in to refurbish, stripping and linseed paint.

I agree modern paints don't help ,especially since they took the lead out of paints.It will be even worse when the ban oil based paints.Water based paints are not as good IMO.The problem is with water based primers etc they don't soak into the grain they just sit on top,for a primer to be effective it needs to soak in and seal.

Actually its not the modern paints that makes timber windows rot quicker.Its down to the fact that the trees are cut down too ealry ,the timber has no body to it and its kiln dried.100 years ago the trees were much bigger and older and when "Slabbed" into boards they were left for a cpl of years to dry out (air dried) today the kiln drying process is far too quick.
I don't make any windows or doors today constructed from Softwood.I use Sapele , Brazilian Cedar or European Oak .Some joineries use Idigbo or Meranti which is cheaper but lasts little longer than softwood.

Overhauling windows can be a good idea as long as they are in "excellant" condition,ive seen too much money spent on overhauling Boxframe windows by companies which were TBH beyond repair only to replace them with new windows 2-3 yrs down the line.

i_hate_the_csa

JUst to follow on from this.If i was to get the windows supply only and fit them myself do you still get the same warrenty cover? Also,what about building regs? I've heard something about this,do fitters need to be FENSA registered?

McAzrael

Warranty: No way. The windows themselves will likely be covered by a warranty, and if not then the Sale of Goods Act offers protection, but this will be of no use to you if they are not installed or decorated correctly. If you go for the timber ones then they will likely come undecorated so you will have to do this (or pay someone to do this) anyway. Just don't be paying a carpenter to decorate them, pay a decorator.

Building regs: Replacement windows (and quite often doors) in a dwelling (that's your home to you and me) are notifiable. You can either notify your local authority's building control office yourself and they will send out an inspector and issue you with a certificate. This is your only option if you fix them yourselves. Alternatively, you can use an installer who is a member of one of the competent person schemes. FENSA is far and away the best known of these, but there is also the Certass Scheme and BSI have one, but I can't remember what it is called. They will notify building control and issue you with a certificate. An installer doesn't have to be a member of one of these schemes, but if they are not then you need to notify building control yourself. Whichever way you go, keep the certificate safe because when you come to sell your house the buyer's solicitor will likely ask for it and it just holds everything up if you don't have it.