UPVC vs Wooden Windows

[GrumpyMuleFan]

We are buying a Victorian house with a lot of UPVC and some wooden windows. Some of the UPVC are getting quite old and a couple have cloudy glass. I know that many people love them, but I really struggle with them on older houses. Would I be totally insane to replace with wood? As well as aesthetics, I don't like how the UPVC ones, only open at the top - not great for ventilation or as an escape. Has anyone else done this? How do you feel about it now?

If I could afford it I'd replace with wood. Lasts longer and looks better. It's about twice the cost of upvc though.

I've never swapped pvc for wood but my Victorian property has wooden windows and I would never change them even though they need regular maintenance. UPVC just looks wrong in old houses.

It depends how much money you've got. As a compromise you could get wood-effect UPVC ones that don't stand out as much (but you might think that is worse). But in any case, building regulations now will not allow windows that you can't escape from, so if you did get new windows they wouldn't only open at the top.

You can get uPVC sash windows now that open top and bottom and also tilt. They are probably expensive, but new wooden one will be too.

I expect the modern wood sash windows have a lot of the new features too.

Maybe use expensive ones at the front and more affordable ones at the back?

You can get heritage style, flush casement uPVC windows. We have them and I think they look really nice - more expensive than regular uPVC though. And I think it depends on how traditional your house is. I wouldn't put them in a grand Georgian manor for example but our house is 1930s (and not the curved bay window, stained glass window type 30s house) and they really work (and means we have less maintenance/upkeep to do)

We have a 90s house with light oak uvpc windows. On two of the frames the oak coloured foil is cracking and peeling. I have tried to get replacement stuck backed plastic but can't get the right colour, which is infuriating as testing a piece that is nearly right and it has stuck well, not faded and would do the job if I could get the right colour. Instead, I will have to fork out 3 grand for new windows and frames. So, I would go fir good quality wood, you can paint it, repair it and it looks better.

Thanks so much for all the replies. I think we are going to go for wood, but maybe tackle the front and our main rooms first and see how we go.

@Lincslady53 gosh that sounds so frustrating. You are right through: wood can be repainted, repaired and with care should last well.

We’ve had both and would go with wood every time. However they are about three times the price plus maintenance is obviously very different so it’s a personal choice.

Our sash windows are about £1.5k each plus painting which is about £300. And needs to be done every few years. Fitting them also takes ages compared to upvc. And no trickle vents etc..Feels like they are not as insulated- assume smaller gap with double glazing. I am not so much a fan.
We have a not-so-fancy upvc sash in our kitchen and I would consider the nicer ones for front of house. But we are in a conservation area so it’s not permitted. Even the small kitchen sash cost £450 so I think sashes just cost more.

We have wood. Very happy with them.

We are also in conservation area and were allowed to install the heritage style uPVC. Assume it'll vary by council district but it's not a blanket ban.

When replacing my single glazed windows on my Victorian house I did wood at the front and to save money upvc at the back. Really regret not having them all wood.

We have wood, its drafty

That’s interesting. And actually quite a useful thought experiment as I realise I would likely feel too guilty to replace wood with upvc. Turns out I was blaming the council for my own preferences.

We live in a conservation area so have to have wood but they look so much better than upvc and you can get double or triple glazed now.

We renovated an Edwardian house which had old, crappy UPVC windows. We went for wood-effect sliding sash UPVC as a compromise - more expensive than standard UPVC but cheaper than wood and no maintenance. They looked really, really good, in a matt off-white finish with brass hardware. They tilted as well as sliding, so easier to clean from the inside. The wood-effect foils were excellent.

You can get UPVC in any window type. We had sliding sash (proper function, not fake) at the front and casements at the back, all in wood-effect foil.

Just to say, our sashes cost a lot more than some of the figures mentioned here.

UPVC is awful, sadly the only thing I have even been able to afford. Plastic is plastic.
Wood - but good wood, well seasoned, expertly installed etc - will last for ages, but is very expensive initially and you will have to repaint occasionally. Again though - a very good painter and good quality paint should last a decent time.
I am ever hopeful of being able to buy aluminium clad, triple glazed, wooden windows. Used in most of the scandi counties as far as I can tell. The exterior aluminium cladding offers protection to the wood (and can be painted in any RAL colour) and the actual wood provides all the insulation properties of regular wood frames.

We recently renovated a derelict, 1930's property. It had a mix of wooden sash and crittal, all single glazed, some with lead hatching on the glass and many smashed in!

No way would I want the upkeep of wood. We wanted to keep the thin frame, and don't like the fat, plastic look of UPVC so went with aluminum. Ours are a heritage look, with no leading obscuring the view. Expensive, but we love them.

Where I live now, in Portugal, we have aluminium, which I prefer over UPVC and wood. It's standard here, not sure why it's never really been a thing in the UK.

Because it is terrible for insulation. Portugal has a very mild climate. Aluminium bleeds heat, no good for English or UK winters.

Maybe the old type. We had new windows put in last year (because the old ones were single-glazed), and the frames are insulated.

That’s interesting. The advantage to aluminium has always been how lightweight/cheap it is, but the thermal properties (on its own) are awful compared to either wood or upvc.

Yes that's definitely true. The old ones heated up like radiators in the Summer and were cold in the Winter.

I’d go for composite ones that look just like wooden sash. They are probably the most expensive but are pretty much maintenance free.