Double glazing - very cheap

Silver_pegs

I've had 5 quotes for double glazing. Terraced house replacement windows with 2 openings plus trickle vents A rated glass.

1 back door 850 X 2100
1 window 600 X 700
1 window 1800 X 1200
5 windows 1800 X 900

A - quoted £4480
B - quoted £3800
C - quoted £3750
D - quoted £2850
E - quoted £2380

A is the local big name firm recommended by quite a few people including a good friend
B is the good local city firm recommended by a couple of people
C is the local town firm recommended by a couple of people
D is a friend of a friend who would do it in his spare time recommended by said friend who had hers done by him
E is a trader backed by guarantee/warranty for 10 years trading for 15 years has said I can view a house he's replaced the windows of in my village

I got a good feeling about E but just can't understand why he's so much cheaper. Even the friend of a friend said he couldn't do it for that price.

Would really appreciate people's thoughts on what I should do.

HappyMJ

E is certainly the cheapest. I'd double check the quote just in case.

If you're replacing all your windows I'd personally go with triple glazed windows with insulated frames all round. It'll cost more but has higher noise attenuation and does have a better U value. Maybe 0.8 instead of 1.6. Won't make a big difference to your energy bills. Maybe just £10 - £20 per year.

What's the U value of the glass of all the options you've listed?

Silver_pegs

None of the companies has given me a U rating on their quote. Thanks for responding.

Silver_pegs

Sorry meant to say I am replacing all of them but I live in a village so noise isn't a huge problem!

Silver_pegs

I tell a lie. On one of the attachments for E he's sent the U rating of 1.5W/m2.K

HappyMJ

Silver_pegs wrote: »

I tell a lie. On one of the attachments for E he's sent the U rating of 1.5W/m2.K

That was so close to my estimate of 1.6. That's fine. I'd google his company maybe do a CCJ check on him just to make sure he has hasn't done a runner on other jobs. Could you pay when the work has been completed? If not you can get insurance to cover the work not being completed. It might be worth considering.

I do also get a little nervous when quotes do come in very low so I can understand why you are sceptical but there's no reason to go with a more expensive company if it can be done for that.

Silver_pegs

A - doing a bit of digging seem to have windows which are 1.4 or 1.3. Not sure which version they've quoted me on.

Silver_pegs

E - He's said payment on completion with no deposit. He also said they honour the 7 day cooling off period so wouldn't even order the windows until that has expired. I got a really good feeling about him I'm just worried my gut is wrong! Cheers for the advice.

HappyMJ

Silver_pegs wrote: »

A - doing a bit of digging seem to have windows which are 1.4 or 1.3. Not sure which version they've quoted me on.

Doesn't make a huge difference. You've got about 12.5m2 of window area. An average of 10 degrees difference over 180 days of heating season between internal temperature and outdoor temperature. 0.2 difference in U value. About 4p per kWh in gas charges and you'll save about £4 per year on your gas bill. Not much. I'd still consider the trader quoting the least.

Silver_pegs

That's brilliant thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I wondered if I was missing a trick with the window quality being significantly worse (I can only find window details for A and E) but if you say it makes about £4 a year difference versus almost twice the price it seems I am comparing similar quality. Will pop round to the house he's suggested I look at and ask them their thoughts. Thanks again!

Furts

Hi Silver_pegs

I am sorry if this sounds like a cautious warning but there is a lot more to windows than price.

You have not mentioned the fabrication company, the profile manufacturer, the glass unit manufacturer, the ironmongery specification... nor the relevant guarantees to each of these items.

Then the profile can be different sections, and with different numbers of chambers. You may require trickle vents, toughened glass, laminated glass, easy clean hinges, egress windows, self cleaning glass, triple glazing, coloured profiles...the list goes on.

Finally you have a legal duty, enforcable by the courts, to install windows that comply with the Buildings Regulations. Either you factor the costs of this Application into your budget, or you seek self certification from your installer, such as FENSA.

It is a fact that the complaints regarding windows are almost always about fitting, hence standards of workmanship, skills, and attention to detail are vital items to be checked before placing an order.

Add to this you may wish to pay for insurance backed guarantees on items.

From all this you will see that that there is far more to windows than price alone. The onus is on you to do your homework and protect your interests. The cheapest price may not be your best option, because you need to do a careful like for like analysis. The cheapest installer might be offering, then fitting, absolute dross.

Hope this helps