uPVC or Hardwood Windows for a 1960s Home?

[cathbath]

We have a detached 1960s property in the suburbs - it's a pretty standard design. We are renovating it throughout and we are also trying to make the house as eco-friendly as possible. I don't really like uPVC so we were thinking of hardwood windows (I like the look of the oiled ones).

However I've just had a window salesman tell me that hardwood may devalue the house, as most people would prefer uPVC. Most of our neighbours in similar properties do seem to have white uPVC windows...

We are planning to be here for the long term, so want to do what's right for us, but obviously don't want to make an expensive mistake either.

I have also wondered about steel windows which Sarah Beeny was recommending...

Which windows to choose?!

Your house would suit a door along the lines of this one

Do the windows first and the door later. Our house is 1960's - I love it - loads of light because we have great big windows, decent sized rooms and no fussy Victorian looking rubbish. I would like the ceilings to be higher but there's lots of potential to create something wonderful.

Hi Disparity, yes there is so much potential with a 1960s house. We are used to Victorian houses so it took me a while to warm to this one. But now I love it! It is so well laid out, so much light and space - I want to be here forever.

I think we have ruled out uPVC now. DH told me last night he isn't that keen on aluminium and would prefer timber... he thinks timber will have better thermal qualities, and he isn't afraid of the maintenance.

We seem to be going round in circles and I'm becoming obsessed with windows! I feel unable to make any decisions and need to see the bigger picture for how the exterior will look as a whole... Not sure if an architect could help us here? We are considering a doing a side extension too, but probably not for a few years.

Hi we went through very similar circles to you earlier this year.

Our original windows were crittal (steel) windows with bars across them. kind of art deco style but the house is post-ww2.

We really really really wanted to get replacement steel windows but they were going to cost 3x more than pvc. Also it turned out there isn't a local supplier in our area so we would have had to have sourced our own fitter and i wasn't comfortable that they would have had the expertise to fit them properly.

We ruled out wood because we were afraid of the maintenance and in the end went with pvc. which is what everyone else in the street has done before us. We felt that the extra cost of the windows wouldn't have increased the value of the house compared to others on the street either (although that wasn't really our main concern).

I think perhaps the most important thing to get right, whatevr material you choose is the style of the windows and openings as this can make a real difference to the look of the house and the light they let in. Have a look at your other houses' windows for ideas. We ruled out getting fake pvc bars to replicate the old windows as we didn't like the look of the ones on our neighbour's house.

Sorry that turned out to be very long - I was also window obsessed - i still have a pic on my phone of the steel window showroom which i occasionally look at and lust after!

Have a look at Aluminium clad wood - you get the best of both world - the thermal properties of wood with the ease of maintenance of aluminium - also you could decide to only replace a few windows at a time.