double glazing... talk to me

[MassiveJim]

in the process of buying a house built in mid 1999 and as such I assume it still has its original windows.

The exterior doors were originally wooden and have been replaced 3 years ago, so I am strictly talking about the windows.

I want to modernise the look of the house with grey windows/doors a rough cost to spray paint them is around £1800 with a 10 year guarantee, with the windows already being 22 years old I don't want to waste money doing this if they need replacing in the next 5 years, so is there anything in particular I should be looking for to determine wether or not they are in need of replacement or will be in the near future
Obviously I will be checking mechanisms are smooth, and that the plastic isn't cracked anywhere, checking for drafts. Glass being blown doesn't trouble me too much because the units can be replaced fairly cheaply


Alternatively if they are needing replacement is there a particular brand of windows that I should be considering?
We plan to be here for the forseeable so I would like to buy quality (within reason) that will last a very long time.

 

[LACKERKNACKER]

I'd be more concerned of the glazing units failing and needing replacing as opposed to the frames themselves - I have never really seen frames as a consumable, but have replaced panels due to age related failure.

I'm also considering the spraying option to add some colour and have been concerned over how well the finish would stand up, a 10 yr guarantee seems impressive

 

[MassiveJim]

I'd be more concerned of the glazing units failing and needing replacing as opposed to the frames themselves - I have never really seen frames as a consumable, but have replaced panels due to age related failure.

I'm also considering the spraying option to add some colour and have been concerned over how well the finish would stand up, a 10 yr guarantee seems impressive

I believe they will inspect the windows for damage and condition etc before going ahead and obviously all surfaces will need prepping prior to spraying, but I agree 10 years still sounds to good to be true, but if they are willing to guarantee it who am I to argue.

 

[lookitsjonno]

Personally i'd wait until you can bite the bullet and get new windows, ours were 24 years old when we had new ones earlier in the year so your's will be about due soon

 

[MassiveJim]

Personally i'd wait until you can bite the bullet and get new windows, ours were 24 years old when we had new ones earlier in the year so your's will be about due soon

This isn't off the cards, however it will push the job back somewhat owing to cost.
The front of the house has
2 x triple windows
3 x single
2 x quads
2 x doubles
1 x front door with panel either side (this was all replaced 3 years ago)

the rear has
4 x doubles
1 x single
1 x triple
2 x double sliding patio doors

then there is a single door at the side which was also replaced 3 years ago

 

[Jez]

Are your requirements for a specific type of expensive frame design?

If generic UPVC, you may be surprised at how cheap windows are. Ignoring the front door, all of that will likely not even be 5 figures fitted. I really wouldn't put any thought into reconditioning the old ones with a half arsed painting exercise.

 

[MassiveJim]

Are your requirements for a specific type of expensive frame design?

If generic UPVC, you may be surprised at how cheap windows are. Ignoring the front door, all of that will likely not even be 5 figures fitted. I really wouldn't put any thought into reconditioning the old ones with a half arsed painting exercise.

I don't think i need any special frame design ?
A couple of the front windows have a slight arch to the brick course above the windows which have an extra piece of trim but beyond that they all look fairly standard.
I have little knowledge of windows so was just starting up a conversation to try and improve my knowledge etc.
I currently live in a new build (first house) that was built in 2013 so never had to replace any windows/doors before.

with regards to the painting I'm not sure it could be called half arsed if they are willing to give a 10 year guarantee with it (the same guarentee you seem to get with new replacements), or was your comment just meant to be a bit tongue in cheek?

 

[mattyg]

Are your requirements for a specific type of expensive frame design?

If generic UPVC, you may be surprised at how cheap windows are. Ignoring the front door, all of that will likely not even be 5 figures fitted. I really wouldn't put any thought into reconditioning the old ones with a half arsed painting exercise.

Avoid the big usual suspects. OP Go find your local glazing supplier, I bet you'll be surprised

 

[Peerzy]

When we moved into our current place we replaced about 1/3rd of the windows and a side door to the garage and it was about £2000 all in. This was 3 large windows and 2 medium plus a full door all in standard UPVC white, some frosted glass, all with openings.

Not sure I'd spend £1800 on spraying 22 year old windows when brand new replacements are probably only going to be £8k ish.

 

[Jez]

I don't think i need any special frame design ?
A couple of the front windows have a slight arch to the brick course above the windows which have an extra piece of trim but beyond that they all look fairly standard.
I have little knowledge of windows so was just starting up a conversation to try and improve my knowledge etc.
I currently live in a new build (first house) that was built in 2013 so never had to replace any windows/doors before.

with regards to the painting I'm not sure it could be called half arsed if they are willing to give a 10 year guarantee with it (the same guarentee you seem to get with new replacements), or was your comment just meant to be a bit tongue in cheek?

Wasn’t meant to be at all I just wanted to check that you were dealing with normal windows, as specialist ones (beautiful sashes with cords and brass weights etc) can get extremely expensive.

In contrast, normal UPVC are surprisingly cheap as I have found from years of experience buying a lot of them. You’d probably do the whole house inside 5 figures. People often think that windows are far more expensive than they are

 

[pp111]

I believe they will inspect the windows for damage and condition etc before going ahead and obviously all surfaces will need prepping prior to spraying, but I agree 10 years still sounds to good to be true, but if they are willing to guarantee it who am I to argue.

They probably work on the assumption that you will either forget, sell the house, or lose the paperwork inside ten years!

 

[sovietspybob]

I can't remember exactly but when we did our house in 2015 i was amazed how cheap windows were, i think we paid just under 5k for windows for the entire (big detached) house and our utility room door , that included a lot of triangular ones in all the upstairs windows and 4 full floor to ceiling units. That was profile22 from memory white inside anthracite outside. So yeah i'd put the cash towards new windows myself as £1800 will go a long way to new ones.

 

[Buffman]

Yeah I'm looking at wooden windows (double glazed /all toughened for sound deadening, 2 big bay windows) and it looks like it will be around £15k.. And that's for only about 1/2 of the house! (the extension already been done)

I wish I had some of these upvc prices! To be fair i could go upvc but don't think it will look as good, and I intend to be here a long time.

 

[mdaw]

Avoid the big usual suspects. OP Go find your local glazing supplier, I bet you'll be surprised

Agreed. I had my windows done in my maisonette about 2-3 years ago. 9 windows in total. I have a big bay window, effectively 3 windows of a large size and then the rest were fairly standard sized. All came in around £2500. The national chains wanted between 6.5k-8k. one of them didn't even turn up when I mentioned the price of one of the local quotes as he said on the phone you will never accept my quote with a price like that. LOL. I had four local quotes and they were mainly around the 3k mark. 25% more if I wanted triple glazing. 50% more if I wanted sash style windows.

 

[flea.rider]

may not be as simple as changing the glass .. had to smash out the kitchen window it had bonded to the frame .. so just replaced the lot ..

 

[Terminal_Boy]

They probably work on the assumption that you will either forget, sell the house, or lose the paperwork inside ten years!

It’s not going help to people outside NE London, but Crystal Windows replaced several window latches and a complete front door under for us 8 years into a 10 year guarantee with zero fuss. We’d always been impressed with their products and customer service, so we used them when we had to replace the patio doors after a break in a few years later.