Replacing just double glazed units - Thoughts?

ChilliBob

Hey everyone, 

Our windows at the front have some units which have gone, otherwise the windows are alright. Has anyone had theirs replaced and got any feedback on the process?

It looks like it might cost say 300 quid per unit, so, for a three window area like my daughter's bedroom I'd not get much change from a grand.

I'm reluctant to change the windows, as the render isn't brilliant on the front, so I'm convinced it'd be a costly process - new windows and new render. Not to mention the fact we have wooden shutters fitted inside, which whilst not attached to the windows, would probably complicate the fitting of new windows. (perhaps necessitating their removal and adding, which I'm sure a window company wouldn't do!).

Thoughts much appreciated! 

born_again

Ask round some local window companies. Swapping a unit is easy, just a matter of prising the beading holding them in place hopefully. If they are the ones where the unit is also fixed to the frame with double sided tape, can be a bit harder.

Albermarle

Unless the frames are old ( say 30 years plus) and are in good condition, then probably better just to replace the DG units.

ChilliBob

Pretty sure the frames are about 16 years old at a pretty decent guess.

Yeah, I've looked on YouTube before for other glazing stuff and seen that. 

Cheers, will see what I can find out.  

Bigphil1474

Worth looking for a local window doctor type, maybe on somewhere like Facebook? We had 3 dg units replaced in our dorma last year as we were moving house and they were very milky. It cost about £350 for three 1mx50cm units supplied and fitted (ish). The process is straightforward. Our units were around 40 years old.

ChilliBob

Bigphil1474 said:

Worth looking for a local window doctor type, maybe on somewhere like Facebook? We had 3 dg units replaced in our dorma last year as we were moving house and they were very milky. It cost about £350 for three 1mx50cm units supplied and fitted (ish). The process is straightforward. Our units were around 40 years old.

Nice. That's cheaper than I'd have thought. We're London thou, which always bumps prices up 

TELLIT01

I've only had to replace one unit and used a company called Cloudy2Clear.  I believe it's a franchise business but I was very happy with the price and the quality of the work.  That was a few years ago so I can't remember the actual price.

victor2

I had 8 panes in two bedrooms and a landing replaced, plus a broken hinge fixed by a local "Window Doctor". Frames were 40 year old UPVC in good condition apart from one broken hinge. Total cost £1K. Would have been over £3K to replace them all.

FreeBear

Another "had just a sealed unit replaced" here. Roughly 1x1m & 28mm thick. Cost me £80 just before the building trade went silly. The gut that replaced the unit was also fitting some new windows at the back of the house, so I only paid "cost" for the unit.

ChilliBob

Thanks guys, tells me it's worth a look for sure. I think my wife would prefer all new (aluminum) windows at the front of the house. I'm not too keen on the work it'll cause, and the cost! I mean, we will have to at some point but if we spend less than say1k sorting these units out and we wait another 5 years, that seems alright to me. 

bjorn_toby_wilde

Aluminium isn’t very thermally efficient.  The thermally broken stuff is a compromise, but still loses more heat to the outside than upvc.