Has anyone used MH Joinery Products for Sash Windows?

[CuddyMum]

Just that really www.mhjoineryproducts.plc.uk/about.php

I've just Googled them and am awaiting a call back from their local person.

I know it's frowned upon but I really would like to replace my elderly sash windows with something that looks the same, is wooden but is more practical in terms of function and security. Conservation are a bit stroppy about the idea and would rather I refurb and secondary glaze. The windows have been refurbed by the previous owners. Secondary glazing would look rubbish on the windows as 4 of them are large bays. Would I have to get planning permission?

If the house isn't listed you won't need PP except if it's in a conservation area where your area has an article 4 directive further restricting your rights regarding windows.
We are in a conservation area, I checked with the conservation officer and she confirmed that although she would strongly prefer & recommend that you keep the originals there was nothing they could do to stop you replacing them (with anything you like)
I felt it important both in terms of the character of the house & area and the value of the house to replace ours with timber DG sashes.
We've looked at various options (i think i gave you details of allen brothers which i love but v.v expensive) but are going with a FENSA registered local joiner.
He ended up being the cheapest (by a little bit) and if we wanted to spread the costs we could as he was making bespoke exact replicas do a few at a time rather than doing the whole house. He could also repair and retain the huge ornate timber posts on our square bays, which nobody else could guarantee.
We've actually taken the plunge and got him to do the whole lot but it was good to have the option to do it in stages.

Hi Wonky. Am still waiting for Allen Brothers to get back to me! Guess they don't need the work. Like you, we would prefer to do the work a few windows at a time with the girls' rooms being a priority. The kids are in the attic rooms and the rooms are so high up that you can hardly even see the windows from the street. I'd really like these to tilt too as my husband was not impressed when I shoved him out on to the little balcony area to clean the outsides! I have another call logged with a company called Country Hardwood too.

Allen brothers don't get back to you directly they forward your details to a local rep who is supposed to contact you. I'd give them a call and say you've heard nothing can they sort it out. Or if you aren't busy 27-29th Sept there is a link on their website to get free tickets to the House Improvement Show at Olympia, London where they have a stand, which might be worth a visit. Their stuff is really nice and if I had an extra few pennies spare we would have gone with them but everything else is eating money especially since I fell in love with the hand built oak kitchen so we need to make savings.
The joiner we've got does beautiful work and they will be hardwood sashes but it'll take slightly longer & we have to get them painted by someone else (although he has passed on someones details for this) which is the downside.

If their contact does get back to me, I suspect that they will be out of my price range. I will have to get lots of quotes and I suspect there will be compromises to be made. :)

Everytime I see you on here I think you sound like you've bought something similar to us. It's beautiful but needs a fair bit of stuff doing all of which needs money or effort expended on it.
I've got electricians in this week and I'm sick of brickdust and 'surprises' hidden in the walls & floors. It'll be worth it when it's finished but I wish we were done already.
We put all the windows quotes in a spread sheet and puzzled over them for ages before agreeing on what to do and who to go with. I think if you are careful on who you choose piecemeal works and allows you to save up between windows.
Everyone thinks as an architect I should know exactly what I'm doing and it'll be easy but it's not when it comes to making decisions about your own home & your own ever decreasing pot of money.
I am very jealous of your floor tiles (on the other thread) ours were all removed and replaced with a combination of carpet & orangey/red Lino (hmm). When we have some spare money (probably in about 10yrs )I'm going to reinstate ours

Thankfully, we don't need much electrical work just extra recessed lights in the girls attic rooms as there's only two in each room! Have done the floor tiles today! Will post the results on the thread once I've put my hair dye on!

Well two two window companies I contacted today never returned my call either!

• the two

That's rubbish.

wonky we have so much to do on our cottage

We having a quote done for staircase next week, one step forward....practically the whole inside of the cottage needs to be ripped out and replaced...

We also have sash windows to sort. We had secondary glazing, it didn't work, had to be ripped out but it looked awful anyway.

Minimalist I don't envy you with the staircase. All my lights are up as of this afternoon they are beautiful. Now to get the plasterer in to sort out all the chasing from the rewiring.

wonky jealous of your lights???what type of lights have you had fitted? Also what sort of house have you bought? Sorry for being nosey!

It's ok. We've bought a big Victorian semi detached house. The house has all the original coving, fireplaces and amazingly ornate picture rails etc. With huge high ceilings and large windows. When we moved in the lights were a mixture of converted paraffin lamps and faux victoriana shades. I've gone the complete opposite and fitted very simple elegant contemporary lights. I think they highlight the amazing original details rather than fight for attention, which is what the ones that were in when we came did. Next door has gone for completely Victorian decor and it's stunning but just not me.
I love our new lights, they kind of glow and think they are beautiful, they also make it look like my house, and light the room with a nice quality of light Iykwim. Can't wait to update the decor to match. I do have to wait for the windows to go in though so I don't have to do it twice.

wonky do you have any links to lights you chose? It's all sounds lovely.

I'm really struggling with light choice and need to make my mind up before the new year really so I have a little while. We're in a terraced Victorian workers cottage (1870) so the rooms are small but we have regular height ceilings. The whole cottage is approx 500 sq ft. We want to go for a 'modern' cottage look (original floorboards, once the new plasterboard is up and finished, the walls will all be painted white, new woodwork everywhere and new doors so the finish should be good) in both the downstairs reception rooms we hope to have these sofas www.multiyork.co.uk/sofas-and-armchairs/all-sofa-collections/verona-sofas
Which should look nice combined with the woodburner in one of the reception rooms. I'm not particularly fond of dangling light shades in such a small space but I'm not sure what would be best with the sort of look we're going for... Any advice?

Living room I've got these wall lights with this lampshade on a pendant fitting.
Family room I've got this one
Hallways I've got this and this and this
I have www.lightingstyles.co.uk/wall-lights/contemporary-up-down-wall-light/sleek_up_down_plaster_wall_light.htmthese in the conservatory.
Then various shades/lights we brought from our old house elsewhere. We have huge high ceilings and large room volumes so mine are on extended drop pendants but some of those shades/fittings can be bought in different sizes.

Sorry that last one was www.lightingstyles.co.uk/wall-lights/contemporary-up-down-wall-light/sleek_up_down_plaster_wall_light.htmthese

Arghh www.lightingstyles.co.uk/wall-lights/contemporary-up-down-wall-light/sleek_up_down_plaster_wall_light.htm

I have a rep referred to me by Country Hardwood coming to see me next week re the sliding and tilting sash windows. Have had to chase up the other three companies!

Hope I don't look too shocked when I hear the price! I've no idea what sort of price I should be paying either.

Get them to quote for each room individually so you can see how the quotes put together and if you wanted to only do a few a time you can see what each room costs.
For us the bay windows were the scariest bits of the quote.

Can I be cheeky and ask roughly what I might expect for a large bay? :)

Our large square bay with 4 large opening double glazed sashes, traditional cords & weights is £4600 in hardwood.
Our large 3 window splayed bay with 2 opening sashes is £4400.
Ours are all 2.5m tall with low sills so require toughened glass in the lower half.

That price includes retaining the original hardwood posts & decorative mouldings and fixing or replacing any that are damaged. The posts and mouldings are beautiful so it was important that they could work with them.

Thank you for that. That's really useful. :)

Sorry to but in but I just used Ventrolla. They renovated some existing sashes and installed new double glazed wooden sashes. They were brilliant. Not the cheapest, but very professional and friendly.
(promise I don't work for them!)