Would you replace wooden frames with white uPVC double glazed windows?

[Bitolderandwiser]

Do you have White UPVC double glazed windows?
If so do you hate them or do you think they look ok and are practical.
A friend of mine has wooden window frames varnished in brown which are needing replacement. This is going to cost a lot to have same but they hate what she calls White Plastic Window Frames . They don't belong in old houses I suppose but are easier maintenance.
If it's an old period house then I think you'd want something in keeping but generally speaking would you just replace them with upvc?

There are quite a few points between timber windows and white plastic windows of old. For starters they don’t need to be white.

We have wooden framed windows, they are soft wood, and need replacing. We will be replacing them with aluminium, as they have a slimmer profile and, to us, look better than UPVC.

Can’t they be painted?

I would go with aluminium too. I like it better and it will age better than PVC. Plus it doesn't offgas into the house.

If I was able to be fancy I would have those windows that are aluminium on the outside and wood on the inside.

Doesn’t it mainly come down to cost? I don’t think many would deny that wooden frames are aesthetically more pleasing, but decent hardwood ones are going to be serious £££, and will require maintenance, although I wouldn’t expect to do that for a good few years after fitting.

My DM replaced all the south facing wooden frames on her 30s house as she’s very near the sea, and that side takes a real battering.

Sorry if that’s stating the bleeding obvious

No I wouldn’t. UPVC windows don’t ever look as good as wood, plus the offgassing as mentioned by CatherinedeBourgh.

I replaced my wooden double glazed windows on a 1999 house about 4 years ago.

I'd been having them stained/painted but the most recent quotes were ridiculous (£7k) compared to new UPVC windows (£12k).

I had dark wood effect outside and white inside and am really pleased with the brightening of the rooms internally with the white frames, the increased heat retention and the lack of maintenance needed.

No they don 't need be white but they were her words, I think it's the plastic bit she doesn't like.
Aluminium is probably too expensive but I will mention that.
also I think the wood is not in good condition t o just paint.
I think the cost may be the issue and the responded that need replacing would cost about £30000 to do.
Thanks.

You can have upvc windows which have a wood effect finish - I have them to fit- far more cost effective than replacing with hard wood frames and they look fine

I wouldn't have plastic doors and windows even if they weren't white. I don't like the wide profiles or the fact that the material is soft and weak (this is why it has to be festooned with multiple catches and locking devices). You can't even fit a British Standard 3621 Deadlock to it.

My preference is wood. Hardwood is very expensive, but I have heard good reports of Accoya, which is softwood boiled in vinegar or something to toughen it up like a conker.

Even standard softwood joinery can last a hundred years or more with reasonable care.

If you were quoted £30,000 I think I would look around some more. If you are using a company that specialises in restoring period properties, they aim at clients with deep pockets.

I quite like Aluminium, which can be very slim. It used to be sold in silver finish, but you can get anodised colours, and it can be painted.

I just looked into it some more, and Accoya is a patented technique, deliberately sold only through upmarket joinery companies, to the premium price buyer.

Make sure your friend has lintels to support the weight. My house was built in the 70s and had wooden framed windows which were used as structural supports. The previous owner replaced with uPVC. uPVC is not known for its load bearing capability and we only discovered the lack of lintels after we moved in as once we opened the windows, they wouldn't close again as they were so warped.

We have now fitted lintels, and also gone back to wooden windows. Much nicer aesthetically too.

@HappiestSleeping

Do you recall cost per average wooden window?

Were they off-the-shelf standard sizes?

I have low profile aluminium windows (which replaced the original wooden ones). I chose a walnut colour, so they are similar in colour to the previous ones but require no maintenance. I'm very pleased with them.

Ours were beyond saving and due to cost had to go with upvc. As a compromise I spent a bit extra and got 'flush sash', with a wood grain effect, in a cream colour rather than white. They look really smart!

To be honest we used Timber Windows (so they just measured and made them). Not cheap, but engineered wood, and great service from our local franchise.

For ease of maintenance, I would go Upvc but in Agate Grey which is a very soft grey/green and works brilliantly with older buildings.

I wouldn't choose plastic windows, but have only ever owned old houses where they just look wrong imo.

We've had accoya custom made and fitted at two houses and were very impressed. The first time (2014, rural Wiltshire) they were around 1k per window for DG sashes with acoustic glazing. The second (2019, rural Carmarthenshire) they were closer to 2k for DG casements. Post pandemic, when we needed much larger windows (taking up a complete 12' x 8' wall), costs had risen so high we built our own from scratch, although we used oak this time and sourced DG panels from an online supplier. It was a rather stressful undertaking, but quite an achievement.

We've previously successfully painted upvc fascia boards using Zinsser all surface primer/undercoat and finishing with Little Greene exterior eggshell which stood up well to a wet climate.

My house is 220yrs old and have white upvc frames and looks fine. The frames now come in lots of different colours, my parents surrounds are brown and its a 1990s house. She must be losing alot of heat with wooden surrounds?

I got sash upvc windows on our bay window to replace the wooden ones and they look so much nicer than the other tilty upvc ones around the rest of the house.

We are going through the process of replacing wood with Accoya and will probably spend £30k by the time we’ve done but that’s windows and doors and not one of them is q standard size! Really happy with the ones we’ve had done so far

Yes, we are replacing ours with upvc sash. They are very realistic looking.

Possibly look at something like Residence 9 before totally discounting UVPC. Worth considering for a more traditional aesthetic.