Wood Framed Doubled Sash Windows - What is reasonable?

[como]

Hello

it would be great to get people's opinions and pointers for someone who could independently assess the quality of an upgrade/refurbishment.

We have a 1840s kent peg tiled house which isn't listed. The 11 sash windows and 3 casement windows were in poor condition and we considered both refurbing them and replacing them with heritage style upvc windows. In the end we landed on upgrading the sashes to double glazed and refurbishing the frames. The firm we choose said that this approach would would make them like new (no quite but close) and would be only be 25% more a straight refurb as the the effort was less. They said they would complete in 2 to 3 weeks with the 2 owners/brothers working on it. The quote for a pure refurb was 19k and 25k for the upgrade/refurb including decoration. We were also intending to get 2 french doors for 12k (but this is on hold)

1. Many of the sashes are difficult to open and close. We were told we would get something close to satisfying the "2 finger test"
2. The sashes seem to close in slightly different positions. As a result the Brighton fastners sometimes cant be set or are difficult to set
3. We get a really noticeable breeze through the sash pull wheels (otherwise the draught proofing seems good)
4. There are lots and lots of small gaps between joins and there some chips and unsanded bits on the glazing bars
5. Beading pin holes haven't been properly filled. there is filler and dust and paint bits painted on the internal and external faces.

The job was supposed to be done 16Dec but now we are only getting sporadic visits. The firm say they are aware of the issues and are always saying it is only day or so to finish but we aren't seeing any progress. I thought it would be a grind to get the issues resolved but we would get there but what worried me and got me on here is that they dont see the howling gale through the sash pulley wheels as an issue and are now threatening to walk away


Thank you for your time

Conor

 

[fernicarry]

they dont see the howling gale through the sash pulley wheels as an issue

To be fair its hard to do much about that. You can get plastic cases that clip over the back of the pulley before fitting and that have a brush seal for the cord to run through. I bought some, they didn't fit any of my pulleys, I still have a slight draft... Think of them as trickle vents.

Many of the sashes are difficult to open and close

Difficult because they are tight in the frame? Or free to move but require excess effort to lift? Latter could be the counter weights need increased, especially with the extra weight of DG units. Some of mine pass the "one pinky" test after adding just the right amount of weight! Not all of them mind, if the frame has gone out of square then they will always be quite graunchy to operate.

The sashes seem to close in slightly different positions

You mean the same window settles to different positions each time you close it? Again if the frame is out of square or the cill isn't level they can have a tendency to sit differently depending on how far you have moved them. Mine generally have a "preferred" position to settle in and the latch is lined up to match but sometimes they need a bit of a sideways shove. Also if the two halves of the latch are fixed too far away from each other it can be difficult to get the arm to engage. I would imagine they know what they are doing in that respect. Longer reach latches are available.

Its kind of the nature of the beast. "Like new" is quite a bold claim for windows that are knocking on 200 years old. Or perhaps what they are alluding to is that they may not have worked all that smoothly when new!

The decoration does sound a bit shoddy but you can easily get any decorator to deal with that.

 

[como]

To be fair its hard to do much about that. You can get plastic cases that clip over the back of the pulley before fitting and that have a brush seal for the cord to run through. I bought some, they didn't fit any of my pulleys, I still have a slight draft... Think of them as trickle vents.



Difficult because they are tight in the frame? Or free to move but require excess effort to lift? Latter could be the counter weights need increased, especially with the extra weight of DG units. Some of mine pass the "one pinky" test after adding just the right amount of weight! Not all of them mind, if the frame has gone out of square then they will always be quite graunchy to operate.



You mean the same window settles to different positions each time you close it? Again if the frame is out of square or the cill isn't level they can have a tendency to sit differently depending on how far you have moved them. Mine generally have a "preferred" position to settle in and the latch is lined up to match but sometimes they need a bit of a sideways shove. Also if the two halves of the latch are fixed too far away from each other it can be difficult to get the arm to engage. I would imagine they know what they are doing in that respect. Longer reach latches are available.

Its kind of the nature of the beast. "Like new" is quite a bold claim for windows that are knocking on 200 years old. Or perhaps what they are alluding to is that they may not have worked all that smoothly when new!

The decoration does sound a bit shoddy but you can easily get any decorator to deal with that.

Thank you for the advice. A quick update. The fitter is going to look at draught covers for the pulleys but also double check the sealing around the boxes as the draught is much worse than prior to the refurb. With respect to the the mechanical function - one window needs its weights adjusted while the position of the beading on remaining windows is being tweaked to make the sashes less tight in the frame. Hopefully there should also be less side to side movement as a result.