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Original poster

How much to put a new window in an outside wall?

12 replies

JustKeepSlimming · 29/01/2023 09:05

Our house is fairly old (1930s) and has been extended over the years by various owners. This has left it with quite a dark hallway, which I think could be improved by adding a new window upstairs at the front. I'm having trouble finding out how much this might cost, though - online varies wildly, and I've asked a couple of DH's relatives who are tradesmen (not builders, though) and they keep saying "oh, that'd be an expensive job" but not actually giving me any idea how much!

We'd be talking about cutting a rectangle out of the wall (there may be wires and stuff, I'm not sure), and putting in a window - possibly also a lintel if it's needed. What other issues might arise?

I just want to know a vague estimate - are we talking a few hundred, or several thousand or what? I'm not including the cost of tidying up the inside afterwards because we're planning to redecorate the hall and landing anyway.

I've been trying to find a builder to give me a quote but they keep on not turning up when they say they will.

Anyone had this done and can give me an idea of cost?

OP posts:
Ilikewinter · 29/01/2023 09:09

We had a new back door cut out and fitted and a few window repairs done....I think it cost £2500 all in, but I cant remember the breakdown. That was a couple of years ago. The window company did it for us so maybe try them rather than builders for quotes?

Original poster
JustKeepSlimming · 29/01/2023 09:13

@Ilikewinter thanks! I hadn't thought of asking the window company; I guess I just assumed they would only be involved in putting the window in once the hole is made!

I'd imagine that the cutting out cost is similar no matter what size the hole is, does anyone know whether that's right? Like, a lot of the cost is in the setup rather than the actual cutting?

OP posts:
Mumonthemove10 · 29/01/2023 09:17

We’ve recently had two quotes to have a small window made larger(Sandstone Victorian house). First quote was £7200 and second was £3250. The second didn’t include window fitting. Much more than I was expecting!

Iwontbecomeher · 29/01/2023 09:17

We’ve had this done just recently. All in it was just under £2000. This was a downstairs wall, average size window.

Iwontbecomeher · 29/01/2023 09:18

Into a brick wall with cavity insulation.

Original poster
JustKeepSlimming · 29/01/2023 09:22

Mumonthemove10 · 29/01/2023 09:17

We’ve recently had two quotes to have a small window made larger(Sandstone Victorian house). First quote was £7200 and second was £3250. The second didn’t include window fitting. Much more than I was expecting!

Wow, that's expensive - and two very different quotes!

Should have said, ours is a brick wall (pebble dashed) - I think it has cavity wall insulation, but I wouldn't swear to it.

OP posts:
NellyBarney · 29/01/2023 09:22

Window costs plus estimate of 1to2k for preparing the opening. You do need a lintel, so the hole in your wall needs to be bigger than the window, so then they'll need to repair/rebuild the brickwork afterwards and repoint. It's a fiddly job, as you need to cut bricks into tiny slicers to fit, so likely to take 2 people 3 days, plus materials and it's 2k. Think about the aesthetics too, if your house is brickwork, you'll need to source matching bricks, ideally reclaimed, so that it's not so obvious.

Original poster
JustKeepSlimming · 29/01/2023 09:25

NellyBarney · 29/01/2023 09:22

Window costs plus estimate of 1to2k for preparing the opening. You do need a lintel, so the hole in your wall needs to be bigger than the window, so then they'll need to repair/rebuild the brickwork afterwards and repoint. It's a fiddly job, as you need to cut bricks into tiny slicers to fit, so likely to take 2 people 3 days, plus materials and it's 2k. Think about the aesthetics too, if your house is brickwork, you'll need to source matching bricks, ideally reclaimed, so that it's not so obvious.

Thanks. That's good to know. House is pebble dashed (and fairly ugly tbh!) so matching it up wouldn't be an issue. We're planning to get the outside painted at some point, so we'd wait until after the window was done.

OP posts:
Iwontbecomeher · 29/01/2023 09:29

And if it’s upstairs cost of a scaffold tower. So probably £2-3k sounds about right for a brick wall.

clarrylove · 29/01/2023 09:31

We did this recently for a smallish window. £500 for the builder to make the hole and put in the lintel and then I think it was about £500 or maybe less for the window.

Boing99 · 11/12/2023 13:34

I would like to know which company you used to make your window. I am in the Minehead area. The most difficult part I find is getting the company to understand that you require a completely New window Not a replacement
Does any one know of a company in this area, that will deal with ALL the necessary parts - cutting hole, putting in window and building reg. Planning Not needed

BlueMongoose · 11/12/2023 19:14

Uh- pebbledash. That makes it more complicated. We have roughcast (similar but rougher) and the problem is you can't see the brickwork, and depending on how good a condition the pebbledash is in, it may damage it further out than the window.
We had two sills lowered, worked fine, they just cut out the lower section without problems. But a conservatory roof was also cut in to the roughcast, that process cracked a bit of render, and we got a leak- the roughcast is in the process of being repaired. It's still not sorted.
You'll need a lintel fitting.
And if it is high up, scaffolding, which adds to the cost.

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