UPVC windows and doors

Soldato
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Maybe someone in the know here may be able to give some advice to this.

been having some quote recently for putting in New UPVC doors / Windows into a 9 year old 3 bedroomed semi detached property.

Quote I have is £7200

That is for top quality everything, down to Glass, Welds, In Rosewood finish, brass furniture, profiles etc. I know the company/owner and in this area there is nothing to touch them. Just take that bit as gospel as they are very a very good company.

Price includes 1 new upvc back door, 8 windows (1 of which is bay) and also converting one other window into french doors, including all building work.

That seem a good price?
 
Sounds about right to be honest. I paid that for 4 very very large windows and a new door with side panels

We could have got cheaper but the company is a very reputable company with good customer care, which we needed once. Sometimes that's worth paying a little extra for.
 
Are they rosewood on the inside and out?

Seems a bit pricey to me, but if they're guaranteed to be a good company with good comeback then its worth it. There are a lot of cowboys out there.

Are they using Argon filled units? Preferably with a warm edge spacer to stop cold transferring to the inside. Also make sure they're using a 70mm profile with 28mm glass.
 
I have found that windows and doors can be bartered down more than just about any product in the UK - try to drive a hard bargain with them. I recently got a door down by around 40% just by being pushy.
 
A lot of companies are just trying to survive at the moment. If you wanted to get the cheapest price possible, now would be the time.
 
Try to work out what to pay for double glazing is a nightmare. Quotes we got for our house were from £19,000 to £5,000. I know there was some difference in quality but not that much. I would pick a supplier you trust and haggle
 
I have found that windows and doors can be bartered down more than just about any product in the UK - try to drive a hard bargain with them. I recently got a door down by around 40% just by being pushy.

Sounds about right, I work in this industry and we are usually pushing domestic jobs through with 100% markup, but in the last few years its been 20 - 40%.
 
Doesn't matter if you have the best installers in the world, if you get sub-par units.

You need to specify exactly what you're after, so this may mean calling around a few suppliers and asking them about the differences between the glass.

Don't just say you want "energy efficient" units, because you could potentially be fobbed off with something you neither want nor require.

Also, make sure the window profile (frames) have been rated. It's pointless putting an "A" rated unit in a shoddy surround as you'll lose your heat that way too.
 
I've had a couple of quotes in the last couple of weeks for between 7 and 8.5k for two UPVC doors, two large bays, french doors and six windows.

However, I'm just looking at everything in white and white furniture. I've not checked the ratings of the panels or the frames yet, just getting baseline quotes.

Sound about right?

Have quotes from Anglian, Everest and two local firms.
 
I'll check when I get home but I think it was Sussex Windows (Based in Horsham) who did mine.
Very competitive price and haven't had any issues with them replacing stuff which got broken in transit / wasn't fit to spec. Blokes who installed it were very good and happy to make adjustments while they did it - one of the french doors didn't close properly, adjusted the lock bracket and it was all good.

Everest and Anglian were more than 100% more expensive for quotes, so it's worth giving Sussex a ring.

Edit: Just remembered, the Everest bay window which is probably ~15 years old now, has started turning pink.
 
dont bother with a rating its not worth the extra money b or even c rated are absolutely fine
its impossible to tell if its a good price or not as there are a million variables window fitters are a bloody minefield though dont assume that a big company = good work . i fit windows and iv seen a few abismal attempts at fitting whereabouts are you?
 
What is between the bays? If its brick and there is any sign of movement then they have to factor in the chance that it could all come down and have to be made good.

That price sounds about right.

Make sure they are offering the following:

28mm glass units with 70mm frame

Argon gas filled units

Warm edge spacer - has a thermal break in the spacer bar to stop cold transferring to the inside pane

You should be getting these features at that price. Not all companies offer this and most just use normal units with aluminium spacer bars etc.
 
Edit: Just remembered, the Everest bay window which is probably ~15 years old now, has started turning pink.

This is to do with the pigments they used back then. PVC windows have come a long way and they no longer discolour like they used to. Well decent profiles don't.
 
It's brick between the bays, but it's pebble-dash so I can't actually see the state of the brickwork underneath.

I'll give Sussex a ring and see what they say (or even if they cover my area; Walton / Weybridge).

Gotta love Anglian for showing me what a good deal I was getting by starting at 25k and then applying all the discounts.... Some DG salesmen make me laugh. Also offered me discount for credit over cash, so you can tell where the commission comes from.
 
This is to do with the pigments they used back then. PVC windows have come a long way and they no longer discolour like they used to. Well decent profiles don't.
Sounds about right, it's a south facing window and gets a lot of sunshine.

When I got Everest down to sort it they just gave me a funny look and pretended it wasn't pink. The seal has gone in one of the large panes so it's probably due a replacement anyway.
 
We had ours done a few years ago. 3 big bay windows (Which they treat as 9 windows in the pricing) including 13 of the small panels above the front windows having stained glass in them. Two normal windows out the back of the house. French doors with the leading in.

All this came to a quote of 13.5k. I bartered the guy down to 7.

They definitely have room for negotiation is their initial quotes. Id aim to get it down to nearly 50% of what they originally quoted you.

I finally got him down from 7.5k to 7k by offering him 50 quid in cash once the windows were in ;)
 
No, not a good price at all. Get a private quote and you will see the price drop by 1k at least.
My Dads a joiner and usually beats the price by 1-1.5k and still makes a tidy profit.

I used to be a UPVc fabricator and unless materials have risen by a lot, that is a pretty poor price. ( From a joiners point of veiw, Its about right for the likes of Rutland Windows/Acorn etc etc )
 
I'd like to mention my advice is that of a sealed unit manufacturer and not that of the installers or third parties, so I'd say ring around and get a recommended name you trust.. don't go off the glossy brochures.

They'll ultimately use the same product if they purchase from the same manufacturer, but some are real cowboys.
 
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