How much to live on

infj

Yes, I'd do them all in one go too. Simply because the preparation hassle is huge. We did ours about 4 years ago. We initially intended only to do half but then decided to do them all and replace front and back door as well. So we had to do a load of decluttering and moving stuff out of the way. It was a lot of work but house is significantly warmer because we did them all.

And I am really glad we did them all at once - the thought of all that prep again gives me the horrors! But we had a week of chaos and then it was all done.

I'd also recommend thinking about triple glazing - we had a quote for double and triple glazing and the difference in price was not that large so we had triple glazing.

Albermarle

It is true that the effectiveness of double glazing has improved over the years. However unless the current windows are very old ( say > 30 years at least) the energy cost savings will be low, compared to the outlay for the new windows.

It is the same as getting a new gas boiler that is 15% more efficient. You save maybe £200 a year but a new boiler costs £2500 to £3000.

In both cases from a strictly financial point of view, it is case of if it is not broke do not fix it.

However of course if the windows/boiler are not fit for purpose for other reasons, or if you just fancy a change, ( and can afford it) then that is a different issue.

For example we recently replaced some French doors and a sliding patio door,( both double glazed), as in both cases the locking and security mechanisms were not very good, as they were quite old. The fitters took about 3 minutes to take both off their hinges and remove them, which kind of proved the point ! However I can not say I have noticed that the room is any warmer, although it is definitely more secure.

Organgrinder

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81951023#Comment_81951023

Three windows have "blown", the door is cracked and the bay window which is wood has rotted. So half of the ten items need replacing. Seems to me a good idea to do the lot.

Savvy_Sue

To possibly reduce the disruption, I'd definitely recommend checking with them how they intend to work, although I'm not sure I'd trust what I'm told before they actually start. I thought they'd do the front of the house, then the back (to avoid moving the scaffolding), but they seemed to be EVERYWHERE all at once, and never where I thought they'd be …

If you're looking at replacing wood with wood, be prepared to double the price. Ours were wood, and we found a local installer to visit. My extremely geeky friend had a wonderful time discussing the technicalities with the chap in the showroom - I'm not sure he'd ever met someone who knew so much - while I looked at what kind of handles I liked. Then my friend pointed at a display window, and asked the chap how much a window "about this big" would cost, we got a price, and headed off to discuss the possibilities over lunch.

My friend asked if I'd done any mental calculations on being given a price - we already had a quote for UPVC, and the window on display was about the size of one in our kitchen. Yup, I said, double the price.

AND there'd have been maintenance to do in about 20 years time, which might not be my problem, but despite reasonably regular repainting of the outsides, paint just seemed to peel off almost as soon as it was dry, so our wooden windows never seemed to be in great condition. None of them were blown, however.

Our disruption was compounded by the fact that we also had the outside of the house repainted that year - pebble dash, badly cracked. And we discovered that the water coming in above one of the groundfloor windows was because the wooden supports above the windows - ie holding the top floor up - had almost completely rotted. All very interesting …

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81951106#Comment_81951106

The blown units can normally be easily replaced by new units without replacing the frames. Typical cost about £200 each.

However a cracked door and a rotten bay window sound like they definitely need replacing.

In terms of material.

Cheapest is softwood; then UPVC ; then Aluminium and then hardwood is the most expensive.

twiglet98

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81948071#Comment_81948071

Certainly if there was payment for use of the field it would require planning permission for change of use. There is a huge proliferation of "dog fields" in all the villages around here, a planning application to fence of the corner of a large arable field up the road has been withdrawn as they hadn't thought it through. Parking, and at least 5' high fencing are a minimum. All the dog fields around here have websites for pre-booking online, all provide a bench at least, most have a field shelter with a picnic bench, a water tap and bowls, agility equipment or tyres, logs, sandpits. And dog waste bins, bins for the drinks and snacks the humans take. I guess liability insurance would also be a requirement.

I don't use them, my dogs are properly trained and under control, the fields tend to be used by people who can't let their dogs off lead outside a securely fenced area.

Organgrinder

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81951789#Comment_81951789

Given the frames are 25 years old it'll make sense to replace them I think. But, I'll see what quotes I get. It will be uPVC to match the rest of the house.

And yes new door needed too.