cost to refurb wooden bay sash window

[user1471504821]

Hi, wonder if any one can help. Having been quoted £2900 to replace our bay window with pvc, am now considering refurbing it and having double glazed panels added. The window is in 3 parts, and is approx 208cm in height, with its central glass panel (with sash fitting) being 88cm wide. Am hoping someone has had this done and can offer a ballpark figure before I go down the pvc route. Many thanks in advance!

Watching with interest as I have loads of wooden sash windows that need fixing!

Thanks for the company! It will probably turn out to be more expensive than pvc. I sort of have it in my mind that if it can be done for £1800 or under I will go with the refurb. Had 4 quotes all around £2900 and only one outlier at £2450

Have a sash window expert coming round soon to try to create an action plan. Some of the ropes are broken, paint peeling off, all single glazed. Need to attack it slowly as whether pvc or wood it's going to be eye watering

Joining in too. Oversized sash windows with terribly inconvenient, impossible to clean secondary glazing. And there are... wait for it... 29 of them. No, we're not in a mansion, is just a house with a hell of a lot of windows, and of course a bay counts as 3 windows ...

Please don't do uPVC. You'll lose all the character.

This article suggests refurbishing might be cheaper: www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/sash-window-refurbishment-cost/

Also joining in. Need four sashes either refurbed or replaced and have a local company at the top of the list, but suspect it's going to be slightly eye-watering - windows aren't as big as OP's, though. Second the 'do not go for UPVC.' Hate those things and especically hate them on period properties.

We're getting ours refurbed - £585 per window to replace the everything and draft proof.

Have you heard of Gekko Glazing? geckoglazing.co.uk/

It's not quite double glazing but is cheaper and still does the job.

@LostSleep are you saying the £585 per window is via you doing that yourself with the gecko products?

I've watched a video on Youtube of the central frame being taken out, glass replaced with double glazing and sash mechanism being replaced and it looked time-consuming which I presumed must mean costly.

Ah sorry, £585 was just having the windows refurbed. The Gekko glazing came to £4800 for 7 windows.

If you want new units ie, double glazed and new beading etc it's going to cost at least a 700/1000 per sash

We got ours refurbed with just new worthy's sash cords and draught proofing fir £300 per window

@beamout @KentishMama really wish I'd gone for this 3 years ago when I had a quote I baulked at for £1950. Hate upvc too but need a functioning window that opens in the summer and keeps heat in during the winter- neither of which happens as it stands

@OnMyWayToSenility can I ask what measurements roughly?

£300 per window sounds better than I am expecting so 🤞

Have watched lots of YouTube videos - no plans at all to do it ourselves but just to try to understand the process. Watched one yesterday that showed double glazing.

I would love to keep the wood - we have a very old house and I think it is more in line with the whole house.

At the moment they are dripping with condensation all the time, let all the cold air in and hot air out and most of them don't open so summer will be interesting...

But they look so lovely

@beamout agreed, same here re condensation. Have never been able to open it as painted shut for the last 17 years, would be so nice to get a breeze during the summer

Am wondering if I could get away with just replacing the central section with double glazing and new sash mechanism and leave the side sections painted shut

Our windows are fairly large 2.15!x 1.55
Single glazed and original

A bay and 2 at the back of the house.

All cords were broken and wobbly, draughty etc

I found a local guy who repairs sash windows.
New cords, beading re done and he put draught proofing inside the sash windows. With a special tool router? Thing

Any way they still get condensation in the winter but are so much better than before

@OnMyWayToSenility I'm in the Midlands- this is where you say you're in the Highlands! Let's hope a similar local bloke with a router exists! Has made me think though, perhaps I could look at carpenters next

I'm in Home Counties!

Google:
Window doctor
Sash window repair
I found mine on Facebook

We just had 9 sash window units refurbed (5 of those in a large bay) for just under 8k. We were quoted 23k for PVC by SafeStyle!!!

I'm in Yorkshire

thanks for all your help, hope we all get some figures we can work with, as it's best to keep these old houses looking their best

Before you change the glass, check if it's really old - it will look 'wobbly' rather than clear. This is original float glass, and part of the charm of old windows.

Most heat leakage with sashes is through the fit rather than the glass. It's perfectly possible to get a company in to refurbish without changing the glass - they'll come in, take the sashes out, check they are running smoothly (the frames sometimes warp a bit, so can be sanded down), replace the sash cords and any missing weights, then they add tiny brushes to the edges of the sashes, so the fit is tighter. Once that's done, the change is amazing, and no change is needed to the glass.

@Speedweed good advice, wasn't aware of this

We had our single glazed sash wood windows overhauled and draft proofed and it worked out about £300 per window.
When we moved into the house I wanted the first thing we did to be replace the windows to double glazed but having done lots of research as PP said most of the heat loss is not through the glass. I am now SO glad we didn't replace the windows not only from a cost perspective but more from a aesthetic point as well.
We upgraded our boiler, and have blinds and curtains and you would know what wise that the house is single glazed

Ours are 2m x 1m - full refurb with upgrade to slim double glaze inserted into old frames about a grand a window although we did get 20 done so probably a bulk discount. Man lived in our house for about a month and did them all by hand.

Ours looked atrocious before. But he said the worst they look the better they probably are because atleast the wood can breathe.

They look brand new now although I do have some bloody micro scratches from other builders 🤦‍♀️ now looking at polishing costs. Probably cheaper to switch out the bloody glass again!

And on the switch to double glaze. I quite like it because it adds a bit of reflective ness from the outside. So we don’t have the old glass anymore but ours wasn’t particularly wavy or characterful. Now we just have a bit of a bounce back tinge when you view side on. I think that’s the external nano coating. Can’t really describe it so sorry if that doesn’t makes sense. But does give a bit more privacy I feel.