Single glazed Victorian windows

[Dorset6]

We have moved to a lovely Victorian house with two big original bay windows at the front. Obviously they're really bad at retaining the heat but I hate the thought of replacing them with upvc. Has anyone been in a similar situation and found a solution?

We replaced our entire nasty single glazed bay in our Victorian terrace with UPVC double glazing.

I think ours looks great and our house is warmer for it. I have 0 fucks for the "travesty" 🙄

As for needing to be replaced every 10 years - please provide a link to this fact.

You can remove the Perspex sheets but leave the tape that is stuck to the windows. Obviously you then need somewhere to store the Perspex over the summer.

Ask your local joiner to fit double glazing into the original sashes. Victorian window sashes are usually deep enough to hold slim double glazing.

Thank you for the info on the perspex. I'm feeling potentially warmer already!

Great, thanks.

Order in :-)

We just leave our magnetic glazing up all year round but we're in Scotland in a house that stays cool in the summer due to thick stone walls. I believe people store the perspex under beds when not in use.

We have thick interlined curtains which makes a difference

Which company, please?

Anyone replaced with aluclad timber? Any good? We also have large bays at front of house and lots of sash windows. Have very thick curtains which are great, but all the heat disappears very quickly in the day time when they are open! Take about 800ml condensation in total off the wobbly plate glass windows each day with a window vac, so they act as a dehumidifier. They have numerous repairs and face due south, so all the wood/wood filler/spliced bits expand at different rates in the summer and the paint cracks within a couple of years so it's a maintenance nightmare.
Anyone who replaced their windows, did you come up with any upcycling ideas for the original sashes? Cold frame?? Feels a shame to chuck Victorian glass in the tip.

PVC isn’t a better insulator than wood and there’s no evidence that PVC frames cost less to maintain in the long run. It’s modern glass that provides the thermal benefits.

Wood frames with double glazing is one choice that may be suitable given you’re concerned about the condition of your windows.

Secondary glazing is probably the simplest answer if you’re going to stick with your current frames. Given the lifetime of some double glazed units this may also cheaper across the full lifetime of the house.

You can also retrofit double glazing to existing frames. The trade-off here is that double glazing tends to be thinner for retrofit.

PVC windows could drop your property value.

For people with windows that need work, particularly where it’s only the casements (the moving part of the window), consider doing it yourself. You can order wood and glass and repair or make a window yourself. You don’t need expensive equipment: a saw, chisels, moulding plane, clamps, wood glue should do it. Wood choice is key though. Plenty of info online incl. YouTube showing how to make windows.