Am I mad to consider a house that has sash windows/no double glazing?

[screamsprout]

My mum only has bad things to say about this (loss of heat, condensation, noise).

What say you lot?!

I say I agree with your Mum, but I would still buy it. Bet it has oodles of character.

id say make sure you budget to replace/restore them VERY soon!

goodness, would far rather have a period property with sash windows than double glazing... go for it and ignore your mum!

Message withdrawn

my mum's house has sash windows, and so have most of the houses I've ever lived in. they're not as bad as all that. loft insulation makes a bigger difference heat-loss-wise, and noise is only a problem if you live on a main road (and even then you get used to it).

plus, there's always secondary double glazing.

have you really only lived in double glazed houses?

Not mad at all. I live in one. And I feel the cold. I don't mean I feel the cold through the windows, I mean I'd be the first to complain if it were cold.

do not, under any circumstances replace them with uPVC.

No, but then again, I haven't always paid the bills!!

righty .

secondary double glazing (i.e. sheets of pvc accross the windows in the winder months) and/or heavy curtains make a big difference.

No, not mad at all - in fact come and buy ours!!!

Honestly - you do get some condensation so it helps to wipe the windows in winter. The noise is fine (IME) and loss of heat also doesn't seem to be a problem - and I'm someone who feels the cold and used to live in a house with double glazing.

No UPVC!!! Don't rip out the sashes. Honestly, lots of people would be put off by double glazing in the same way as your mother is put off by sash windows.
We have sash windows and always have had (this is the house I grew up in). Only thing we have done is periodically repair/renew any rotten wood. And have winter lining for curtains, just to make them more draught proof.
Just put on extra layers!

I have lived in two houses with sash windows, in the first one the windows were double glazed. My current house has the original single glazed sash windows in most of the rooms.

My current house does get a bit draughty but to be honest I don't really notice the difference in winter, both in comfort and bills. The only thing I notice is that it is definitely noiser - sometimes it is hard to believe that people aren't just walking down the street deliberately yelling to annoy me

We are due to move again and our new house has single glazed sash windows - so they can't be all that bad

It's bloody gorgeous and the schools are good too. Think I might be able to live with a few more jumpers!!!

PVC is work of Satan.
When we renovated our last house, we paid a fortune to have the (well over 80 years old) windows remade.

Looked fantastic and never regretted it. (We also had shutters made which kept the house very warm)

What sort of shutters were they? That sounds like a good option.

They were surprisingly cheap.Plywood actually and although initial plan was to paint them,the grain was very nice so we left them as they were.Builder friend did them for a very reasonable amount.

double glazing says upvc to me and I would run a mile from that. I'm sure there is nice dg but I certainly wouldn't be put off by sash windows.

well you certainly won't get condensation! you could get secondary double glazing if really draughty. sash windows are a very clever design, if you open them a bit at top and bottom you get a really efficient air flow through room. i have got double glazed sash as had to replace dreadful 70s windows in victorian house. noise not much different to before.

I lived in a house with original sash windows and they were fine. They do need some looking after, but it's worth it. Def don't even think UPVC - YEUUUCHHH.

I had original sashes in my last house - very draughty. This house has plastic windows - much warmer. But, without a doubt, the sash windows are so much better. If buying a sash-windowed house again, I would think about paying for wooden double-glazed replacement sash windows though. Gets quotes from a joinery manufacturer - much cheaper than window specialists

this house has original sash windows and i'd buy it in a second.

it's got other windows behind the sash, so it's fairly warm.

bags of character.

the owner's wife wants to replace them with naffo UPVC ones.

a solicitor has already informed her this will significantly decrease the value of the home as the top panel of these windows is the original stained glass.

Saw it today and it is flipping gorgeous.

Have put an offer in.....

I want to know more about this house - am a sucker for house porn.
What else (in addition to lovely original windows) is making you love it?

I have sashes with no double glazing. Have really good central heating and shutters on the biggest windows. Not lived through a cold winter in it yet though but it looks gorgeous.