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Property/DIY

Timber or 'posh' UPVC' windows?

40 replies

saltyseadog · 06/04/2010 13:05

DH and I are having this age old debate.

I hate UPVS windows, but our new house has tons of windows so we need to consider other options apart from hard wood. We have looked at 'posh' UPVC windows, which are made to look like timber windows, but I am still sceptical. The quote for these is still astronomical, and I am worried that in 10 years time they will look tired (unlike wood we won't be able to re-paint them).

Can UPVC ever compete with timber?

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CountessDracula · 06/04/2010 13:11

not IMO
As they are not maintainable they will always end up looking crap
and they look crap to start with!

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DidEinsteinsMum · 06/04/2010 13:15

then again my folks got wooden windows less then 10 years ago and they need replacing, wood has warped, the seals dont, the handles have pulled out of the wood. Not to mention the fact that they need painting every other year if you only varnish. I would opt for plastic but that is because i know i wouldnt have the time or energy to maintain the wooden ones properally and that imo my folks were not sold what they thought they were ie hard wood seasoned windows.

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cyb · 06/04/2010 13:15

I woudl always go with wood

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BariatricObama · 06/04/2010 13:15

what cd said. (sighs as remember we need to get our wooden ones painted again)

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SugarTits · 06/04/2010 13:17

UPVC even posh ones never look good - sorry.

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saltyseadog · 06/04/2010 13:58

Good - I hate UPVC but wanted to get a general consensus (so I can show DH this thread).

Trouble is we have 32 windows to replace .

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BariatricObama · 06/04/2010 14:02

32!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Merle · 06/04/2010 14:04

Oh heck - 32.

Wood, every time.

I see so many old houses, ruined by UPVC. It just looks wrong - the colour doesn't go with the natural tones of stone/brick.

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SparkyUK · 06/04/2010 18:35

sounds like einstein'sgrandparents got a really bum deal. UPVC will have to be replaced after 20 years but timber should last much longer with some maintenance.

Could you do the windows in shifts or do they all need to be replaced at once?

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violethill · 06/04/2010 18:38

Wood every time. 32 windows - poor you

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mumblechum · 06/04/2010 18:40

Wood. We've rejected so many otherwise nice houses because they have plastic windows.

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saltyseadog · 06/04/2010 20:34

I know - 32 .

Timber it is then - even if we have to do one elevation at a time. I have a feeling that we will finish the windows sometime in 2021!

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nancydrewrocks · 06/04/2010 20:44

Wood always looks better IMO.

However I think depending on the value and type of your house it is often better to go with decent quality UPVC.

We had the windows replaced in our old terrace house 12 wooden windows cost £17k. As a % of the value of the house that was reasonable (ish!) but clearly not worth it if the house had been worth a lot less IYSWIM.

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mumblechum · 07/04/2010 07:52

Looks like you'll be forking out £50k then Salty

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taffetacat · 07/04/2010 20:10

We've just replaced all ours ( big house refurb/extension last yr ) and went for timber at the front and aluminium at the back as its very exposed there.

There's timber and there's timber. Check out Jeldwen. uPVC is bleurgh.

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nickytwotimes · 07/04/2010 20:15

I have wood now and I hate it. Pain in the arse to maintain.
We had fancy uPVC in our old house and it was fab. Visitors thought it was wood adn we didn't have to varnish every 2 years. But it wasn;t a fancy house, iyswim? SO it was in keeping. Depends on style of your house.

Who does your window cleaning? That's a bloody good contract!

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Effjay · 07/04/2010 20:26

I have wood casement windows and they looked fab when we bought the house 8 years ago. Now, they look really shoddy, they leak and the paint is flaking off all over. We're going to replace with UPVC next year. There's a builder who lives across the road from us and he has UPVC windows in a period house and they look great. I think I'm going to ask him where they got them from. I think it's possibly about the design of them more than anything ...? With 32 windows, are you really going to have them painted every five years??

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Pixelvixenuk · 08/04/2010 11:22

Don't forget you can always make your UPVC or wooden windows look better by changing the window furniture!

Check out "this page".

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saltyseadog · 08/04/2010 13:03

These are the UPVC windows we were looking at:

Posh UPVC

Yes - initial quote for timber was £60K!!! Much as I love this house, it's v.plain, so spending £60K on windows would be madness. We're just waiting on the other timber quotes to come in; I do think that they will be considerably cheaper than the £60K . The £60K quote was for the Rolls Royce of windows.

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saltyseadog · 08/04/2010 13:07

Oh and cleaning the windows - we moved in 6 weeks ago and I'm still cleaning the filth inside left by the previous owners .

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PaintPod · 08/04/2010 13:24

wood - without question

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MrsJohnDeere · 08/04/2010 13:37

Wood.

UPVC always looks awful.

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Elsa123 · 08/04/2010 14:14

We have 22 windows that are wooden (oak) on the inside and white aluminium on the outside. They are hurricane proof (yes I know)and American. We found them at a home building and renovation show where you can often get good deals. With American windows though, they tend to come without ventilation grills which means under UK regs, you have to have an alternative means of non window opening ventilation, so we have a heat recovery and ventilation system that sucks and pushes air around the house. I can recommend going to one of those shows, just to get a better idea of the options open to you. Worth doing perhaps if you're forking out for 32 of them!

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mothermud · 12/04/2010 23:27

My dh runs a Joinery that specialise in windows, and he is astounded that you had a quote for 60k for 32 windows!

There is a lot of difference (as previous posters have pointed out) between a well designed/made wooden window which will easily outlast UPVC, and a poorly designed/made wooden window which will need replacing in 10 years.

My dh gives a 50 year min guarantee on the timber he uses and an 8 year guarantee on paint finishes. Not sure whereabouts in the country you are, but he covers the South East if you are still considering wood.

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ageing5yearseachyear · 13/04/2010 07:17

omg 32?

how many at the front of the house?

Could you not do wood at front and upvc at the back? would preserve ( or clearly improve) the kerb appeal but not entirely bankrupt you.

unless you are the National Trust it can never be worth spending £60 k on windows.

my sister spent a fortune on replacing the sashes on her modest terrace- because she thought the house deserved it..........

the house was an object incapable of emotion in my humble view.

she subsequently sold and always regretted the expense.

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