How to turn fixed window into opening?

pieroabcd

Hi,
in my house half of the windows are fixed. 
Is it possible to turn then into opening? By the way, what's the rationale behind their being fixed?
I doubt that one more railing makes any difference from the price point of view.
Only one word comes to mind and it's not nice at all.

Section62

pieroabcd said:

Hi,
in my house half of the windows are fixed. 
Is it possible to turn then into opening? By the way, what's the rationale behind their being fixed?
I doubt that one more railing makes any difference from the price point of view.
Only one word comes to mind and it's not nice at all.

Could be a planning restriction - either to achieve a particular style, or because of overlooking issues.

What is there in the direction the non-opening windows face? (or are they randomly mixed?)

pieroabcd

Section62 said:

pieroabcd said:

Hi,
in my house half of the windows are fixed. 
Is it possible to turn then into opening? By the way, what's the rationale behind their being fixed?
I doubt that one more railing makes any difference from the price point of view.
Only one word comes to mind and it's not nice at all.

Could be a planning restriction - either to achieve a particular style, or because of overlooking issues.

What is there in the direction the non-opening windows face? (or are they randomly mixed?)

They are literally everywhere, at the front and at the back. Basically the left side is always opening and the right side is always locked. The only exceptions are in 2 bedrooms (where the central one is locked and the side ones are opening) and in the bathrom in the loft extension (where the bottom one is fixed and the top one opens vertically).

One more question. Do I need permission from the Council to modify the windows at the back of the house?

Thanks.

FreeBear

uPVC windows, aluminium/steel frames, or solid wood ?

Solid wood frames could be modified if you can find a decent carpenter. For all others, you'd need to replace the whole frame.

pieroabcd

(u?) PVC    

FreeBear

pieroabcd said:

(u?) PVC    

New frames then.

On the plus side, you'll get higher performance sealed units which will reduce your heat loss by a few watts. Downside, if you replace more than 25% at a time, background ventilation will be required (some installers take that to mean trickle vents are mandatory). But if the existing windows have trickle vents, the new ones would have to have them as well.

TELLIT01

It's entirely normal for not all window panes to be of the opening variety.  Most of our rooms have opening windows at one side and fixed on the other, or opening at both sides and a large fixed pane in the centre.

ThisIsWeird

pieroabcd said:

Hi,
in my house half of the windows are fixed. 
Is it possible to turn then into opening? By the way, what's the rationale behind their being fixed?
I doubt that one more railing makes any difference from the price point of view.
Only one word comes to mind and it's not nice at all.

To confirm, Piero, you are not saying that some windows have nothing but fixed sections in them? But that each window has a mix of fixed and opening sections? And you'd rather all the sections in a window were openers?

Reasons for having some fixed are cost, yes, but also effectively slimmer mullions and frames - compare the ones you have.

The only way to have them all opening is to replace the complete window, and order them as such. They will cost significantly more, and the glass area will almost certainly be reduced.

pieroabcd

Correct. All windows are mixed and I'd like to get rid of the fixed ones.

Uhm, cost and permissions are definitely a deterrent 

ThisIsWeird

pieroabcd said:

Correct. All windows are mixed and I'd like to get rid of the fixed ones.

Uhm, cost and permissions are definitely a deterrent 

I don't think 'permissions' - if by that you mean 'Planning' - will have any bearing at all - I can see no reason why they'd prefer some fixed sections. 

Having all the window sections in a single style - eg all openers - will tend to make windows look more even and symmetrical, with each section being identical in size and shape. 

I would agree that this would almost certainly look better overall, with the proviso that each glass area would be a little smaller as a result. If the window sections are too narrow, then it can even look unpleasantly PVC-heavy in relation to the glass area.

And, all openers will cost a lot more.

What is your actual issue here? Is it the lack of symmetry?

pieroabcd

Symmetry in this case doens't apply because all the window panels are identical. The only difference between the fixed and the opening panels is the handle (and the railing of course).

Being unable to open a window prevents me from cleaning the other -opening- window. I also like to have my house fully ventilated in summer, like in a wind tunnel. Fortunately this area is very windy, but having one of the windows fixed means that I can't get all the air movement in a part of the room.
Also, in one of the bathrooms only the upper part opens, that is only 1/3 of the height. I find it definitely insufficient, especially in a bathroom that should be as ventilated as possible.

I found quite curious that one of the neighbours once asked me why I keep the lounge windows fully open all the time :-)