Estimating double glazing & doors costs for a 3-bed house

GreenTed

It seems a not-too-difficult question but we're struggling to find an answer - my son is looking to buy (wow, I know!) a house which needs quite a bit of work.  As his Mum I'm around to help with admin, 'though unable to do the practical stuff atm.  One thing we're really struggling to find is an estimate of new windows costs - it needs new double glazed windows and sills throughout (old ones are wooden & rotting away).  It has 4 flat windows plus 2 bays (5 windows in each), patio doors, back & front door.  I know it won't be cheap, however if at all possible I'd like to help him with this cost as it doesn't seem an avoidable one and will make a big difference to him being able to afford the move, but we can't find an approximate cost anywhere.  As he doesn't live there yet, it's occupied, and we'll need other people to quote for things. it seems a bit intrusive to ask someone to attend for a full measure-up quote - we're just trying to get a rough idea but are stuck.

housebuyer143

I recently spent £8.5k on my house but I have 10 windows and 3 doors, with the front door being composite.

I imagine for a 3 bed house you would definitely be looking at less than that. 

youth_leader

I don't think the vendor would mind if your son asked for a window sales person to visit and measure up?  They will know that the windows need replacing - and could well be moving because they cannot afford it.  I had to move because I couldn't afford to replace my roof. It is unlikely the vendor will negotiate on the price as the state of the windows was obvious when your son viewed and made his offer. 

If the frames were OK I would have suggested having the glass replaced - I moved into this bungalow in the spring, by autumn I found that three of the bay windows were blown.  I've just paid about £180 for each pane of glass to be replaced.  

ciderboy2009

Where in the country are you?  That can make a massive difference.

What are the bay window like?  If they're supporting any weight then they can be fairly expensive (we were quoted £5k a few years ago to replace one bay window because of this - and this was from a company who have always given us the cheapest quotes for other windows).

FreeBear

7 windows here, plus a bay which counts as 3, and a front door came in at around £6K. For 14 windows, a patio, and two doors, I'd suspect something in the £8-10K range. Prices have gone up of late, and will no doubt continue to rise. There are changes being muted to Building Regulations that effectively mean triple glazing is needed to hit the required u-values. Whilst this is primarily aimed at new builds, there will be tweaks to the rules for replacement doors & windows. The changes are slated for 2025, so it might be worthwhile comparing the price of double and triple glazed windows.

Depending on when the property was built, lintels may need to be installed over the four flat windows to support the outer leaf of brickwork. This should be highlighted when the place is measured up for the windows - Doesn't hurt to ask the surveyor doing the buyer's report to check (your son is getting a survey done isn't he). Should lintels be required, budget £1K each and be happy if it comes in at £250 - I needed two here, but got away with £50-80 each as one could be wriggled in without any real effort, and the other I did myself.

gm0

Long piece of string - windows always are.  But bays are worse.

You need to talk to neighbours on the street if the houses are patterned about what they did, and who with. 

And try to find out about whether the building has lintels or was relying on bay timber structure to partially support brick work above bays. 

This can cause a replacement job to spiral into brick work and lintels and more major ceiling and plaster and joinery work.  And thus more expensive.  You can't find out non-invasively. 

But local builders/trades if there are hundreds similar will know.

As will a neighbour who has had the job done.

This is one reason why many bays get "repaired" long after the job should really have been taken on

Good luck

caprikid1

£50K but if I speak to my manager and you can sign today we can probably do a bargain deal of £12K but only tonight.....

dharm999

Do you have to replace wood with wood?  Is the house in a conservation area, as that may restrict what you can do.  

Squeaky9

We paid just under £16k last year for a (single storey extended) 3 bed semi. That included coloured windows though, aluminium bifolds and a porch knockout. 

HobgoblinBT

Try tradeframe.com.  

Their website has a pricing model for windows and doors, and you don’t have to put in an email or contact phone number to use it.

My only connection is as a repeat customer.

GreenTed

caprikid1 said:

£50K but if I speak to my manager and you can sign today we can probably do a bargain deal of £12K but only tonight.....

I know, right - it brings back painful memories of having our conservatory!