Replacing windows in an Edwardian house

[BudaisintheZONE]

Anyone done it?

We have bought an Edwardian house that has the original windows. Leaded in the front of the house.

Some are painted shut. Some have broken handles etc. Obv not double glazed.

Wondering what to do and if anyone has a good company they can recommend for repairing what is there.

Also - we are building an extension on the side of the house and redoing bathroom upstairs and DH is wondering about using uPVC in the bathrooms. Any thoughts?

How pressing is the need to be double glazed, thinking noise of traffic, wind & cold? Are the original windows sound in terms of woodwork, that's different from peeling paintwork and a general shabby appearence. Get free advice from someone experienced The fact that some are painted shut does not mean they need replacing. Good diy skills or a general builder will sort that out. Are the windows sash or casement? Unless your budget allows for replacements then I would be inclined to refurbish what's already there. Of course you will need to compare the prices of both options and the hassle factor.

are they sash windows.

We had ours repaired and partially replaced ( house is Georgian). It was expensive but worth it in terms of smooth function and draft reduction.

We got a joiner who specialised in traditional windows and had good references on restoration work

We had all of ours renovated rather than replaced. Some were rotten in places. All painted shut. Sash cords broken. Missing weights.

As we did each room in the house, the window was refurbed at same time.

They look lovely.

In new loft extension we had timber double glazed sliding sashes made rather than using UPVC. But prob only because I loathe loathe loathe UPVC.

If you want them sorting properly I would recommend the "sash window workshop" who also specialise in sorting casement windows. They would also make you a window for your extension in keeping with the rest of the house.

If you are looking for a cheap DIY option, you can free up the painted shut windows by carefully removing the offending paint with the corner of a chisel and gently easing the windows free. Have a good look at the casements and fill any damaged timber with a good 2 part filler before ( after removing the old paint ) repainting the casements taking care to choose a dry day and to not bond the window to the casement. Clean the lead gently with a black paste polish and replace any broken casement stays or handles which can be obtained from an ironmongers or builders' merchant.

Don't be tempted to replace them all with UPVC as you will really regret it!

Thanks all.

Just spotted responses now.

Chatelaine - noise not really an issue - more thinking about the insulation factor. Our architect did say that double glazing isn't the big be-all end-all solution and that in actual fact draught proofing and insulating house in other areas will be as effective. They are casement windows. The finding of someone experienced is the hard bit I think. Esp as house is in UK and we are currently living in Hungary!

pagwatch - casement windows. When we bought the house we had in our heads that we would need to replace all the windows but our architect said probably not and that restoration/repair would prob enough.

pooka - I loathe uPVC too. Trying to avoid it. DH thinks it makes sense in bathroom though. I am not so sure and would rather all the windows that side of the house matched.

massivemammaries - No way would we replace all with uPVC! Don't worry! Will have a look at 'sash window workshop'.

Don't suppose anyone knows anyone experienced in this in Somerset?

sash window workshop exclusively cover the south and are good to deal with

I had a look at their website massivemammaries and they look great. We are in UK week after next so will make an appointment for them to come around and have a look I think. Thanks for that. I had NO clue where to start!

I too loathe upvc and need to replace sash windows. How much do they cost on average, per frame do you reckon? Plus installation.

depends if you need to replace them or repair but if full replacement you should work on around 600-800 a window fitted

You can now get wooden sash windows built with double glazed units. I saw some in a house we looked round and they looked really good. Uunless you get close you can't tell that they're double glazed.

prices I gave were, in fact, for d/g sash windows.also worth saying that you can replace glass in old sash or casement windows with double glazed units as long as you have sufficient depth of rebate in the old frames

Definitely repair, not replace. You will save money and add value by repairing, and modern repairs (such as adding those brush things) will eliminate most draughts. Thick curtains are more effective insulators than double glazing.

Any new windows now have to be double glazed - newish building regs I think. It makes wooden ones a bit chunkier, and not a complete match for any existing frames.

We haven't found any particular problems with wooden bathroom windows. If you have a condensation problem in your bathroom, perhaps you need to fit an extractor fan.

that isn't true. In fact I am working on a project at present on a listed building where the LA will not allow d/g windows to be fitted and are insisting on s/g sash windows replaced like for like.
Trickle vents will solve most condensation problems

Is that because it is a listed building though, MM? Or was I being bullshitted by window company?

Bud we also have an Edwardian house with only a few original windows left.The previous owners internally double-glazed these[mainly the stained glass ones].The rest have been sadly replaced with horrible upvc.I must say even with double-glazing our house is very cold and draughty with little or no insulation.If you have the original wooden floors there are perpetual draughts, and old tiled floors are very cold.We are currently in a process of insulating[internally] rooms we are refurbishing and it is a very costly and time-consuming process.Because we have very narrow mortar gaps between our external bricks we can't have the walls filled with insulation as it will look dreadful.Our attic was converted years ago and has a mixture of all non-insulated roofs of several different shapes.All the walls will have to have internal insulation eventually.As you can tell this is a very topical subject for me at the moment!.

No it is window company bullshit on the whole. I do this for a job and can state that it is not a building regs requirement for new windows to be d/g!

On new builds yes, retro-fit no

Mine are absolutely rotten. A window man came to inspect them and sank his keys (with ease) into the wood of all of them.

And then told me it would cost £1500 per frame to replace with more wooden sash windows. Sigh. That would mean a spend on our house that would just take it out of its market value.

I am positive .... also £1500 a sash is expensive ( a full on retail price ) unless they are MASSIVE sash windows. If you are trade or are able to blag it that you are trade £600-£800 is where they ought to be in the current market

I use direct labour now but I always dealt with the Sash Window Workshop who were very good and gave me a good deal .... they cover London and the South