What's an appropriate price for new windows?

[ToadRage]

The other night our bedroom window fell out. We had a guy come over today to quote for repair and the guy said just by looking, he could tell what company put them in (he used to work for them) and said company went bust in 1991, thats how old our windows are! He couldn't believe they were still there and the others are also at risk. He quoted us approx £3000 for new brand new windows in 4 rooms; 3 bedrooms and kitchen (lounge and bathroom windows are newer). This seems fairly reasonable to me but wipes out our emergency savings. Does this sound like a fair quote?

We just paid £900 for three new glass panes to sit inside the frames (where the glass had blown and gone cloudy). These were 3 single ones - downstairs toilet, left hand side of spare room and right hand side of utility room.

So what you've been quoted doesn't sound bad.

We've just paid £3750 for 5 fairly typical windows in London.

Make sure you get the Fensa or Certas certificate and insurance backed guarantee.

It really depends on the size and style of the windows and what they are made of, which fittings and finish are chosen etc. £3k sounds middle-low end.

Not the point of the thread but it fell out?! Blimey! Were you opening it at the time? Hope you didn’t get hurt!

When I was a kid I opened the patio door and the whole thing fell out of the frame. I was holding onto it like a windsurfer for as long as I could manage but then I had to let go and it smashed on the patio. We had a big boarded up hole in the side of the house for ages. Over winter!

Get three quotes, and see what's what.

What fell out? The whole window or just the glass unit?

’They are very old and are all at risk’ sounds like hard sell tactics to me. Get another opinion, and you might just need to get the broken one repaired.

In terms of cost it depends on the size of the window. £400 to £500 per window on average is about the right ballpark for replacement windows.

Blimey sounds expensive. Replacement double glazed units on average for £100 to £150 to buy, can be fitted in less than 5 minutes by a novice.

Our windows were fitted by novices about 25-30 years ago. There are gaps everywhere and the packing and filling is interesting to say the least. That said, they've lasted well (gaps and all), but I don't think they should be fitted by just anyone.

Fitting window frames, yes absolutely get someone who knows want they are doing.

But replacing blown double glazed units as I was commenting on, you can train a monkey to do it.

Yep, its just one section of a much larger window. Its been open most days over the summer, it was quite late at night. My husband had just gone to bed and I was about to follow, heard this loud crash, looked out and the window was on the deck, it went through the polycarbonate roof my husband had just put up. My some miracle the glass didn't break.

Totally depends on the size, style and material they are made from. Then what hardware you use.

Our windows date from the early 1900's the glass in some of the frames the panes were last produced in 1906, so yours really are not old!

We’ve been quoted £21,000 for 14 UVPC sash windows. 1991 doesn’t seem that old to me. Our current windows are from the 70s but are solid timber. If they weren’t incredibly cold I’d leave them be.

I found these people really reasonable. Quality is excellent. http://www.slidingsashwindowsonline.co.uk/

1991 for UPVC windows is quite old and I think judging from mine the frames outlive their lives.

Replacement with nothing fancy for three windows was £2.5k but one window wasn't huge. So your quote could be right. Do shop around though. I was quite for another set of french doors and the next company was nearly £1k cheaper.

We got our windows done around 8 years ago, I cant remember now to be honest, whole 3 bed semi including a back door, lots of openers at the top, flush fit, wood effect, was about 5k I think. South east.

Is this a reputable local firm telling you your windows all need replacing?

I would be getting additional quotes for the damaged window and waiting to see if they comment on the others. 1991 is not that old for modern double glazed units. If the other quotes highlight a specific problem and can explain what is wrong and this aligns with first bloke then consider what you want to do. Otherwise I’d assume first company is flogging windows first and foremost.

3k is a steal

Could you tell me what company you used please?

Are those PVC or wooden window? If the latter, that’s super cheap. A double glazed wooden window in London alone would cost near 3k if on the large side

Standard (cheap I suppose) uPVC casement windows. Euro cell profiles, Fan light and opener in each.
NOT sash windows.