Replacement timber windows

[Poorprincess]

We would like to replace our current old timber windows with nice new double glazed timber windows. Are we allowed to ask on here if anyone is able to recommend a reasonably priced company to ask round for a quote.we live in mid suffolk. We have a 16th century timber cottage and are also unsure whether storm proof or flush casement are more suitable?

 

[stuartlowb]

Try these: http://www.byngjoinery.co.uk/content/6-timber-sash-windows

We have just taken delivery today of a sash window, they have done a wonderful job and include a 10 year paint warranty. They are based in Bromsgrove, but work nationwide and lots of their work is on London listed properties. I met them at the Grand Designs show at the NEC, really nice people. They were v competitive on price too, though definitely not the cheapest but the paint warranty was the icing on the cake!

 

[livias]

Thurston Building Supplies make good and reasonably priced windows to order though for your own peace of mind I would get another quote or two elsewhere.
As to type of windows, if you live in a listed building the CO is likely to demand flush not stormproof. If not then its a case of aesthetics. I'm a flush woman myself ...

 

[parkview094]

Try these: http://www.byngjoinery.co.uk/content/6-timber-sash-windows

I was impressed by their stand at the southern home show a few years back. We're also looking to repair/replace some wooden windows, so was just interested.. did you fit these yourself or find a local tradesperson to do so?

 

[plasticpigeon]

Stormproof look terrible to me. Flush casements are better, but you need what is appropriate for your house. Some casements have the opening lights recessed, especially if they are metal framed. Please don't go for something too flat and modern looking.

 

[stuartlowb]

Try these: http://www.byngjoinery.co.uk/content/6-timber-sash-windows

I was impressed by their stand at the southern home show a few years back. We're also looking to repair/replace some wooden windows, so was just interested.. did you fit these yourself or find a local tradesperson to do so?

We only had them delivered yesterday, so haven't had them fitted yet. They have recommended a fitter, but are waiting on availability.

 

[Poorprincess]

Thankyou for all your replies. I will take a look at the websites.
I have been admiring some newly fitted windows in our village and asked today who had fitted them. It's a local company but was surprised to be told they are the 'evolution type, wood grain effect' flush windows. They look really nice but I'm concerned that they arnt timber although look very much like timber.
Bearing in mind we have an old cottage would you suggest we stick to timber even though the evolution windows look very much like timber.

 

[DJH]

I'm a flush woman myself ...

Ooer! I've heard of a hot flush woman... :shock: Will I get into trouble for saying that?

Doug

 

[parkview094]

Bearing in mind we have an old cottage would you suggest we stick to timber even though the evolution windows look very much like timber.

I think I'll just hide behind a large rock somewhere until all the rioting has calmed down. My own views on this are that I would certainly consider non-timber windows for certain circumstances.

Firstly, why are you replacing the windows rather than going down the secondary glazing route or installing double glazed panels in your existing timber frames?

We have 3 dormer windows on the 3rd floor of our house which are currently timber and are mostly rotten. I suspect they are rotten because they are so difficult to access. We're looking at almost £400 per window for scaffolding to reach them. My own preference is to repair / uprate them using the existing timber frames if possible, but I'm fearful this may prove cost prohibitive. If we have to go down the replacement route, we are considering PVC which in this circumstance, I think would work out most cost-effective in the long run. I'm sure there are those who will disagree. We certainly wont be replacing the easier-to-access windows wholesale with PVC.

To my mind, the Residence9 window looks better than the Evolution option. The Evolutions are ok from a distance and from the outside, but look like a PVC window from the inside and close up. The inside of an R9 looks much more like a wood window to the uninitiated.

Quotes to replace our 3 windows have come in at £3142 for Evolution, £5821 for R9 and £6690 for timber (all +scaffolding). I'm still waiting on a quote back for repairing the current windows.

 

[mims&pip]

Parkview, that does sound expensive - without factoring in the cost of the scaffolding - where are you based?

We paid just shy of £10k for seven hardwood double-glazed sash windows in early 2014 on the front elevation of the house we sold before Christmas...and that included painting and fitting :wink:

That was in Wiltshire and the work was done by a local joiner. There is a pic on my thread *Some pics of our houses - old and new.....* Whilst Ivor correctly pointed out that style-wise Victorian sashes were out of character with our (non-listed) Georgian house, we were replacing like-for-like as the windows we took out were not original (and were beyond saving) and as we were intending to move last year we didn't want the expense of authentic Georgian glazing bars etc.

In our case we had to contend with lots of traffic noise - I know, I know we should have gone down the secondary glazing route, but DH (Pip) didn't like that idea :roll: - so we chose acoustic glass.

Btw, we also had (six) third storey windows, but we didn't bother to change these as they were 1990s replacement timber casements :wink:

Imho, unless your property is very modern UPVC should be avoided at all costs......

 

[Poorprincess]

Someone I spoke to recently had secondary glazing fitted and said they didn't feel they saved themselves a great deal against replacing the windows.
Half the windows appear to be from the seventies so look very out of place. We would like to change the windows to improve the look of the house aswell as obviously improving the insulation. We went to a lot of work when we first moved in, with tiding them up. They were varnished very dark so rubbed them all down, primed, undercoat and painted them. Half were ok but the windows that are more in the sun have flaked very badly and neither of us feel we want to go through re priming, undercoating and painting again!
We would hate to ruin the house by fitting the evolution windows so feel we ought to go with timber. We are put off too that the evolution are guarenteed against excessive fading for ten years I think. Whereas with timber you can just touch up. We will look at the R9.
We have only had 1 quote so far and that was for 11 windows and 1 patio door. £13300. We felt that was a fairly good quote?

 

[stuartlowb]

Just for clarity, I paid £914 for my sash window from Byng (painted with a 10 year paint warranty!) but no fitting.

Hope this helps for comparison purposes.

 

[dans]

Harleston Joinery did all our windows (Idigbo), our house doors, garage doors in oak, garden room oak windows and a massive oak lantern. Couldn't recommend them highly enough!

You'd bemore than welcome to come over for a look, I'm just south of norwich. Ours is a 17th C farm house.

 

[masochists-r-us]

Apologies if someone has already asked this, but if your house is 16th C, isn't it listed ? Don't know about your local authority, but ours will not grant consent to double glazing whatsoever.
We replaced our inappropriate 1960's casements with single glazed leaded lights and to be honest just replacing the old draughty windows with new, well constructed ones has significantly reduced draughts and external noise. I had thought we might fit secondary glazing to the bedrooms as we live right on the road, but as time has gone by, we notice the traffic noise less and less.
Clearly, your heat losses would be less with double glazed units, albeit for a cottage with generally small windows, the impact will not be as significant as it would be on a modern house with much larger ones.However, IMHO double glazing is incongruous with historic buildings and although like you we originally thought we must have double glazing, we bowed to the will of the local authority and the final result has completely transformed the house for the better.
By the way, we also used hand made glass which in our opinion blends very well with an historic building as opposed to potentially quite harsh and modern looking double glazing.

 

[livias]

I am definitely a hot babe :lol:

 

[Poorprincess]

Thankyou we will look into harleston joinery. They arnt far from us but hadn't heard of them before. I would be concerned that they would be more expensive but then that's what quotes are for! I suppose too, with some of the larger local companies they tend to spray paint the windows, I'm hoping that means it would be a longer length of time before I'm expected to get out and help repainting again! We have Broadland windows booked to give us a quote soon, so will see what they have to say.
We are very lucky to not be listed although we still wouldn't want to do anything that would ruin the appearance of the cottage. We also live near the main norwich to London line so decent double glazing would help against train noise, not that we even really notice them now.

 

[Zebra]

A vote for timber from me. I had a local joiner make four fairly large casement windows for £3500. That didn't include the glass which I bought separately, or any fitting of the windows, which I did myself.
Also, I had them made in a good quality softwood rather than a tropical hardwood.

 

[Keithj]

I'd talk to the CO. Ours "could be persuaded" to allow us to install double glazing in the existing frames, provided it was the thin-profile stuff (filled with krypton, as I recall).

In the event, when we bought the house it turned out that the windows already had "standard" double glazing. The view was that since it was already there, and in bad enough condition to need replacing, it must have been there when the property was listed.

The only place he would not allow DG (quite rightly) was in the large leaded window at the front of the house. That has secondary glazing now.

 

[philpjuk100]

Has Biff retired now?.