Wooden sash windows...refurb or replace?

[Onvacation]

We have lovely Edwardian windows. But they are high maintenance, and we are not good at high maintenance, and they are now in a really terrible state.

My husband would get upvc. I would divorce him if he did that to our house (almost).

We have been given refurb quotes, and replacement (with wooden sliding sash windows). We have quotes from Ventrolla and a couple of local companies. The quotes are a lot of money. My husband wants to get quotes from Anglian and Everest for their wooden sash windows. I have an impression that anything from them is going to be poor quality, and lacking in the period features that I really really want.

He says if they aren't original, then not to spend the money on the fake stuff. But I would rather keep my falling apart old windows than get characterless fakes.

So, with that in mind, am I right about Everest/Anglian? Any experiences of Ventrolla (SE London)? Any views on whether spending a stupid amount of money on wooden double glazed sashes is a stupid idea/essential?

I have new double glazed sash windows in my living room (3 window bay in Victorian terrace) and they are a JOY. But cost about £5k about 5 years ago so not cheap. But they run so smoothly and we don't even have curtains as they are so well insulated but retain all the Victorian features and brass bits and the shape of the wood etc, Unfortunately our builder sourced them and I have no idea who he used but they are really worth doing right.

when you say you have replace/refurb quotes for the windows what does it include?

we had our beautiful original sashes refurbed and double glazing added which was expensive but not eye watering. the quotes we had for new wooden windows were truly sell your first born expensive.

we obviously went for the refurb and add double glazing and i have to say, best money we have spent on our house. i love the result. they are warm and have retained the character. we opted for oil based exterior paint so it lasts longer.

Bumble it is actually the glass that I want to keep, I love the distortions and quirks in it. If I can't keep that, I can't help thinking new hardwood windows would be best.

The refurb is stripping down, replacing rotten sections, replacing rotten sills, re fitting, rehanging, draught proofing (would be for the third time), and putting everything back in, ready to be painted.

Ventrolla are actually cheaper for new windows than my first independent quote. We have been burned before with a bad job, and it makes me anxious about the whole process.

I've just been sorting out my windows in a Victorian house. Like you, I live the quirks in the glass and wanted to keep as much original as possible. I had 5 widows refurbished (draft proofed, reroped and weighted, painted, filled, new sills) and they're now a joy! They were done by Meridian windows and they cover SE London.

However, a couple of the windows were past refurb (rotting in the frames) so I replaced with UPVC sash and they look marvellous. Not the cheapest option but are great. I chose to replace with UPVC as new wood isn't as well seasoned as Victorian wood and so wouldn't last as long and need masses of expensive care plus the initial cost. The windows were also going on the exposed bits of house. I got the UPVC sash from TotalGlaze who also cover SE London.

I did so much research into this and it drove me a bit mad in the end!

You can actually get double glazing that is designed to look like the old glass, complete with waves and slight faults. I think it is mega bucks though.

I can see why you dont want to loose the old glass but I was gobsmacked when we had our new double glazing put in. the original glazing was barely 2mm. it was like having cling film at the windows for all the thermal protection and sound insulation you get.

if your window frames dont need replacing I wouldnt swallow the cost. our frames have been in 120 years and are still going strong. I cant see any need to replace them unless they were rotten. we even kept our original window furniture, so the hooks and handles.

OP we had ours done as you describe and although it was a lot of money it was worth it - they are lovely.

We replaced as they were beyond saving, used Sash Windows London based in Battersea who I believe will also advise on refurbishment vs replacement, they were great.

All in wood I should add, although they also do very nice looking PVC alternatives (never thought I'd say that!)

I've only ever heard bad things about the big national glazing companies. Personally I would always try to stick with a small specialist firm.

Have you considered secondary glazing? Like the other options, it's ££££ but beats anything else for sound and thermal properties.

We have secondary glazing in all our Edwardian sash windows and it's not something you'd notice, unless you were looking for it (however, we've never known this house with anything different (was in when we bought it) so I can appreciate it might be more 'noticeable' if we had been used to the house without it.

We had the refurb done that you describe, and kept the lovely wavy glass. I'm really really happy with it. We used a specialist Oxford company and I'm so happy that's what we decided to do: even with single glazing, it's so much warmer and there are no draughts at all (I also got thermal lined curtains for the big bay). I can sit and look at my windows for ages!!

Probably best to refurb as you would never get the same kind of character in modern glass. Its more work to refurb which is why window replacement firms say they cannot be replaced. There are windows which are 100s of years old which are still doing well, lots of character, if looked after properly. You do have to shop around and not take any nonsense about refurb being impossible. Edwardian windows are beautiful. Stand your ground.

look for a local joinery firm that can make new windows or recondition old.

Remember that elegant sash windows and other joinery are just a collection of pieces of wood sawn and planed to shape and size, and assembled together.

If you drive around looking for houses with sash windows that look perfect, try to engage the owners in conversation, see who they used and if they recommend them.