New House Rotten Windows

DilbertJones

I have bought a new house (New to me) & all the windows will need replacing, or possibly most anyway they are single glazed with a rubbish secondary glaze fitting, also the back door, which has two double glazed panes, needs sorting as the seal has gone & its misty between the two panes, how much will i be looking at?

Cheaper to get proper double glazing fitted?

weekendwarrior

Hi,

It depends on how big the windows are, how many there are and what quality you would like. I am pretty sure that all new windows have to be pilkington "K" glass now as it can save energy. Building control also need involving (in England), This can make it expensive, you could be looking at a few thousand!

Lychee

Probably best to get someone round to give you a quote as it really does depend on size and number of windows etc. We've just had a quote for all the windows and doors (front & rear), mid-terrace house, 5 quotes ranging from £3700 - £5000. That's for plain white PVC. Hope that helps to give you some sort of idea:) I should think it'd help with heating bills though... and maybe add value on the house (?)

Rex_Mundi

You are going to need to get some quotes. My advice would be.

Speak to your neighbours. They may be able to recommend a local company that they have dealt with and have had good work from.

Get AT LEAST three quotes. Companies do not charge you for a quote, and the more information you have, the better idea you will have of what is a reasonable quote for your house.

Beware of salesmen!!! The big national companies tend to use salesmen to sell their products. They will be paid by commission and the information they give may not be the best for you. They have an interest in getting the sale, and may not put your best interests first. Because of my experience in the glass trade. I was contacted by one of the national companies. They offered me 15% commission on cash sales, up to 20%/25% if the customer took out finance on the deal. I told them where to go.

If you are given a quote, and it's genuine. A company should have no problem with honouring that quote for a month. This will give you time to get other quotes and compare with other firms. When companies say that they can only offer the price they've given if you sign immediately or the next day, then they are using high pressure sales techniques on you. If their price is reasonable, why can't they give you enough time to compare this with other companies? I would say anyone that tries this technique is trying to scam you.

It's not unreasonable to expect a ten year guarantee on your new windows. This should include any faults with the frames and replacement units in case the seal on the double glazed unit breaks down.

The company should be registered with FENSA. This will ensure that your new windows comply with building regs (part L) and they will be able to issue you with a certificate to prove your new windows comply. If you install the windows yourself, or get a builder to do them. You can contact your local council and pay for them to inspect them and issue a certificate. A FENSA registered company can issue the certificate without your local council getting involved.

Any questions.............feel free to ask.

loobs40

Thing I found about the quotes thing, is that the more companies give you quotes, the more knowlegeable you get about the subject. So by the time the last guy came round I was able to ask him a lot of detailed questions, unlike the first when I just came across like a dumb blonde

Downside is that I then had to go back to all the other companies to ask the same questions to make sure I was comparing like with like.

In the end I have gone for one of the middle quotes, wich was £3300 for 9 windows and a new front door. The door incidentally is the really expensive thing

The thing about an installer not being registered with Fensa, is that you have to pay for the building regs people to come and check the installation, which in my mind is not necessarily such a bad thing. The odds are stacked against someone from Fensa coming to check.

irnbru_2

Rex_Mundi wrote:

It's not unreasonable to expect a ten year guarantee on your new windows. This should include any faults with the frames and replacement units in case the seal on the double glazed unit breaks down.

Having just had the glass replaced, due to misting, in two glazing units for a relative, I'll add two caveats:

1. The glazer told me that in some instances the glass is guaranteed for 5 years and the frames 10. So check whats guaranteed.

2. Get an insurance backed guarantee not a company one. The company that fitted the units did several other houses in the area. They went into receivership 5 years later .... rendering the guarantee only good enough for recycling Maybe thats what FENSA is about ... dunno.

In fact, if I was getting it installed, I'd get one of my quotes from a glazier instead of them all being from double glazing companies.

Poppy9

We replaced our front windows a year or so ago and paid £3500 (we had been quoted upto £5k). This was for two round bay windows with 4 openers each, 1 bedroom window with 2 openers and two side windows which were tripled glazed to include original stained glass.

The number of openers make a difference (about £50 each I think).

If in a terrace or semi look at neighbours to see if its a good idea to blend in i.e. regarding leaded glass, openers, stained glass etc.

Rex_Mundi

1. The glazer told me that in some instances the glass is guaranteed for 5 years and the frames 10. So check whats guaranteed.

Good point. Although I will say that any decent unit supplier should have no problems offering a 10 year guarantee on their units. I know loads of companies offer 5 year guarantees on units. I've always felt that this was unreasonable. They can easily be made to last with a much longer lifespan.

CharlieBrown_4

Dear Rex

Please help, currently going through the minefield of double glazing with not much money to hand. Found a window warehouse which can also install. They're not Fensa affiliated but assure me their windows are up to standard. Their windows are Eurocell made??? Another company slated them, but probably because he wanted the work. Do you know of Eurocell...will they do the job? There's a 10 year guarantee, but the warehouse has only been going two years. They usually supply local builders apparently and have recently done this in a property being renovated near us. Does this all sound OK?? Only worried because they are so cheap!!

Rex_Mundi

CharlieBrown wrote:

Dear Rex

Please help, currently going through the minefield of double glazing with not much money to hand. Found a window warehouse which can also install. They're not Fensa affiliated but assure me their windows are up to standard. Their windows are Eurocell made??? Another company slated them, but probably because he wanted the work. Do you know of Eurocell...will they do the job? There's a 10 year guarantee, but the warehouse has only been going two years. They usually supply local builders apparently and have recently done this in a property being renovated near us. Does this all sound OK?? Only worried because they are so cheap!!

Eurocell is the name of the profile that the windows are made from. It's not the worst out there (and not the best for sure). I've seen windows made with this profile and regard them as bog standard UPVC frames.

It's more concerning that the company are recommending that you fit them without complying with the building regs. The glass may come up to standard (Pilkington K or soft coat), but without a certificate to prove that the windows were fitted in accordance with part L of the building regs, you could possibly run into a bit of bother. A FENSA affiliated installer could issue you with the appropriate paperwork. ANYONE can fit new windows (without being registered with FENSA), but you have to contact your local council building inspector and pay them to inspect the windows and issue you the correct paperwork. Each council has different charges, so you need to contact your local council to find out how much this is. Add this to the cost of the windows to get a better comparison with other companies.

I would suggest that you contact your local council first. Find out how they operate over new windows and how much for them to inspect them. I would also insist that the company states on the paperwork that the windows comply with part L of the building regs. This will give you a very good case against the company if the building inspector doesn't agree.

Poppy9

Rex_Mundi wrote:

It's more concerning that the company are recommending that you fit them without complying with the building regs. The glass may come up to standard (Pilkington K or soft coat), but without a certificate to prove that the windows were fitted in accordance with part L of the building regs, you could possibly run into a bit of bother.

What bother can you run into? I DG over a few years due to size of house and cost. Only when we had the front done did we hava FENSA certificate from the manu/installers as he said it was now law. If we were to sell our house would we need to produce certificates for all the windows even though some were fitted pre regs?