Help...upvc or wood french doors?

[hellostarling]

I want to install some French doors in our new kitchen diner into the garden. Every bone in my body has always said they should be wood, however...

• all the other windows to the rear of the house are upvc (installed by previous owner, can't afford to replace)
• the other back door will probably be upvc
• our builder has pointed out that wooden ones will stick and be a pain for a few years until they settle
• wood is obviously much more expensive.

House is Arts and Crafts 1920s semi. I like a traditional aesthetic. What do you reckon?

I loathe UPVC windows with a passion (despite our house having them, was the compromise I had to make vs. DH's on location) and even I, in that situation, would stick in PVC French doors.

Assuming the ones at the front are timber, I'd spend the money saved on a good joiner to come round and make sure those are in tip top condition and won't need replacing any time soon.

It would only be worth it if you wanted to eventually replace all the back ones with timber as well. I might do that here, but only if we decide it's our forever house and extend.

I think I would go with UPVC too. I love wood and where possible would always say wood, but if the rest of them are UPVC it won't look right if they are different.

Unless as MissM says you are going to start to replace the others with wood, in which case it would be worth starting with those doors .

Just to be contrary, I would say don't add to the crimes already committed against the Arts and Crafts aesthetic by adding yet more plastic windows. If you can afford wood for the French doors and back door, then go for that.

Thanks for responses so far. Am going to have to do more research into upvc ones to see if there are any that I can bear and properly work out the cost difference.

Have you thought about aluminum ? We have them as French doors, huge patio doors & kitchen window. They are SO much nicer than UPVC.

We have friends with wood & they literally spend all their time warping/shrinking/expanding with the weather.

We have UPVC and I do hate it. However, in your situation I would probably just go with UPVC too.

A few on these threads have said that you can get wood-effect UPVC which is very realistic. I've not seen it myself so can't comment, but worth checking out?

Christ no, not wood effect UPVC. It is the devil's own work.

Sorry Devora, I realise you say you haven't seen it! You don't want to, it's vile. There are slimline PVC options on the market now which have a more traditional profile, these in white would be the most bearable for a PVC hater I think.

OP, the other thing to bear in mind is if you get timber doors, the PVC at the back will from that moment on look awful in comparison and you will constantly internally berate yourself about not being able to replace them.

I am duly warned off, MissMarjoribanks.

contrary to what vendors might want you to think, plastic doors and windows are not very burglar-resistant. The reason they are festooned with additional hooks and catches is in an attempt to make up for their softness and flexibility.

not having a keyhole on the outside will reduce one of the methods of attack.

I would get aluminium as WIlloisp suggests.
uPVC is ugly and the plastic doors we have had have all had problems with the locks and have involved getting locksmiths round regularly - never had this probloem with wood.
But I think aluminium would work better with your existing plastic windows.
You can get it ppwder coated in nice colours such as dark grey which looks modern but also stylish.

sorry, I mean Willowisp!

I have woken up trying to work out how long it would take us to be able to replace all the pvc windows with wood! DH is not happy.

Had not heard of aluminium so will definitely research those - thanks for the suggestion. How do they compare price wise?

Hello

In your first post you said would will obviously be more expensive

Are you sure?

Plastic doors are usually more expensive (as well as ugly and less secure)

Wooden doors and frames are better fitted by a good local joiner.

Damn, I meant you said wood would...

OP, I feel your pain. DH goes all on me whenever I raise the issue of timber windows.

My parents have aluminium French doors in an otherwise entirely timber windowed house. They were put in by the previous owners in the 80s but look fine. They are big sliding ones though rather than side hung openers.

I have heard that metal windows are becoming more competitively priced. Steel (Crittal) windows are good, but the best examples are quite expensive.

for example

lots more

Thanks for the suggestions PigletJohn but unless I'm missing something then the wood ones are more expensive? I had looked at the Screwfix site earlier and pvc ones seem to be about 50% cheaper. Our builder has quoted a guide price of £1800 for a wooden French window in a 2m10 aperture.

I have exactly this dilemma. The paint on our wooden doors is constantly needing renewal, and the draughts are phenomenal.

We were in the same position and got wood. I don't regret it - they look fab (but folding sliding doors, not French doors). BTW we had ours made bespoke by a local joiner and they knocked the wall out and fitted them too for the same price as the readymade doors alone.

That's interesting Brian that the joiner made and fitted them for less than the off the shelf ones. Going to contact some local joiners anyway about the kitchen so will ask re doors too.

hello looks like you're right about the prices. The cases I have seen of plastic doors being more expensive than wood are probably where they have been fitted by double-glazing companies, which have a fat mark-up.

We are in the same dilemma, or rather it's not a dilemma as we will have wooden doors but it means going much more slowly on the window replacements because of the cost.

I don't want to keep banging on about it, but the whole point of the Arts and Crafts movement was things being hand-made by traditional methods. Plastic windows would have been anathema to William Morris (mind you, he charged so much for his furniture that only the very wealthy could afford it, which is our problem).