Worthwhile replacing sound wooden windows with uPVC?

P.A._Ranoia

Most of my windows are an attractive double glazed hardwood. Unfortunately the wood is not visible because many layers of stain give the effect of matt brown paint. A few windows are single glazed softwood stained the same colour. All are in sound condition so far as I know. The outside of the house is due for decoration. My house is a modest 4 bed detached in a reasonable but not the best area, on a main road which can be noisy at times.

I need to decide whether to decorate existing windows or, motivated partly by laziness, replace them with uPVC.

The Intranet consensus, by a modest majority, seems to be that wood is best, particularly for period / high end properties (which mine is not). But my instinct is that a potential buyer would be put off by the thought of spending his/her future holidays decorating. When I moved in 20+ years ago 25-35% of houses in the street had wooden windows, now I am one of very few.

In the opinion of Forumites:
- Would replacing my wooden windows with uPVC have a positive or negative effect on house value?
- Would I get money spent on uPVC windows back (in real terms) when I eventually sell?
- Is there a third alternative?

Thanks.

P.A. Ranoia

Alias_Omega

I would get a few quotes of the cost to replace with like-4-like uPVC windows from a LOCAL FIRM. Not the larger firms which you see on the tv etc.

Calculate this cost off the price to strip/paint existing windows then that is your price to change..

Don't worry about "the internet". Its not real, they don't look at your house.

Ransoman

How thick is the glass in your current windows?

I wouldn't replace with UPVC just for the sake of replacing them but if you upgrade them to thicker glass with a better energy rating then it is worth doing.

You can get UPVC which has woodgrain effect on it if you are worried about the look.

Mallotum_X

If its a good quality Hardwood my first instinct would be to keep and strip back the stain and then re do them.

My parents old place had hard wood double glazed windows that had been put in during the early 1980s. They were still fine when they moved on a couple of years ago and looked so much better than upvc.

Personally Id rather have hardwood, although we have upvc in my place.

GlynD

If the profile of the double glazed units is nice and thick I would keep the hardwood frames because they would cost a fortune to buy these days. If however they're very thin I'd get the PVC because the depth of the profile matters a lot for insulation.

SternMusik

This is interesting, I am in a similar position. House built in 1996 by cowboy builders who put in very nice looking but bad quality timber casement windows. The thickness is ca. 6 or 7cm, but they are not great insulators (very thin double glazing). Heat escapes and noise comes in. Two large windows require repair to the tune of £500 which I am reluctant to spend on bad quality windows.

I'm thinking of replacing the four windows at the front of the house with pvc. (Most of my neighbours already have pvc windows.) Problem is I hate the look the standard pvc windows! They look horrible. Especially from the inside. The nicer looking pvc, composite or aluminium windows are very expensive. I am undecided.

Let us know how you decide OP.

GlynD

SternMusik wrote: »

This is interesting, I am in a similar position. House built in 1996 by cowboy builders who put in very nice looking but bad quality timber casement windows. The thickness is ca. 6 or 7cm, but they are not great insulators (very thin double glazing). Heat escapes and noise comes in. Two large windows require repair to the tune of £500 which I am reluctant to spend on bad quality windows.

I'm thinking of replacing the four windows at the front of the house with pvc. (Most of my neighbours already have pvc windows.) Problem is I hate the look the standard pvc windows! They look horrible. Especially from the inside. The nicer looking pvc, composite or aluminium windows are very expensive. I am undecided.

Let us know how you decide OP.

The wood effect PVC is very nice and no more expensive that the standard white. I see they also do a teak finish now as well as dark wood.

Yorkie1

GlynD wrote: »

The wood effect PVC is very nice and no more expensive that the standard white. I see they also do a teak finish now as well as dark wood.

I think OP would need to see examples of the 'effect' PVC offered by his local companies.

Personally, those which I've seen round here look hideous to my mind.

ValHaller

Yorkie1 wrote: »

I think OP would need to see examples of the 'effect' PVC offered by his local companies.

Personally, those which I've seen round here look hideous to my mind.

I agree. Wood effect pvc is indeed hideous and it does look shabby after the sun has been on it for a year or 2.

On OP's question, if the windows are in acceptable condition, I really would not be changing them.

Prothet_of_Doom

When and if you come to sell, get intemised quotes, at least 3 of them, and show them to viewers.

I replaced all the rotten windows in my 1966 wimpy built semi, with UPVC, but it looks okay on that age of house. If I had a 1936 semi, like my first house, I'd never put plastic windows in.

GlynD

Yorkie1 wrote: »

I think OP would need to see examples of the 'effect' PVC offered by his local companies.

Personally, those which I've seen round here look hideous to my mind.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

I've had homes with wood, aluminium and PVC window frames. Aluminium is ghastly in my opinion. PVC can look terrible too if it's the wrong colour or if cheaply: the cheaper white does start to look old and tatty, despite what the sales people tell you.

If a good colour match with the building is made however they can enhance the look of a property and they are certainly much easier to maintain.

In some cases I would set aesthetics to one side in favour of convenience.