Windows: fix or replace?

toffifee

I'm hoping for some opinions on this. My DH and I can't decide.

We live in a house that's about 20 years old. It has a lot of windows, all wooden frame double glazed. When we moved in 13 years ago about 3 panes had blown, now at the latest count there are 14 and you can hardly see out of the kitchen window. We had the outside frames painted about 10-12 years ago and now it badly needs doing again. The windows that don't get much sun are still fine, but there are others where the paint is peeling.

We have some cash coming out way soon from a sharesave scheme that's going to mature (and we can't leave it in the shares even if we want to because DH doesn't work there any more) so we are thinking we should use this to sort out the windows.

We are looking at two options:
- Have the blown panes replaced and re-paint. I've been quoted approx. £60 per pane to have the glass fixed and £2500 for the painting, including paint.
- Replace all of the windows and doors with uPVC. We haven't got any quotes yet, but based on a friend who recently had theirs done, I'd guess it will be £12 to £15k.

We are going around in circles trying to decide. The relevant points I think are:
- The money from the shares will most likely cover the cost of new windows if that's what we decide.
- I dread the thought of all the preparation (our house is untidy!), mess and disruption in having the windows replaced.
- We would like to move house in about 8-10 years. It seems silly to spends thousands on uPVC when we know we'll be leaving, but would having wooden windows put off potential buyers?
- It seems daft to spend money on the old windows when the currently OK panes will probably mist up just after the painting is completed. It feels like throwing good money after bad.
- We could replaced a lot of panes and re-paint more than once for the price of a set of new windows.
- The current front door, (metal?) patio door and a lot of the inner surfaces of the windows are dark brown. It would look so much better to have white instead.
- Replacing the windows would not remove the painting bill completely - we have wooden soffits, bargeboards, garage doors etc.

I did wonder about replacing just the windows that are very bad (e.g the kitchen) and painting the others, but my DH is dead set against this - it's all or nothing.

Does anyone have any advice or opinions please?

(Sorry it's such a long post!)

teddysmum

We need some of the glass replacing in our UPVC windows (two have cracks through children throwing stones and the ones to the back of the proiperty are 'blown'). My concern is that they are the older type with the beading outside and should this be damaged during fitting a new piece would look really odd against the older part, even worse, if damage means a complete window, then that window will look odd.


This could lead to companies quoting for a whole house replacement just because this could happen, so I'm wondering what the chances really are.


I don't want to waste money, unnecessarily, on a whole set, yet don't want to have the odd window/panel situation crop up mid job.

theonlywayisup

I would get a couple of firms around to quote (local and reputable ones rather than multi nationals) then you have all the info to make the decision. They will also tell you how long it will take to replace, how much or little mess it will be and how they will 'make good' (plaster rather than plastic strips etc).

martinsurrey

toffifee wrote: »

- Replace all of the windows and doors with uPVC. We haven't got any quotes yet, but based on a friend who recently had theirs done, I'd guess it will be £12 to £15k.

How big is your house!?! I have had 10 windows and a set of double doors for £4.2k, in Surrey

We are going around in circles trying to decide. The relevant points I think are:

- I dread the thought of all the preparation (our house is untidy!), mess and disruption in having the windows replaced.

window fitters work in building sites, they wont mind as long as they have access to the windows (and even then they will climb over beds to get there!

- We would like to move house in about 8-10 years. It seems silly to spends thousands on uPVC when we know we'll be leaving, but would having wooden windows put off potential buyers?

Having poor condition windows will put anyone off, as its not a period property uPVC would be fine

- It seems daft to spend money on the old windows when the currently OK panes will probably mist up just after the painting is completed. It feels like throwing good money after bad.

Yes

- We could replaced a lot of panes and re-paint more than once for the price of a set of new windows.

See above on price

- The current front door, (metal?) patio door and a lot of the inner surfaces of the windows are dark brown. It would look so much better to have white instead.
- Replacing the windows would not remove the painting bill completely - we have wooden soffits, bargeboards, garage doors etc.

I did wonder about replacing just the windows that are very bad (e.g the kitchen) and painting the others, but my DH is dead set against this - it's all or nothing.

Does anyone have any advice or opinions please?

(Sorry it's such a long post!)

Points in red

missprice

There is a is this quote fair forum up above, look on there for prices for windows, but only a couple years ago now I had 5 windows replaced with triple glazing, upvc for £1600.
Prices have not gone up massively in that time.
But if you do the maths that was £320 per window even if they now £450, just times by however many windows you have and you get a fair idea.

Must add that chunks of plaster came out with old windows and we asked to not have that done cos OH did it. So that could add a bit.

theonlywayisup

I wouldn't waste time guestimating prices based on other posts. There is no hassle other than a bit of time in getting 3 firms out to quote.

At least then you know for sure.

toffifee

Thank you everyone for your comments.

Our house is quite big. I work from home so we needed something with a separate office space. I've just done a quick mental count, and we have 23 windows :eek: (x £450 = £10,350) plus front door, patio door, french windows, side door, office door.

Our house is an L shape, so there are front, side and back windows. There are three rooms with bay windows but they are not curved just a big window in the middle, brick corners and then smaller windows on either side, so these rooms alone add up to 9 windows. (I know the smaller ones will be cheaper, but the bigger ones might cancel that saving...)

We're planning to get two local firms round to quote (good reviews on Which Local and Checkatrade) so we'll get a better idea then.

Jennifer_Jane

Personally I would go with the new windows unless there is some reason where uPvc would be inappropriate (for a period house perhaps). I messed around with the cheap window repairs and only a couple of years later changed them all to triple-glazed (for me it wasn't that much more expensive for triple-glazing and it has made a big difference). It wasn't so much that the windows had blown when I changed everything to the triple-glazed, but that there was damp around the outsides of the old double-glazed windows in some rooms, and I just wanted everything new and looking the same.


Very glad I had it done, and would certainly want energy-efficient windows in any other house I bought. I think I had 16 windows (counting the little ones and the big ones including French windows, nothing as complicated as a bay, just ordinary 1975 semi-d house, and it cost £3,500 a year ago. They were very quick, too.


(All the windows were changed, but there were two invoices and other things - soffits, cleats, etc on the other, so I cannot separately assess the cost of those windows).

Annie1960

If you're planning on staying for 8-10 years, then go for new windows. The new windows will have a 10 year guarantee, so you'll get most of the value from them. You may also find it easier when you come to sell.

W.Ford

I am in exactly the same position at the moment, wooden framed and a couple of 'blown' panels so far. Where are people finding cost effective triple glazed windows?

missprice

W.Ford wrote: »

I am in exactly the same position at the moment, wooden framed and a couple of 'blown' panels so far. Where are people finding cost effective triple glazed windows?

Where are you?

If your near me I can give you some ideas