From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

greenbee

Hopefully new windows will move the condensation from inside to outside. And if there are people about when you pass the other house, ask them. It’s also worth asking the window people about insulation above/below/around the window. I’m sure it can be done.

Watty1

I have found good tradespeople working locally are happy to chat about what they are doing.  So, always worth asking at the house that is having the major work done.

Also, sometimes you do have to ask a lot. I think I spoke to about 20 different companies before deciding on who was going to replace the roof windows (mainly because most of the companies wanted to pop out an old window and replace rather than do the actual work to resize the windows) but, I have never regretted the money I spent doing the work.

Greying_Pilgrim

Thank you tmv, greenbee, and Watty.  I feel like I am reporting in to my 'Online Aunties' here...... but, drumroll.....  I decided to take some clothes to the recycling bin, and walk back the long way..... past the house that is being renovated.  Lady luck was shining on me, as the owner/developer was on the front, chatting to a tradesperson 😁  They didn't mind me asking my question at all, and guess what, they changed the window because... a) there was no insulation on the top and bottom (precisely the same as here), and b) the cost of the replacement window was halved from having a bay to a 'flat'.  Precisely the reasons why I would like to change ours to a 'conventional' window.  So - it can be done.  They knew what they were talking about and explained everything so well to me - including what to look for and what issues might arise.  They showed me both the inside and the outside, and gosh - I'm just blown away by folks kindness 😁They showed that it can be done without affecting the (internal) window sill - which again, I wasn't sure about - and they didn't appear to have affected the internal plaster, but again, that may have been due to the original window shape, and the care in which they took to do the work.  

The window in that property was bigger than ours (it's a bigger house - albeit it the 'style' is broadly similar to most houses around here - and they're all made of ticky-tacky....), but he gave me prices - so I may be able to deduce some form of 'ball park' cost, so that it would be obvious if a trader was overly inflating their prices.  Having said that, I do realise that costs have skyrocketed in the past 5 years, and I have to be realistic about that.  

Now I need to pick up the phone.  I didn't ask if they would recommend a window fitter - I suppose I should have done, but they clearly do window fitting themselves (I did ask if they'd come round and do ours, but they just laughed and said everyone asks them that 😂).  But i have at least 2 firms I could approach.  So nowt should be stopping me.....

But thanks again for the nudges.  I now know that at least one thing we want can be done - better to find that out from a impartial third-party than from some teeth sucking salesperson, who'd add an extra nought at the end of the quote......

Greying X

KajiKita

The other approach you could take is to find a local carpenter to talk you through the options for all the windows, insulation around them etc etc You would then buy the windows direct (to the carpenter's measurements and all relevant 'accessories - beading etc.) and the carpenter would fit them for you. 

KK

Greying_Pilgrim

1st Phone call made.  Appointment booked for next week.  This (in theory) may be the most expensive company - but it's also local, family owned and been around a while (no markers of 'good' or 'safe', but somewhere to start).

Greying X

beanielou

Well done. 👏 

Greying_Pilgrim

KajiKita - that's certainly an option. I mean the frames are wooden at the mo.  And I realise builders/carpenters can fit windows - depending on how regularly they do it, there may be the issue of having to apply for building regs if they are not FENSA registered (there's also another org covering windows, forgotten it at the mo).  At the moment, I will go with window fitting firms, but I won't rule anything out. And this may become more relevant if the prices are such that we have to have the windows fitted piecemeal - as one window MUST be replaced before winter, we'd be damn fools not to, so I will certainly try to keep all options open.  But I am my own worst enemy and allow fear of a 'misstep' to make me end up doing nowt, just in case I get it wrong.  I don't think I'm tight, but I just fear getting fleeced 😢

At least with this house (in theory), the windows should be "straightforward" swops - with the possible exception of the faux bay.  Our previous house had all original sashes, and the technology hadn't quite caught up with 'copying' old styles (it has since improved - vastly).  Mind, we didn't want to just bang in ordinary DG into that house, so we were hoisted on our own petard.  And I'm glad that we waited to change the windows at the front of the house, as they ended up being from Germany, and were very good windows, that you couldn't easily tell were replacement on first glance.  

Greying X

greenbee

Depending on the windows, if you're replacing piecemeal, you may be able to get them from a builders' merchant/DIY store if they are standard sizes. I'm adding a window to block up a garage door, and that's coming from Travis Perkins. 

Don't worry too much about the building regs stuff - it won't matter until you sell, and you can always get an indemnity policy to cover everything you might have done that you didn't realise needed building regs sign off (for example my builder didn't tell me - and I didn't think to check - that I needed it when I replaced my staircase, although I did know about the windows but didn't get it done at the time because it was such a rush, and when I sold I realised I had no clue what else might be covered... as it was, my buyers didn't have a survey and didn't ask questions anyway, but I paid for a policy in case). 

themadvix

Ditto what Greenbee says about indemnity policy - our windows weren’t fitted by a FENSA contractor (he was firmly of the opinion it’s a con) and were subsequently constantly cheaper (like a £2k difference on what we were having done, iirc). The indemnity policy we arranged when we were moving (and then not) was c. £85.

KajiKita

I agree with the whole FENSA thing being a con ...
Mr KK (time served C&G carpenter - and yes, I absolutely do appreciate how lucky I am! ) was watching the guy fitting a double uPVC door to our lounge at the last house and had to point out that it wasn't in square and then adjusted it some more after the fitter had gone home! Absolute waste of time tbh. 
You typically get a gurantee of function from most window manufacturers (even if you fit yourself) for x years for not misting up, all working parts (handles etc.) 

KK