Install Double-Glazing during cold/wet weather?

FreeBear

gutovicky said: How likely is it that my wooden window frames are structural?   
I'll give you some more info......
I live in a bungalow, built in 1970.

You will probably find there are steel lintels (Catnic ?) supporting both the inner and outer leaf.

It is older properties built before ~1960 that need closer attention. Certainly in *this area, most of the houses built in the 1930s & 40s lack lintels on the outer leaf.

Matching the rough cast render is not easy. But the brickwork doesn't need to be pretty. Functional will do, so a window installer should be up for the task if push comes to shove.

born_again

Why not get all the other windows done now to save some of the heating costs, then get the rest done next year. 

stuart45

Built in 1970 it probably didn't have a Catnic lintel, as they were only just coming into the market in the early 70's. There was a steel lintel made by Dorman Long that used to sit over the top of the inner concrete lintel. As it's rendered they might have not bothered with lintels on the outer skin. Even in the late 70's, Laings were still using concrete lintels on the inner skin and relying on the window frames for the outer skin.

gutovicky

Yes, born_again, I was thinking that myself....  I may go down that route, thanks.

Oh dear FreeBear & stuart45, all this talk about lintels is getting me nervous!  
Surely the Double-glazing firms sort out whatever lintel is required?!   Isn't their work regulated/insured?    Don't DG firms self-certify so as to meet Building Regs?   Fensa?

Any advice on how to protect myself against a bad install?
Could it be that some types of uPVC window frames are constructed with a inner steel frame that turns them into a structural element?

Thanks, Vicky

FreeBear

gutovicky said:  Oh dear FreeBear & stuart45, all this talk about lintels is getting me nervous!  
Surely the Double-glazing firms sort out whatever lintel is required?!   Isn't their work regulated/insured?    Don't DG firms self-certify so as to meet Building Regs?   Fensa?

Any advice on how to protect myself against a bad install?
Could it be that some types of uPVC window frames are constructed with a inner steel frame that turns them into a structural element?

One would hope that the DG firm would check for the presence of a lintel and fit one when required... I can point you to a door that was installed by Anglian a couple of years back where they didn't fit a lintel. They visited again a few months later to repoint the soldier course (badly) after the brickwork started to crack.

It is not an uncommon problem (hence a number of briefing notes issued by FENSA over the years). but an experienced local installer should know which buildings are likely to need a lintel. Ask the question when inviting the DG salesman in for quotes. Then when they start work, watch them like a hawk as the old window is removed, take a few photos (tell 'em it is for your restoration blog) and do the same as the new window goes in. If there is a lintel in place from when the building was constructed, it should be pretty obvious.

And no, a steel insert in the uPVC frame will not make it structural. Steel is only used for really big frames to limit distortion due to temperature fluctuations.

gutovicky

Thanks again FreeBear for your advice and tips - forewarned is forearmed!

gutovicky

You know, as a lay-person, I would not have thought to ask DG firms whether they ENSURE THE CORRECT LINTEL STRENGTH when replacing frames.
This is a bit un-nerving.
I wonder if there are any other less obvious questions or checks I should be making when ordering DG windows?

Cheers, Vicky

plumb1_2

If you wait 6 months you’ll end up paying 20% more imo.
The windows can be fitted, fixed on 3 sides.  and then the block work built, they can be tied into the frames using S/steel brick ties using ss screws. 

greenface2

70s bungalow without any pics we cant tell . I would guess they're is nothing on the outside skin and supported on the inside coarse . that's the norm that the windows have never supported and built into the soffit . or if its supporting anything its a few birds nests and some itchy insulation from experience . even if there is a brick coarse above the window they are often just sat on top of the window without any structural reason . Upvc windows . some have steels inside but for strength not support .

greenface2

I am a window fitter with 35+ years of fitting and over 15 as a window surveyor.